The-Laker-Issue-Fall-2021

10 | the LAKER campus happenings ONLINE EXTRA Community College Daily, a national publication of the American Association of Community Colleges, featured the story of Paul Brock’s ingenuity on April 22. To read the article by FLCC Public Relations and Events Coordinator Jessica Youngman, visit www.ccdaily.com/2020/04/teaching-winemaking-in-the-vineyard-virtually WHAT ARE MYCELIA and why is FLCC growing them? The College is helping a company determine if there is a faster way to grow the nutrient-dense root-like parts of mushrooms. Demetrice Garcia carefully positions a large flask of orange liquid in an autoclave, an oven-like device, to sterilize it for growing another batch of mushroom fibers. Demetrice, or “Demi,” and her fellow research assistants, Philip Simmons and Matthew Brooks, are culturing mycelia, the white root-like filaments that, in the wild, extend from mushroom caps into rotting logs. They work in the lab at Finger Lakes Community College, trying to answer questions that could lead to a number of commercial products: What conditions promote the fastest growth of mycelia and the bioactive compounds these fibers produce? Their work is supported by the National Science Foundation, which funds a variety of programs to promote science education and opportunities for students to pursue careers in science. The exciting part is that this is not a lab exercise. Real-world research A local company is keenly interested in what they learn. Empire Medicinals in the Rochester suburbs grows gourmet mushrooms under the brand Leep Foods. The company sells them to stores and restaurants. It also roasts, grinds, and blends the caps and stems into chicken sausages and beef burgers to create leaner, more healthful versions. Demetrice Garcia ’21, who earned an A.S. in biotechnology, works as a research assistant on a project to determine the best conditions for growing mushroom mycelia in a liquid solution. FLCC is collaborating with a local company that would like to commercialize the process for the food and dietary supplement markets. photo by rikki van camp