The Science, Technology and Research Institute of Delaware (STRIDE)
is a growing consultancy focusing on innovation as well as research and development in the chemical space. With a roster that includes many former DuPont scientists, STRIDE works with companies large and small to help make discoveries and solve problems.
Last year, STRIDE moved into laboratory space at the Delaware Innovation Space, an incubator based on the grounds of the Experimental Station in Wilmington. Seetha Coleman-Kammula, president and CEO of STRIDE, talks about the move and STRIDE’s plans for 2018.
Q: STRIDE moved into new lab space late last year at the Delaware Innovation Space. What has being in that lab space allowed you to do that you were not able to do before?
Seetha Coleman-Kammula: The lab has enabled us to offer lab-based scientific services beyond consulting. That has helped us to secure a number of projects in which we are currently involved, and we have several more in the pipeline.
Q: In general, how does being in the Delaware Innovation Space help STRIDE?
SCK: The lab’s location places us in close proximity to our customers and allows us to serve our clients to the highest safety standards.
Q: How does STRIDE hope to grow in 2018?
SCK: We are launching a service to provide comprehensive solutions using analytical chemistry through both lab-based work and consulting to clients in many market segments and industries.
Q: What do you hope for STRIDE in the next decade?
SCK: We hope to transition from a service business to a product business by developing technologies where we have strengths, such as in 3-D printing and new materials.
Q: It is my understanding that educating young people is a significant part of your mission at STRIDE. What are some ways in which you do this?
SCK: We have been working with the Route 9 Library and Innovation Center to create STEM programs that can be run during school breaks. We [ran] six sessions during spring break in the first week of April. For the longer term, we are collaborating with [STEM-centered nonprofit] RESET, based in the greater DC area, to bring their six-week STEM program to Delaware schools. In addition, we are investigating ways to bring undergraduate students at Wilmington University and University of Delaware into contact with industrial scientists so that the students learn about how STEM is used in industry.
