Our Team


Executive Board:

President – Aishwarya Badiger (badiger.1@osu.edu)

About: I am a third-year PhD student in Food Science and my research is focused on understanding how date labels on food packages cause huge amounts of food waste in consumer households and at retail levels. This also involves exploring and improving alternative shelf-life depicting techniques to reduce food waste. In my free time, I like to try new recipes (if only someone else could clean), reading fiction and occasionally painting.

Fun fact: Growing up, I had five cats at one point.

How/why I fight food waste: I am originally from India, a country where seeing hunger isn’t very uncommon unfortunately.  When I first came to the US, I was shocked to see the huge contrast in the way food is handled. To me, it just doesn’t make sense to waste food when food insecurity is so prevalent in the world. As I learned more about the issue, I realized how multifaceted it is and how much it also impacts our planet. On a personal scale, I try to only buy what I need, keep track of what’s in my fridge and have recently started composting through KFW’s very own composting pilot program.

 

Vice-President – Jeff Caminiti (caminiti.8@osu.edu)

About: I am a third year Ph.D. student in Food Science and Technology working in Dr. Heldman and Dr. Wick’s labs. My research is focused on valorizing sustainable biomasses such as macroalgae and black soldier fly larvae (BSFL). BSFL cultivation is a potentially powerful tool for food waste upcycling. I love a good movie or a good book, I’d give anything a try. Big fan of hiking, especially when I can get out of Ohio. Use to like going to concerts… maybe in 2021!

Fun fact: I have a cat, his name is Cooper. He’s a cutie!

How/why I fight food waste: I fight food waste through my research and work in this club but also through being more conscience at home. We won’t solve this problem unless we think big and small!

 

Treasurer – Katie Williamson (williamson.440@osu.edu)

About: I am a 3rd year PhD student in the Department of Food Science and Technology, working in the Hatzakis lab. I also received her B.S. and M.S. in Food Science from Ohio State, I am a lifelong buckeye :). My research focuses on developing novel food and food packaging products from food waste, specifically apple pomace and spent coffee grounds. In my free time, I love to travel, experience new cultures, and try new and unique foods 😊

Fun fact: I am a certified yoga teacher here in Columbus, would love to have our club members in class!

How/why I fight food waste: During my travels, it is always shocking to me how differently food is treated in different cultures. Depending on the economic standing of a country, food is either cherished and never wasted, or wasted in excess. After traveling to Guatemala, my adopted sister’s birth country, I decided that I would devote my food science career to fighting food waste in the United States. I believe it is our responsibility in our country where we have every type of food available to us at any time to consume responsibly and work to limit the abundance of food waste that is contributing to global warming.

 

Secretary – Allison Howell (howell.497@buckeyemail.osu.edu)

About: I am a first year PhD student with Dr. Kowalcyk’s Research Group. Prior to joining the Food Science & Technology Department, I graduated from OSU with a Bachelor’s degree in microbiology and a minor in health, environment, risk, and science communication. My research now is focused on food safety and foodborne illness, specifically decision making and risk analysis in food safety risk situations.

Fun Fact: I love pretty much anything to do with food—trying out new recipes, exploring coffee shops and grocery stores, and watching cooking shows (my favorite cooking show of all time is Good Eats with Alton Brown!).

How/why I fight food waste: My favorite ways to fight food waste are repurposing odds and ends into new recipes (hello homemade chimichurri!) and more recently, composting. My favorite part about composting is not having to choose if I want to eat the old leftovers I found in the back of fridge or throw them into the trash. Composting gives me the chance to avoid taking unnecessary food safety risks and contributing to food waste destined for landfills.

 

Composting Committee Chair – Kym Man (man.44@osu.edu)

About: I am a 3rd year PhD student in Food Science & Technology with a research focus on developing new sensory evaluation methodologies using emerging technologies to better understand human perceptions and decision making. This will in turn help sensory scientists and product developers improve their consumer data quality and increase product success in the constantly changing marketplace, especially with the rising trends of meat-alternatives and healthier food options. In my spare time, I love trying new restaurants and cuisines (preferably with a glass of wine). I also like being active (outdoor run/hike, home workout, yoga, you name it) and my dog (a chocolate lab) definitely helps with that.

Fun fact: I like and would love to try all kinds of adrenaline-rush activities, such as roller coasters, bungee jumping, sky diving, etc.

How/why I fight food waste: Growing up in a Chinese household, I was taught to cherish and never waste food because of all the hard work farmers put into their crops. As I became older, I realized that fighting against food waste is not only about appreciating the farmers, but more importantly, protecting the environment and ensuring others around the globe, who are not so fortunate to have enough food on the table on a daily basis, to obtain sufficient nutrients to sustain life at the very least and hopefully improve their quality of life overall. Being the composting committee chair truly gives me the opportunity to spread such important messages, as well as to be creative in using what I have and coming up with new twists to different recipes.

 

Education & Outreach Committee Chair – Izabelle Vose (vose.6@osu.edu)

About: I am a senior studying Natural Resource Management with a specialization in Administration and Management and sub specializations in Visitor Services and Sustainable Agriculture. In my free time I love hiking and going on road trips!

Fun fact: I have been playing the French Horn for over 10 years and sometimes play with The Ohio State University Community Orchestra.

How/why I fight food waste: I have personally been composting for almost a year, but I learned about composting from my Grandpa when I was younger. He has been composting for as long as I can remember, but I did not know about the benefits of composting until I came to college. I think it is extremely important to reduce the amount of waste we send to landfills whether that be through reducing the amount of food we buy, repurposing food before it is wasted, or composting!

 

Repurposing Committee Chair – Brianda Daniela Gonzalez Orozco

About: I come from Mexico and I am a first year Ph.D. student in the Food Science and Technology department working in Dr. Alvarez and Dr. Jimenez labs. My research is focus on the assessment of the Kefir microbiota and the assessment of its antibacterial properties. I like to read (mainly fantasy and science fiction books) and watch good movies. I also like to have an active lifestyle (running, swimming, home-workout works for me to). I really like to try new cuisines, travel to new places and get involve in new cultures.

Fun fact: I have 5 dogs at home all of them either adoptees or rescued.

How/why I fight food waste: I became aware of food waste/loss and food insecurity during my master’s degree. My thesis was focus on applying new technologies to increase the shelf life of berries and therefore reduce food loss. I was impressed with the amount of fresh produce lost during the supply chain for not satisfying commercial quality standards, food that is still safe to consume, and that complies with all the nutritional requirements. I personally always try to meal prep and to buy just the amount of food I am certain I will consume.

 

 

Social Media Chair – Olivia Severyn (severyn.14@osu.edu)

About: I am a second-year student majoring in Environment, Economy, Development and Sustainability. I have a specialization in Business and Sustainability and am minoring in Spanish. In my free time, I enjoy spending as much time in the outdoors as possible and some hobbies of mine are running and photography.

Fun fact: I have gone scuba diving!

How/why I fight food waste: I joined the fight against food waste because I was shocked to learn about the environmental toll of food waste. Food waste is such a wide spread issue, and I believe that there are so many different solutions that we can work towards to help mitigate food waste.

 

 


Contact Us:

Email – knowfoodwaste@gmail.com

Instagram – @knowfoodwaste

Twitter – @knowfoodwaste

FacebookKnow Food Waste OSU