MSU employees start animal research facility
Amy Winberry
Issue date: 3/27/07 Section: News
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In summer 2006, Gerald Nelson, director of the TCEE, approached Willard about awarding a grant for support of a start-up company that Willard wanted to start.
"The Thad Cochran Endowment for Entrepreneurship and the university were searching for small start-up businesses from faculty, staff and students at MSU," Chromiak said.
Willard said the TCEE awarded them the money to spin research technology into the animal science industries.
The purpose of the company is to develop the patented technology in animal research to make it available for other livestock producers and scientists. Licensing for RAMS' services and research instruments are still being processed in the MSU licensing office.
Willard and Chromiak continue to work on a business plan with the help of MBA graduate student Bryon Williams while also researching instruments to use in their business. RAMS' two main branches are research and service.
RAMS is the only distributor in North America of two instruments from an Iceland-based company, IceRobotics. One of the instruments is a backpack-like apparatus called IceSampler that is strapped to a cow's back and automatically takes blood samples to monitor daily stress levels.
The other instrument is IceTags. The device attaches to a cow's legs like a pedometer. If an unusual pattern develops in the cow's daily walking habits, the animal scientists are able to determine if the cow is about to calf or has a problem.
Chromiack said the company is in the developmental stage of patenting a new device through the university for monitoring differences in temperature and pH balance in cows through an inter-vaginal probe.
One of the services provided by RAMS is the use of thermography, which is the company's Web site says is a "non-invasive temperature monitoring tool for assessing body surface temperature gradients through infrared imaging."
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