Pathoscan Field Trial Success
The goal of this project is to ensure that Pathoscan can have a successful 2025 field trail by optimizing our Pathobox production process using hands-on experience. It is ideal for teams of learners participating in an interdisciplinary studies such as InterD or Global Challenges classes. This will allow students to learn how point of collection testing works from a holistic perspective. There will be two members of the team: Laboratory Manager: The laboratory manager will be responsible for processing the outstanding samples delivered by our clients under the direction and supervision of Proxima R&D. In this role, the student will have hands on experience with our partners at Proxima R&D laboratories in microbial techniques including PCR and qPCR. These samples are not mission critical, and are intended to serve as a quality control mechanism that the Pathobox Manager will use to ensure that the Pathobox is functional. Pathobox Manager: In this experience, the student will learn how to assemble electronics components with hands-on experience so that they can optimize the assembly process of the Pathobox. If interested, the student can also learn how to use FDM manufacturing technologies.
Pathoscan Operations Management
The goal of this project is to help Pathoscan execute its goal of democratizing diagnostics. There are two options depending on the learner's skillset. Option #1: PathoScan Technologies Inc. aims to increase the sales of its Pathobox units and assay kits. The project involves developing a comprehensive marketing strategy that targets potential customers in the agricultural and veterinary medicine sectors. In this project, you will learn about what the Pathobox is, how it can help potential customers, and then sell the Pathobox to the customer. Learners will be compensated on a generous per sale basis. Learners are welcome to work as a team or individually. - Analyze current market trends and customer needs. - Identify key customer segments for Pathobox units and assay kits. - Develop innovative marketing tactics to enhance product visibility. - Deliver on the proposed marketing plan. This is a great opportunity for any business student in finance, sales, or marketing. Option #2: Pathoscan Pathobox product market-fit review. The Pathobox is the flagship product of Pathoscan that allows producers to diagnose diseases in their crops at the point of collection. The goal of this project is to identify product market fit (PMF) for the Pathobox. To facilitate this students will be provided with training on the Pathobox as though they were a customer. They will then review the training materials, speak with clients, and write a report detailing the shortcomings of our current marketing strategy.
Pathoscan Remote Customer Aqusition
PathoScan Technologies Inc. aims to increase the sales of its Pathobox units and assay kits. The project involves developing a comprehensive marketing strategy that targets potential customers in the agricultural and veterinary medicine sectors. In this project, you will learn about what the Pathobox is, how it can help potential customers, and then sell the Pathobox to the customer. Learners will be compensated on a generous per sale basis. Learners are welcome to work as a team or individually. - Analyze current market trends and customer needs. - Identify key customer segments for Pathobox units and assay kits. - Develop innovative marketing tactics to enhance product visibility. - Deliver on the proposed marketing plan. This is a great opportunity for any business student in finance, sales, or marketing.
Market Research
The goal of this project will to be conduct market research for Pathoscan. In particular, the learner will be responsible for researching the market potential of our product: the Pathobox. How this is done will be up to the learner. However, it will likely involve doing a survey of producers, researching disease yield losses, and researching how our product can mitigate those losses.
August Pathogen Testing
The objective of this project will be to test the Pathobox device on late season crops. This is a critical field (no pun intended), because late season crops represent crops that have received maximal input. However, they come with unique challenges, namely that the treatment window is very small. As such, the student will identify and test these crops. They will then deliver the results to producers and create a report outlining the statistical relevance of the assay.
qPCR Laboratory Project
The goal of this project will be for the student to develop a quantitative qPCR assay for plant pathogens. This will involve taking our existing diagnostic kits and using them on spiked plasmid/amplicon samples to develop a standard curve. Field plants will then be compared to this, and an LOD/LOQ will be developed. This will be used along with a positive control to yield information about the level of infection in field crops. Depending on the student's skillset, they may contribute to the project in other ways, such as by developing a PCB board for the machine using PCB Way or doing competitive analysis.
July Field Plant Investigation
To complete this project, the learner will first research 2 local producers that have problems with plant diseases. They will then do market research on these diseases to ensure that an assay for them is commercially viable. They will then take the Pathobox out to these producers, demonstrate it, and return the results.
Cell Culturing and Sequencing
The objective of this project is for the learner to isolate a fungal or bacterial pathogen from an infected plant sample (BSL-1). This sample has been provided by one of our curious clients. The learner will then use universal target sequencing (ITS, 16S, CPN60, etc.) on a nanopore to identify the causative pathogen.
Building a Better Pathobox
The main goal for the project is to enhance the capabilities of the PathoBox machine by adding the ability to detect SYBR Dye. This will enable the machine to identify specific crop diseases with higher accuracy and efficiency, aligning with PathoScan Technologies Inc.'s mission to revolutionize agricultural practices. This will involve several different steps for the learners, including: - Researching the properties and behavior of SYBR Dye in detecting crop diseases. - Developing and integrating the necessary hardware and software components for SYBR Dye detection into the PathoBox machine. - Testing the integrated system to ensure accurate and reliable detection of crop diseases using SYBR Dye. - Documenting the integration process and providing guidelines for future maintenance and upgrades.
Late Season Crop Disease Testing Prototype Project
The main goal for the project is to utilize a prototype kit to test crops for diseases in the late season. This will involve several different steps for the team, including: - Understanding the functionality and limitations of the prototype kit. - Testing the prototype kit on a variety of crops to identify diseases. - Analyzing the data collected from the prototype kit to determine the effectiveness of disease detection. - Developing a report on the findings and recommendations for further improvements.
Mid-Season Prototype Testing for Crop Disease Detection Device
The main goal for the project is to test crops using the PathoScan Technologies Inc. prototype to validate the prototype's effectiveness in detecting crop diseases during the peak agricultural season. This will involve several different steps for the learners, including: - Understanding the functionality and technology of the prototype device. - Working with producers to identify and select a variety of crops to test the prototype on. - Conducting tests on the selected crops to detect any diseases using the prototype device. - Analyzing the test results and comparing them to traditional lab testing methods. - Providing a comprehensive report on the effectiveness of the prototype in crop disease detection.
Early Season Agricultural Disease Testing
In this project, the learner would have the opportunity to meet with producers and test their fields for disease using our prototype. The learner will be involved in all aspects of the client-company relationship, and will be responsible for conducting the test with scientific rigor based on producer specific conditions. The company will provide mentorship on how to properly work in a laboratory and field environment.
Microbiology Testing for The Brewing Industry
The objective for this project will be for the student to test and validate that a newly designed assay for detecting bacteria in yeast cultures is effective, user-friendly, and specific. By the end of the experience, the learner will be required to write a review of the prototype, including what should be improved upon. The learner will also have to provide a report on the test's specificity, and perform a statistical analysis to determine its limit of detection. The prototype and samples will be provided for the learner.