E-mail Angela (angela.lenssen@wsu.edu) or write a comment below with your feedback.

A few things we’d like to know:

Preferred frequency: Is four to six times a year a good number of e-mails to receive from us? If not, would you like more or less contact?

Kinds of news: Did this newsletter contain information that was relevant and interesting to you? What other information would you like?

Form of communication: Do you like e-newsletters? Or would you prefer a printed version? Or a different medium altogether?

Your favorite way to communicate: Should we work on communicating with you through our e-news primarily? Or in a more immediate format through social media (Like us on Facebook)? Where do you want to hear from us? And where do you want to share your updates with us?

This has been a year of change for the School of Food Science.

First, our newsletter.  We are always trying to improve how we communicate with alumni and friends by trying out two new formats.   We’ll be sending you two News Bites and two SFS Newsletters via email each year.   You should have received the first News Bites about a month ago, featuring short, concise updates about the SFS.  Beginning with this issue, the SFS Newsletter will feature longer, more in-depth articles about the accomplishments of our faculty, staff, students and alumni.   Please let us know how you like the new formats.

Second, change at the top.  The WSU Provost has resigned and has been replaced temporarily by the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences (CAHNRS) Dean Dan Bernardo.  Ron Mittelhammer, from the School of Economic Sciences (a former department chair), will move into the interim dean role on June 1.  In addition, Jim Moyer, from North Carolina State University, was hired on May 1 to replace Ralph Cavalieri, as Associate Dean and Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station.  Ralph took a new position as Associate Vice President for Alternative Energy for Washington State University.

There have been even more changes at the University of Idaho.   The UI president is leaving after 4 years of service to the University and has been temporarily replaced by Don Burnett, Dean of the Law School.   The UI provost is leaving and has been temporarily replaced by Kathy Aiken, Dean of Arts and Sciences.   John Hammel, Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS), resigned in December.  CALS Associate Dean for Academic Programs John Foltz has stepped in as interim dean of the college.  We interviewed four candidates last week, so we hope to have a new CALS Dean to announce very soon.

Third, personnel changes in the SFS.  In 2012, we hired four new faculty members and a new Director of the Food Technology Center in Caldwell.  You can read more about these hires in this newsletter.  We are currently searching for a new Dairy and Food Processing Extension Specialist for the Twin Falls area and for a faculty member to fill a new position as a Natural Products Chemist. In addition, we have identified four excellent candidates for the teaching faculty position vacated when Jeff Bohlscheid moved to Simplot last July.  These candidates are coming to campus in a few weeks to interview.   I look forward to announcing these hires in our next newsletter.

The entire front office has been reconfigured due to the formation of three CAHNRS Business Centers.   In addition to her other academic duties, Jodi Anderson has taken on the role of WSU undergraduate student adviser.  This year she advised our freshman and sophomores; she’ll take over the juniors next year.   As directed by CAHNRS, faculty will serve as career mentors, but will not have a formal course advising role. Chanelle Denman is advising freshman and sophomores at the UI.

We hope to see you at the SFS Reception on Sunday July 14 at the IFT Annual Meeting in Chicago!   The reception runs from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.  Please purchase your tickets when you register for the annual meeting and encourage your friends to attend.

Best wishes for a great summer!

Regards,

Denise Smith

“Change is inevitable – except from a vending machine.”  Robert C. Gallagher

Upcoming Events

SFS Offices at UI and WSU will be closed this Friday, May 17 for a staff retreat.

We will be hosting a ticketed event at the Chicago IFT Annual Meeting in July. When you register for the meeting, be sure to also sign up to attend our Sunday evening reception. It will be a valuable opportunity for you to catch up with alumni, friends, students and faculty of the School of Food Science. You’ll find the event on the registration form under “University of Idaho/Washington State University Reception” on Sunday July 14 from 5:30-7:00 pm. Tickets for the event are $17. We hope to see you there! Get more details…

Upcoming UI Extension webinar on FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Info and registration here.

Mark your calendars! The LCIFT Regional Section Meeting Suppliers’ Night and Golf Tournament will be on Wednesday, June 26^th in Kennewick WA. The event will be held at the Red Lion Hotel and starts at 4 pm. IFT President John Ruff will be the speaker that evening. There will be a golf tournament on Thursday. Click here for more information or  to register.

International Quinoa Research Symposium held at WSU on August 12-14. The USDA is bringing in researchers from around the world for this event. Registration and more details is available here.

