SUNY Oswego cooperative education student employees William Ernest and Alison Taylor (from left) speak with Port of Oswego Executive Director Zelko Kirincich and college President Deborah F. Stanley, a strong supporter of college-community partnerships that spur economic development.

Both candidates for graduation in May, Ernest and Taylor work full time in paid co-op positions with the port and SUNY Oswego’s Agricultural Testing and Analysis Laboratory. They grade and test New York state-grown grains—corn, soybeans and wheat—at the port prior to the exchange between farmer and buyer, and do higher-level analysis in the college’s lab. A total of $250,000 is being provided through the Port of Oswego by the governor’s office for the lab.

Their mentor, biological sciences faculty member Anthony Contento, said the Port of Oswego also supports 11 student internships in the sciences and business.