Biosource Baits Inc.
A team of four Oles (three science majors and one economics major) enrolled in a fall term academic internship to collaborate on a real business problem under the guidance of Biology Professor Kevin Crisp.
Biosource Baits Inc. (BSB) is a small, privately owned company located in Plainfield, Illinois. BSB is the sole manufacturer and wholesaler of Biosource – a revolutionary (pat. pending) fish feeding stimulant. The President of BSB worked through Professor Crisp to design an internship project based on a real business need: to test the product in a laboratory setting, and to determine the marketability of the product in the U.S. The team of interns worked together here on campus to perform biological research, chemical research, and business & marketing research.
This model for an internship is characterized by two key features:
- An interdisciplinary team of students working together on a business project
- Close guidance of a faculty supervisor, who aids in drawing ties between the academic and the real-work
The students gain excellent real-world experience, producing important outcomes and deliverables that will have a lasting impact on the business practices of Biosource Baits, Inc.
Quote from Professor, Kevin Crisp
The Biosource Baits research internship is a unique opportunity for science and business undergraduates to learn about the commercialization of biotechnology at multiple stages of product development; these students are simultaneously experimenting with the technology in the wet laboratory and conducting market research to determine how the technology can be used to make a profit.
The Biosource Baits project ended in December 2010. We will use this internship program model to provide similar opportunities for students in the future!