The Student Section

A few scholarships are still available! Check these out:

National Poultry & Food Distributors Assoc – due May 31 – http://www.npfda.org/scholarships (for junior or senior)

National Potato Council   - due June 14, 2013 – http://www.nationalpotatocouncil.org/events-and-programs/scholarship-program/ (for graduate student)

National Meat Assoc – due date TBA –  www.nmascholars.org (undergraduate)

McNair Achievement Programs – due date TBA  (accepting applications now) – http://www.mcnair.wsu.edu/Application.aspx (undergraduate)

Washington State Farm Bureau Office, Ray Devries Memorial Scholarship – Due July 1 – http://www.wsfb.com/programs/scholarships (undergraduate)

Will You Be Here for Summer?  We’d love to know if you’ll be in Moscow or Pullman for a portion of the summer! If so, please let us know. We would love volunteer help with recruitment, academic fairs, prospective student visits, marketing activities, etc. Just send Jodi (jlanderson@wsu.edu) or Chanelle (chanelled@uidaho.edu ) an e-mail to let us know when you’ll be here!

See ya next Fall! UI students: don’t forget! If you’re taking a class at WSU in the fall, classes start in Pullman on August 19. You will be expected to attend classes that first week even though UI classes have not started. See you then!

General Announcements

“LIKE” us on Facebook!  Our school now has an official page on Facebook, so be sure to “like” our page to stay updated on activities here. Also, be sure to invite your Food Science friends and alums to like the page too! You can find the page here:  https://www.facebook.com/SchoolofFoodScienceUIWSU

We still have some SFS Wearables available for purchase! See the order form here so you can see what they look like. Here’s the remaining inventory, so contact Angela (angela.lenssen@wsu.edu)  ASAP to get your size:

If you have a request on a new wearable, let me know. We’ll likely order something new and different in the future.

Job Announcements

Chobani has an opening for an R&D scientist position in their Twin Falls facility. See the full job description here. If you are interested in applying, contact Senior R&D Manager, Dr. Jin Zhou (Jin.Zhou@chobani.com) who is R&D lead on current business processes for Chobani. The company is also in the process of setting up an R&D internship program for students. Look for more info on that opportunity in a few weeks!

Amway is building a Nutrilite Botanical Concentrate Manufacturing facility in Quincy WA and has a couple of job openings: a Group Leader and a Team Leader. Click on the titles to see the full job descriptions.

Medallion Foods in Tacoma, WA is looking for a Quality Control Technologist. They are a dry pasta manufacturing facility is looking for someone with just the right skills for this position. See the full job description here.

Commercial Creamery Company in Spokane, WA is looking for a Food Technologist. They want to hire someone to formulate seasonings, sauce mixes, specialty dairy powders, cheese powders and more. See the full job description here and contact Kelly Curry at info@cheesepowder.com to apply.

Blue Mountain Growers in Milton Freewater, OR is looking to hire for the position of Field Services Coordinator, with primary responsibility for the implementation and oversight of the Global G.A.P. (Good Ag Practices) program.  Secondarily, responsibilities will include general food safety oversight of the plant operations (will be trained in this responsibility).  They am looking for someone that has an ag based background, preferably in the tree fruit industry but not required, former involvement in FFA, 4-H, farming background, etc. in addition to having a post high school degree (B.S. or A.A.S. in ag related subject).   The ideal candidate will have excellent written and verbal communications skills, organizational skills, ability to grasp new concepts, well versed in MS Office (Excel primarily), ability to get along well with others (primarily farmers).  This position is a liason between the Plant and approximately sixty (60) growers. Blue Mountain Growers, Inc. offers a very good benefits package to include medical, dental, vision, 401-k plan and a starting salary of $36-42k based on qualifications. If you are interested, send your resume and give them a call to schedule an interview. They plan to hire ASAP. Contact: Justin Brunson justinbrunson@bmi.net or 541-938-3391.

HB Specialty Foods is expanding their Research and Development team and have an opening for a Product Developer, Bakery/Breading Specialist at their Napa, ID facility. See the full job description here.

Congratulations

Congratulations to all of our Spring 2013 graduates!

UI Undergraduates:

Lynette Andersen

Athena Beckwith

Kari Jones

Jack McClure 

WSU Undergraduates:

 Jake Fischer

Yinmeng Sun

Karin Thorsen

Un Chen ‘Arica’ Vong

WSU Graduate Students:

Masters:

Lauren Schopp - Master of Food Science; Thursday, March 28; DIFFERENTIAL METABOLISM OF HYDROXYCINNAMIC ACIDS AND THEIR TARTARIC ACID ESTERS BY BRETTANOMYCES AND PEDIOCOCCUS IN RED WINES; Chair: Charles Edwards

Phenias Nsabimana - Master of Food Science; Friday, March 29, 2013; EFFECT OF DEEP-OIL FRYING ON ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT DONUTS; Co-Chairs: Byung-Kee Baik and Joe Powers

