10/03/13: My First Mushroom Visit

Last Wednesday, I had my first visit to Ecovative and to my great delight found that it was everything I hoped to find and more.

Upon first entering the doors to the company, I was met with a contract that I was asked to sign, regarding confidentiality of their mushroom productions. They explained to me that it was just in case I don't decide to start a mushroom packaging company of my own that would challenge theirs. :)

My mentor, Courtney Hart a research scientist, showed me around and what I saw behind the double doors took me by surprise. What had just moments ago been an office place filled with computers and desks had transformed into a very spacious and factory-like place. Everywhere I saw there were enormous machines that played a role in the whole mushroom material-making process. One-by-one Courtney explained to me what they were used for and I remember just standing there in awe of everything around me. It was my first time getting to observe the behind-the-scenes workings of a "science company" and what I saw left me open-mouthed and with a broader view about the the applications of the very subject of science in the real world. When last year I was limited to the lab in both my biology class and my internship, here I given full access to much much more.

After the preliminary tour around the factory/company, my mentor showed me the place where I would be spending most of my time: the lab. Here, I found that before entering I would have to change my shoes into sterilized crocs and wear various gears (ie: lab coat, hairnet, etc) to make sure nothing contaminated is brought inside the lab. Courtney explained to me that in this very lab, they grow their home compostable material. Giving me a brief rundown of how the company basically works, she mentioned that Evocative first buys massive tons of leftover agricultural byproducts (ie: corn stalks) and combines them with root structures from mushrooms called mycelium--this which is used as a natural self-assembling glue. The material is then allowed to grow in the dark and left to self assemble into a solid mass. She went on to explain to me that what some scientists do here is that they experiment with different characteristics of the mushroom material they grow. For example, I was able to touch and see one test product that had the texture and strength of wood. Another had the strength and texture of styrofoam--the very product that they set out to replace and vocally speak out against. In fact, if I hadn't been told otherwise, I would have easily believed that the product made from compostable eco-friendly mushroom material was styrofoam itself.

After I confirmed what I had to confirm with my mentor (regarding scheduling and the likes) my time at Ecovative had come to an end for the day but I knew that it was just the beginning. Even though I haven't actually started, I have a good feeling that I will come to love every minute of my time as an intern at this company.