Month: October 2016

Learning to Love Food Science

meredith-myers

By: Meredith Myers, Food Science and Technology | Cincinnati, OH

If you would have told me as a freshman food science and technology major that five years later I would be entering the first semester of my Master’s degree in food science, I definitely would not have believed you. When I entered The Ohio State University in the fall of 2012, I simply saw food science as a fun undergraduate degree to pursue that also satisfied the perquisite requirements for medical or dental school, which were my ultimate goals at the time. However, after seeing all of opportunities that were afforded to me from being a part of CFAES and the food science program, I fell in love with the field and ultimately chose it for my career path, and I am so glad that I did.  Throughout my undergraduate food science career, I have studied abroad in Brazil with Alpha Zeta partners, had two incredible internships at Synergy Flavors and Nestle Nutrition, served as co-president of the food science club, and met some amazing students and faculty who have taught me so much as well as pushed me to grow as both a student and person. Now, as a Master’s student in the food science department, I have continued to be blessed with even more amazing opportunities such as receiving the STEM scholarship sponsored by Monsanto. I am so excited to receive this award because it will allow me to begin my new food science journey in the field of research without financial burden. By pursuing a Master’s degree in food science I move one step closer to realizing my dream of creating delicious and healthy foods for people around the world, and I could not have done any of it without OSU, CFAES, and the Food Science department!

                             

Careers, Confidence, and Beef

carol-miller

By: Caroline Miller, Meat Science | Lindsey, OH

I remember thinking, “So, I’m going to work in a beef plant. Who actually wants to work in a cold, boring production line?” Well as it turns out, I am one of those people that is more than excited to wake up at 3:45AM to wear steel toed boots, a hard hat and a hairnet to work every day. This past summer, I completed my first internship with Cargill Beef in Fresno, California, where we processed about 1400 head of cattle per day.

As the operations fabrication intern, I was very fortunate to learn about plant processes through two projects during my twelve weeks out west. For my first project, I graded carcasses and collected data for a newly implemented boxed beef program. I spent most of my time working with the production floor supervisors to develop a tool that helped them identify issues on the floor and assisted in creating a plan of action to resolve those issues. Through this project, we were able to improve product yields for Flapmeat and Ribeyes, as well as develop some remarkable friendships. I had a great experience and it is mainly because of the people I got to work with and learn from. At the end of my internship, I was able to compete with the other Operations Interns from each Cargill Protein Facility. After a lot of hard and backing from my coworkers, I was able to bring first place back to Fresno.

While I was preparing for my internship, I felt very excited and nervous to have so many new experiences in California. However, I didn’t realize how much this summer would change my life. Living 2400 miles away from anyone and anything I ever knew helped me gain independence, strength and confidence in myself. Looking back on this summer, I am so unbelievably grateful for the opportunities I had to travel, overcome struggles, and, most importantly, work with some truly amazing people. Internships are opportunities to try your career on for size and because of my experience, I am fully certain that the meat industry is right where I need to be.