Peter Mugisha - Master of Food Science; Friday, April March 26, 2013; DEVELOPMENT OF EXTRUDED SNACK FROM CASSAVA-CARROT COMPOSITE FLOUR AND STUDY OF PROCESSING PARAMETERS THAT AFFECT THE RETENTION OF PRO -VITAMIN A; Chair: Caleb Nindo

PhD:

Jesse Zuehlke - Ph.D. in Food Science; Monday, April 8; INFLUENCE OF ZYGOSACCHAROMYCES AND BRETTANOMYCES ON WINE QUALITY AND THEIR CONTROL DURING VINIFICATION; Chair: Charles Edwards

Luis Federico Casassa - Ph.D. in Food Science; Friday, April 12; PHENOLIC MANAGEMENT IN RED WINES: INVERSTIGATION OF THE TIMING AND SEVERITY OF REGULATED DEFICIT IRRIGATION (RDI), GRAPE MATURITY,  AND SELECTED MACERATION CONDITIONS BY HPLC-MS AND SENSORY TECHNIQUES; Chair: James Harbertson

UI Graduate Student:

Congratulations for passing the M.S. in Food Science Defense!

Jeremiah Dubie Master in Food Science Tuesday, May 7, 2013 “Antioxidant Extraction from Brassica Juncea Seed Meal Using High-Intensity Ultrasound for Use in Fresh Chilled Pork to Prolong Shelf Life”

Co-chairs: Caleb Nindo and Gulhan Unlu

Taste Panels

Trout Fillet Taste Panel!

Wednesday, May 22 & Thursday, May 23, 2013 in the Food Science & Human Nutrition Bldg. Room 146. We are looking for volunteers to evaluate the sensory quality of poached trout fillet. Receive a Ferdinand’s Gift Certificate for participating. Plan to arrive within 10 minutes after the start of one of the following serving times so the fillet will be hot and fresh.  Limit 6 panelists to each time block, limit 36 panelists per day.  You must be 18 years of age to participate.

Serving Times:    10:30-10:40 am

11:10-11:20am

11:50-12:00pm

12:30-12:40pm

1:10-1:20pm

1:50-2:00pm

Please reserve your space on the sign-up schedules posted outside FSHN Room 148 or email beata.vixie@email.wsu.edu.   Test will take about 10 minutes.

Questions?  Contact Carolyn Ross at:  cfross@wsu.edu

Thank You

This is a new section we’re adding to the announcements. If you have a reason to tell your students, staff, faculty, advisor, director… anyone in our department THANK YOU, send your public proclamation to me and we’ll publish it for you!

Thanks to all of you for a great school year! As a thank you from our department, we’ve prepared a “Year in Review” photo slideshow sharing a snippet of the activities we did this year. Watch it here. (Click the “slideshow” button at the right side of your screen.) Enjoy! And always remember to take pictures of departmental pictures and send them to Angela (angela.lenssen@wsu.edu) for future use.

Submit Your Announcements

Submit your SFS announcements by Tuesdays at 5 PM (for Wednesday publication) to Angela at angela.lenssen@wsu.edu.

Unsubscribe from these announcements by sending an e-mail with “unsubscribe” in the subject line to angela.lenssen@wsu.edu

Upcoming Events

SFS Graduation Celebrations: Let’s gather to say congratulations and goodbye to our seniors. All UI and WSU students, staff, faculty and student families (if they’re here) are welcome to come to the event.

UI: Reception on Friday May 10 from noon-1:00 at AgSci 112 All food provided by department—finger foods, cookies and punch.

                Your first step: RSVP to food.science@wsu.edu or foodscience@uidaho.edu so we can get enough food.
                Your second step: sign up for the event at Ag Sci 111 to bring food items or else $5 to help cover costs.

UI Commencement Saturday, May 11 at the Kibbie Dome. The CALS banner will be located by the Life Sciences Building and the Administration lawn.  The ceremony will begin at 9:30 am. After the ceremony, faculty, staff, students and their family/guests are invited to attend the CALS Celebration at the Ag Biotech Building in the Interaction Court.  There will be light refreshments, opportunities for photographs, and a chance for students to introduce their families to their faculty.  Feel free to visit the UI commencement website at http://www.uidaho.edu/commencement

Upcoming UI Extension webinar on FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Info and registration here.

Mark your calendars! The LCIFT Regional Section Meeting Suppliers’ Night and Golf Tournament will be on Wednesday, June 26^th in Kennewick WA. The event will be held at the Red Lion Hotel and starts at 4 pm. IFT President John Ruff will be the speaker that evening. There will be a golf tournament on Thursday. Click here for more information or  to register.

