Competition gives OSU an idea of what a real-world venture would be like

Oregon State University MBA student Mike Peterson stood next to what looked like a science experiment - a yellow suitcase with wires attached to a cylindrical piece of wood - and schmoozed with businesspeople who walked past.

"It's a revolutionary new way to test the strength of utility poles," Peterson explained.

The 24-year-old hoped to sell the worth of his prototype. And maybe win $10,000, too.

On Friday, 10 student teams made business presentations and vied for cash in the New Enterprise Challenge, a new business plan competition at OSU.

The competition gives students across campus the opportunity to find what it takes to create a real business venture, said Christopher Klemm, director of the Austin Entrepreneurship Program, which organized the competition.

"Lots of great ideas are around. Making them work is something else," Klemm said.

OSU has a wealth of research, he added, but many scientists aren't familiar with the business side of things, and the competition could help connect them with entrepreneurs.

The $10,000 award went to S-Ray, a dental imaging alternative to X-rays that uses sonar. That's mainly what the "S" stands for. "It could be safe ray," added Glen Morrison, 38, of Corvallis, the spokesman for his team, which included three other MBA students. A local dentist and an OSU professor designed the technology.

Peterson took the second-place prize of $5,000 for his plan. The gadget was developed by two professors in the College of Forestry, and sweeps a sonic wave through the wood of a utility pole.

"Right now, they do a visual and a sounding - they whack it with a hammer - to test strength," Peterson said. Needless to say, a more precise method could save replacement costs for power and telephone companies, he added.

There was a tie for third place, which came with a $2,500 prize, between a plan for bacterial hydrogen fuel cells and a particle coating product for eyeglasses.

Other products included a pen that could record on a computer what it had been used to write and a service to personalize dorm rooms.

Talking about the product in front of a panel of local business leaders wasn't easy, because there were no softball questions, Peterson said. The business leaders also served as mentors for the finalists, who had to have business plans turned in a month ago.

Finalists were chosen out of 19 total applicants.

Kyle Odegard covers Oregon State University. He can be contacted at kyle.odegard@lee.net or 758-9523.