Keeping Mosquitoes at Bay
applications and having
the students witness their
research manifested in a
commercialized product, not
just remaining as a learning
opportunity or thesis, is very
exciting,” said Roy. “This
real-world use for our work
provides them with practical
experience.”
Without Bug Spray
Floridians are all too familiar with the humid, muggy days of
summer. Whether going on a camping trip or spending the day at
the beach, residents know to plan in advance for hot weather, a
potential afternoon thunderstorm and, of course, mosquito bites.
For decades, the most common defenses against mosquito bites
have been aerosol sprays or other products that contain DEET, the
active ingredient found in most insect repellents. However, as one
group of Corridor-based researchers discovered, these repellents
offer only short-term protection and the long-term effects of
such chemicals are not yet known. Even more importantly, they
recognized a large market for their product idea—a sustainedrelease spatial repellent that doesn’t require the use of topical
sprays or lotions.
Roy is not only a university professor, but
also co-founder and chief technology
officer for Cool Flow Dynamics. CEO
Kalu Watanabe specifically sought him
out when starting the company after a
meeting with an energy executive from
Wal-Mart on a separate entrepreneurial
venture. Watanabe realized the food
and beverage industry had a great need
to increase energy efficiency and has
since worked to deliver a solution.
“For me, to be able to work with the
university, work with these students and
a team that has already been working
together through The Corridor program
– it’s unbelievable,” said Watanabe.
“Having done it other ways in the past,
this is a faster process to get a product or
prototype or proof of concept to market.
It’s a no brainer.”
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