International Quinoa Research Symposium held at WSU on August 12-14. The USDA is bringing in researchers from around the world for this event. Registration and more details is available here.

The Student Section

Rooms Will Be Cleaned! Students—before you leave for summer, please be sure to clear out your supplies in classrooms and labs. Some summer cleaning will happen and if your items are still there, they may be tossed. Be sure to label or remove your stuff! Also, be sure to check your mailboxes in the main office at FSHN and turn in your keys before you go.

Will You Be Here for Summer?  We’d love to know if you’ll be in Moscow or Pullman for a portion of the summer! If so, please let us know. We would love volunteer help with recruitment, academic fairs, prospective student visits, marketing activities, etc. Just send Jodi (jlanderson@wsu.edu) or Chanelle (chanelled@uidaho.edu ) an e-mail to let us know when you’ll be here!

UI Students: Friday May 10  is the last day to apply for summer or fall graduation without a late fee.

See ya next Fall! UI students: don’t forget! If you’re taking a class at WSU in the fall, classes start in Pullman on August 19. You will be expected to attend classes that first week even though UI classes have not started. See you then!

General Announcements

We still have some SFS Wearables available for purchase! See the order form here so you can see what they look like. Here’s the remaining inventory, so contact Angela (angela.lenssen@wsu.edu)  ASAP to get your size:

If you have a request on a new wearable, let me know. We’ll likely order something new and different in the future.

Job Announcements

Medallion Foods in Tacoma, WA is looking for a Quality Control Technologist. They are a dry pasta manufacturing facility is looking for someone with just the right skills for this position. See the full job description here.

Commercial Creamery Company in Spokane, WA is looking for a Food Technologist. They want to hire someone to formulate seasonings, sauce mixes, specialty dairy powders, cheese powders and more. See the full job description here and contact Kelly Curry at info@cheesepowder.com to apply.

Blue Mountain Growers in Milton Freewater, OR is looking to hire for the position of Field Services Coordinator, with primary responsibility for the implementation and oversight of the Global G.A.P. (Good Ag Practices) program.  Secondarily, responsibilities will include general food safety oversight of the plant operations (will be trained in this responsibility).  They am looking for someone that has an ag based background, preferably in the tree fruit industry but not required, former involvement in FFA, 4-H, farming background, etc. in addition to having a post high school degree (B.S. or A.A.S. in ag related subject).   The ideal candidate will have excellent written and verbal communications skills, organizational skills, ability to grasp new concepts, well versed in MS Office (Excel primarily), ability to get along well with others (primarily farmers).  This position is a liason between the Plant and approximately sixty (60) growers. Blue Mountain Growers, Inc. offers a very good benefits package to include medical, dental, vision, 401-k plan and a starting salary of $36-42k based on qualifications. If you are interested, send your resume and give them a call to schedule an interview. They plan to hire ASAP. Contact: Justin Brunson justinbrunson@bmi.net or 541-938-3391.

The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Michigan State University announces the availability of an academic specialist position for advising and teaching undergraduates in the nutritional sciences program. The position description and details for the application process are here. If you have any questions please contact Dr. Gale Strasburg, Search Committee Chair by email (stragale@msu.edu) or  telephone (517-355-8474 X137).

Darigold in Portland, OR has two full time lab technician positions opening up. If you are interested in applying, send your resume and cover letter to SFS Alum Kathleen Momont at Kathleen.momont@darigold.com and she’ll get the info to the Quality Manager who is doing the hiring. The jobs are not yet posted on their web site.

Tyson Foods has a job opening for a HAACP Supervisor in their Wallula, WA facility. Read more about the job here. If anyone has any questions or wants more information, contact Crystal Bates  at 509-543-4216 or 509-547-7545.  The position comes with competitive wages and an excellent benefits package.

Congratulations

Congratulations to all of our Spring 2013 graduates!

UI Undergraduates:

Lynette Andersen

Athena Beckwith

Kari Jones

Jack McClure 

WSU Undergraduates:

 Jake Fischer

Yinmeng Sun

Karin Thorsen

Un Chen ‘Arica’ Vong

WSU Graduate Students:

Masters:

Lauren Schopp - Master of Food Science; Thursday, March 28; DIFFERENTIAL METABOLISM OF HYDROXYCINNAMIC ACIDS AND THEIR TARTARIC ACID ESTERS BY BRETTANOMYCES AND PEDIOCOCCUS IN RED WINES; Chair: Charles Edwards

Phenias Nsabimana - Master of Food Science; Friday, March 29, 2013; EFFECT OF DEEP-OIL FRYING ON ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT DONUTS; Co-Chairs: Byung-Kee Baik and Joe Powers

Peter Mugisha - Master of Food Science; Friday, April March 26, 2013; DEVELOPMENT OF EXTRUDED SNACK FROM CASSAVA-CARROT COMPOSITE FLOUR AND STUDY OF PROCESSING PARAMETERS THAT AFFECT THE RETENTION OF PRO -VITAMIN A; Chair: Caleb Nindo

PhD:

Jesse Zuehlke - Ph.D. in Food Science; Monday, April 8; INFLUENCE OF ZYGOSACCHAROMYCES AND BRETTANOMYCES ON WINE QUALITY AND THEIR CONTROL DURING VINIFICATION; Chair: Charles Edwards

Luis Federico Casassa - Ph.D. in Food Science; Friday, April 12; PHENOLIC MANAGEMENT IN RED WINES: INVERSTIGATION OF THE TIMING AND SEVERITY OF REGULATED DEFICIT IRRIGATION (RDI), GRAPE MATURITY,  AND SELECTED MACERATION CONDITIONS BY HPLC-MS AND SENSORY TECHNIQUES; Chair: James Harbertson

UI Graduate Student:

Congratulations for passing the M.S. in Food Science Defense!

Jeremiah Dubie Master in Food Science Tuesday, May 7, 2013 “Antioxidant Extraction from Brassica Juncea Seed Meal Using High-Intensity Ultrasound for Use in Fresh Chilled Pork to Prolong Shelf Life”

Co-chairs: Caleb Nindo and Gulhan Unlu

Jake Fischer has been selected as a finalist for the Institute of Food Technologists Student Association Undergraduate Research Competition at 2013 Annual Meeting & Food Expo in Chicago, IL. There were a total of 10 entries this year and 6 finalists have been chosen.  Congratulations, Jake!

Pablo Corredor has been selected as an undergraduate intern with Giuliana Noratto in our department for this summer. The internship was offered through CAHNRS to give students an outstanding opportunity to acquire hands-on experience with the support of an expert mentor. Congrats to you, Pablo!

Stephanie McCauley has been selected as a CAHNRS Student Ambassador to represent Food Science. Her service in this role will begin in Fall 2013. Hannah Damiano is the other Food Science CAHNRS Ambassador and she will continue in that role for the fall too.

Thank You

This is a new section we’re adding to the announcements. If you have a reason to tell your students, staff, faculty, advisor, director… anyone in our department THANK YOU, send your public proclamation to me and we’ll publish it for you!

A big THANK YOU goes out to Beata Vixie, Karen Weller, Carolyn Ross and the rest of her team for putting on a fabulous fiesta yesterday to honor Caleb Nindo and Kerry Huber. We appreciate the time you put in to create a great environment where we were able to share time with our faculty moving on from the school. Nice work!

Thanks to all of you for a great school year! As a thank you from our department, we’ve prepared a “Year in Review” photo slideshow sharing a snippet of the activities we did this year. Watch it here. (Click the “slideshow” button at the right side of your screen.) Enjoy! And always remember to take pictures of departmental pictures and send them to Angela (angela.lenssen@wsu.edu) for future use.

Submit Your Announcements

Submit your SFS announcements by Tuesdays at 5 PM (for Wednesday publication) to Angela at angela.lenssen@wsu.edu.

Unsubscribe from these announcements by sending an e-mail with “unsubscribe” in the subject line to angela.lenssen@wsu.edu

Pam spent her undergraduate years in Pullman in the late 70s. She has fond memories of her time here—especially those memories of living at Community Hall, making new friends, joining the Food Science Club, attending WSU home games, and walking across campus eating Ferdinand’s Ice Cream – in the snow!

Pam Vaillancourt

After Pam graduated from WSU, she took a quality assurance position with an aseptic juice company in Tacoma, WA.  “This was a great opportunity to learn about the importance of quality and food safety in producing a product and how a company culture, the employees, and interactions between departments affect manufacturing,” Vaillancourt said. “The experience also provided the opportunity to learn manufacturing procedures, processing quality and regulatory systems, and to work with our product developers.”

Her food science career has also included various positions with increasing responsibilities in quality, product development, regulatory, business development, and sales.  “My food science degree provides a great foundation!” Pam said.

Pam also received a masters degree in food science at the University of Washington, but she insists she’s a Coug at heart. She talked about the importance of learning more after she’d received her formal education. “I also needed to continue to hone my existing skill set and to always keep learning.  Each job I’ve had and the many seminars I’ve attended have allowed me to learn additional skills for my next opportunity – these skills include communication, team building, business management… the list goes on and on and continues to grow.”

Currently, Vaillancourt is working in account management and sales with Tate & Lyle, a global leader in the food manufacturing industry.  Pam shared, “This is a career where every day is different, where you represent and respect your company’s values while meeting with customers face-to-face, at tradeshows, and all work related events.  It is both challenging and exciting.  There is the importance of knowing your customer, (and your competitors!), working with new customers, and contributing to their success and well as your company’s.”

Pam explained what fills her days on the job. “One work day may include a major capabilities presentation showing new innovative platforms to a customer for their next fiscal launch.  Another day may be to provide technical assistance during a pilot run or plant trial. Offering solutions to a food scientist and seeing a successful launch of their product is rewarding,” she said.

Vaillancourt receiving “Women’s Leadership Award” from WSU CAHNRS Dean Bernardo

Her days are also filled with meetings for a bench-top product that is being developed, following up on customer requests to meet project timelines, and setting up conference calls on why or how a specific blend of ingredients is used.  “There may be quality or regulatory needs to address, samples to order for a customer, technical requests, and answering any related questions,” Pam says. “There are also responsibilities from a sales side – forecasts, account management/strategic planning, scheduling, business/account reviews, budgeting and contracting.”

While she left Pullman many years ago, she has stayed involved with WSU, our college and our school. Pam is currently serving on the External Advisory Board for the School of Food Science. Last year she was the recipient of the WSU College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resources award, Women’s Leadership Award for Community Leadership and Public Service.

Dr. T. Wallace, Vaillancourt, and Past IFT President Dr. R. Clemens at the 2011 IFT Fun Run

Vaillancourt also volunteers with the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFT).  “Being a volunteer is rewarding and allows you to network with other food scientists, locally, as well as on a national and global level,” Vaillancourt explains. “IFT offers leadership roles, educational programs, mentoring opportunities, an employment bureau, and multiple ways to stay connected and improve your career.  It has mine!”

Vaillancourt (left)  and M. Fitzgerald volunteering at a PSIFT Golf Tournament

Pam emphasizes the benefits of getting involved as a volunteer. “Every prior position and my volunteering has helped me to achieve my career goal of representing Washington State University and my food science degree.  It also pleases me to continue to work with our graduates within the industry and to see how our new graduates gain employment and quickly establish themselves as food technologists and food scientists – we are well represented within the food industry.  GO COUGS!”

The SFS at the University of Idaho offers a dual credit program that allows secondary (high school) students to enroll in a college course while still in high school and earn credit for both the high school course and the college level course.  The students are jointly enrolled in the local school as well as the University of Idaho. This is a service available to high school agricultural education programs throughout Idaho.

Dr. Dojin Ryu

SFS faculty member associate professor Dojin Ryu is working on this joint effort. Others involved are academic faculty members in UI’s Agricultural Education & 4-H Youth Development Department Lou Reisenberg and Allison Touchstone, as well as Ag Science Instructor at the Meridian Professional-Technical Center Liz Russell. “One of the goals of the dual credit program is to recruit secondary students to the University of Idaho College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and in this case the School of Food Science.” Ryu said. “Previous research shows that students participating in the CALS dual credit program are 74% more likely to attend the University of Idaho than those who do not participate.  The ‘college in high school’ experience bolsters student confidence in their ability to be successful in the university setting.”

The dual credit program provides a university experience to secondary students and allows them to assess their ability to be successful in the university setting.  Agricultural and food literacy as well as consumer literacy regarding food science and safety is also enhanced through this course.

The costs to students taking a dual credit course is a great value. The dual credit fees paid by students

Dual Credit Course students on a field trip to Lactalis

($65.00 per university credit) are split between the university and the  Department of Agricultural Education and 4-H Youth Development. A portion of the funds is used to provide in-service training to high school agricultural educators in order to maintain and increase the quality and rigor of the high school instruction.  The Food Science dual credit program received grant from USDA-NIFA to provide special contextual training to secondary and pre-service teachers to increase their knowledge in the food science area to prepare to serve as co-instructors for the Food Science dual credit course.

UI Food Science Student Kylie Shaul

While it is still a relatively new program, there are already success stories to be shared. Kylie Shaul (senior last year at Meridian High School) took the dual credit Food Science 110 course last spring at Meridian Professional Technical Center.  She signed up because it was a new class that sounded interesting.  Kylie had no intention of entering Food Science as a career – she was simply a student that enjoyed agricultural classes.  Kylie, like many students, struggled with the course content and academic level at first.  But as the semester progressed, she found the class to be interesting and challenging.  Kylie earned a high grade in this rigorous course by the end of the semester, and competed on Meridian FFA’s Food Science Career Development Event (CDE) team later that summer.  Kylie was the top score of the team, landing in 5th place individually overall.  Kylie decided to attend the University of Idaho after her experience with the dual credit program, and has since decided to major in the School of Food Science this past year.  Kylie now recommends the class to any high school student looking to attend college after high school and credits the class to her new-found interest in a food science career.

CAHNRS Awards Winners

Jake Fischer–WSU SFS Outstanding Senior

Peter Gray–Classified Technical Staff Excellence Award

Food Science Club–Superior Club Award

CALS Awards Winners

Kari Jones– UI SFS Outstanding Senior

Greg Moller– RM Wade Excellence in Teaching

Lonie Austin– Outstanding Service/Maintenance Support Staff

Nageshwar Tammineni– Gamma Sigma Delta Outstanding Graduate Student

Allison Baker and Corbin Hohl

Written by Allison Baker (WSU FS Club President) and Corbin Hohl (UI FS Club President)

The WSU and UI Food Science Clubs (FSC) have been very active this year! These groups operate as individual clubs on each campus but their activities are open to students from either campus. Due to the close proximity of the universities and the integrated School of Food Science, club events are designed to cater to both Vandal and Cougar food science students. Social activities to get students involved, connected and excited about food science include a fall inspired Oktoberfest and intramural softball each semester. The clubs also offer professional development opportunities such as technical workshops (i.e. bread and ice cream making), company visits at club meetings, and an annual trip to tour food companies in Portland, OR.  Finally, the clubs are involved in community service through the “adopt-a-highway” program.  Funds for these activities are raised by building cheese gift boxes for the WSU Creamery, working at a corn maze and the UI Chili Cook-off.  See more details below.

For the WSU Food Science club…

The WSU FSC works to provide both social and professional events throughout the year. In terms of social events, FSC held an “Oktoberfest” meeting where club members participated in food-based and fall-inspired fun. This included making caramel apples, carving pumpkins and roasting pumpkin seeds. The club also has a softball team that competes each semester in intramural softball. In fact, for the Fall 2012 season, the club went 0-4 in regular season but then proceeded to go 3-1 in the playoffs and take third in the overall tournament. Our team name this season is “Whey Eggsellent” …food pun intended.

To provide opportunities for professional development, the WSU Food Science Club schedules workshops and company visits. The workshops were introduced for the first time this year and draw on the expertise of club members, willing volunteers and donations from around the university.  This included a session on how to make bread, led by Doug Engle from the USDA Western Wheat Quality Lab. Additionally, the club hosted a session on how to make apple butter and apple jam with apples donated from our local Tukey Orchard.  We also had an “Ice-Cream” workshop in which staff member Mike Costello taught us how to make ice cream and explained the chemistry and physics of ice cream, along with formulation strategies and their influence on the sensory qualities of the final product. The club officers and advisor work to ensure that many companies come and visit club meetings throughout the year.  In this way, students get more exposure to industry career paths. Specifically, this allows companies to advertise, interview, and hire for both internships and full time positions. This year we hosted ConAgra, SunOpta, and E&J Gallo Wineries. These visits are open to all students on campus who are interested in working for these companies but usually focus on positions that require a food science background.

Students raffling off prizes at the LCIFT Suppliers Night

Finally, in order to help fund these events, the club participates in “cheese-cutting”.  This involves cutting rounds of cheese from the WSU Creamery and packaging gift boxes, in which 4 different types of cheese are included as wedges and sold at Ferdinand’s. The WSU Creamery donates a certain percentage of each gift box sold to the Food Science Club. This is our main fundraising activity. This year we prepared 500 gift boxes and raised a total of $1,500. To give back to the community, the WSU Food Science Club has adopted a section of highway outside of Pullman towards Colfax. Each semester members of the Food Science Club head out and spend a good part of a Saturday working to clean up trash on the side of the road.

For the UI Food Science Club…

UI students working at the annual Chili Cook Off

The University of Idaho Food Science club participated in the annual CALS event, Ag  Days by organizing the 18^th Annual Northwest Chili Cook-Off.  Students acquired donations from local businesses and received over a dozen entries to be judged for prizes.  The panel of judges was comprised of University faculty and community members.  Students were aided by SFS faculty and staff as they prepared and sold baked potatoes along with different types of chili.  Overall the annual event helped to raise over $400 for the club and continues to be its primary fundraiser.

Many FSC members also participated in the Clearwater Corn Maze, constructed and organized by CALS throughout the fall in Lewiston, ID.  Students organize travel arrangements to Lewiston and work in various ways at the corn maze.  The event is a lot of fun, as students are often given maps, flashlights and radios, serving as a safety net for lost participants.  Assisting with parking and ticketing are also important tasks with which students can help.  The club receives compensation after the maze closes for winter based upon the final profits.

This year the club organized a Christmas potluck, purchasing a holiday ham.  Students from WSU battled through nasty winter weather, bringing side dishes for the dinner in Moscow. A white elephant gift exchange and relaxed dinner aided in student bonding, temporarily relieving the stresses brought on by the end of fall semester.  Tacky Christmas sweaters are encouraged, but not required.

Students on their tour of the Wheat Marketing Center in Portland

The Intermountain IFT Annual Symposium took place in Sun Valley, ID and was attended by eight FSC members.  The symposium is a great event for students to learn networking skills, make industry contacts and gain personal exposure to professional industry events.  Students rented a cabin and spent three days assisting during the symposium while also attending presentations, speeches and a very interesting forum debate on GMO labeling.

Together…

In terms of joint activities, both WSU and UI team up to attend numerous events including a trip to Portland, OR, and Institute of Food Technology (IFT) involvement. To begin, the Portland trip is an annual food science club event members have the opportunity to attend. This trip coincides with the Northwest Food Processor Expo at the Portland Convention Center and includes several facility tours of food companies in the Portland area.  In terms of IFT involvement, the WSU and UI Food

Students with past IFT President Roger Clemens

Science Clubs are a chapter in the national Student Association of the IFT. Thus, we encourage members of the Food Science Club to get involved with IFT events. This includes many meetings throughout the year that occur at several regional locations such as Sun Valley and Couer d’Alene, ID. Additionally, members of the Food Science Clubs study up and compete in the IFT College Bowl Competition at the Area Meeting for the Pacific West division of the IFT Student Association. Specifically, this is a food science trivia competition, in which various schools from around the region compete to show off their knowledge and earn a chance to compete at the Annual National IFT meeting. This year the competition will was held in Corvallis, OR. Funding for this trip is made possible by donations from generous food companies in the region and the Luedecke Student Activities Fund.

Kari Jones, UI School of Food Science Outstanding Senior presented by Denise Smith

Kari Jones has been selected as the University of Idaho School of Food Science Outstanding Senior.

Jones came to the UI with a strong foundation in culinary arts. She received a degree in Basic and Advanced Culinary Arts, Saucier, Pastry, Confections and Showpieces at the Arizona Culinary Institute. After she earned that degree she attended Northern Arizona University where she received a B.S. in Hotel and Restaurant Management. She will complete her B.S. in Food Science this month at the University of Idaho, graduating Summa Cum Laude.

Kari has been accepted and plans to attend graduate school at Washington State University to earn a masters in food science degree.

Jones is prepping the vegetables for the filling in her sweet potato pasta puffs

While at the UI, Kari spent time as a research assistant working on the development of a legume pasta product. She has also been a part of a product development team that has submitted a sweet potato stuffed pasta puff to a national competition.

She is a member of the Food Science Club, the Institute of Food Technologists and the Research Chefs Association. Jones also has attended various national conferences and expos including the Northwest Food Processors Association Expo in 2012 and the PMCA Confectionary Conference in 2012.

Jones has 8 years of culinary experience in low to mid-level management at various resorts and high end facilities in Arizona.

“I chose to go back to school for this major because I was never fully satisfied in the culinary industry.  I realized that my strengths in the field were creating recipes, standardizing them so that everyone else could make them the same way, budgeting and costing, writing specifications, SOP’s, and training material, ordering, organizing, crunching numbers and problem solving. All the detailed skilled things that everyone else hated, I loved and was really good at, however, it was a very small portion of the job,” explains Jones. “Then I found out about food science, and realized it was a way to a job that played to all of my strengths, and I could probably make a lot more doing it.  Since getting into the major, I really enjoy getting new depth and meaning to the products I’ve been working with all my life.  I like learning the chemical structures for different food components and understanding how they behave with each other, and how that correlates to cooking.”

As for her career goals after getting her masters degree, she wants to work in product development or applications. “I’d like to work on complex value-added products with high artisan/culinary appeal.”

UI Commencement Saturday, May 11 at the Kibbie Dome. The CALS banner will be located by the Life Sciences Building and the Administration lawn.  The ceremony will begin at 9:30 am. After the ceremony, faculty, staff, students and their family/guests are invited to attend the CALS Celebration at the Ag Biotech Building in the Interaction Court.  There will be light refreshments, opportunities for photographs, and a chance for students to introduce their families to their faculty.  Feel free to visit the UI commencement website at http://www.uidaho.edu/commencement