NCIFT Hornblower Article - July-September 2014

The full NCIFT Hornblower Newsletter can be found here!

Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit - Anaheim 2014

       On June 6th, I received an email from the department listserv with an opportunity to apply for  a "scholarship opportunity through the Postharvest Technology Center to be awarded funds to attend the Produce Marketing Association meeting in Anaheim in October" with a deadline of June 27. My application was swiftly submitted and I was notified in the middle of July that I had been selected as a scholarship recipient! 




      The scholarship included round trip transportation to the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) conference, full registration to the Fresh Summit expo, and subsidized lodging and meals. 5 scholarship students and 1 guardian drove a van for the long drive down I-5, through the central valley and past Harris Ranch. I was the only student to represent Food Science among the Plant Science and Sustainable Agriculture students, which led to many interesting conversations about the future of the industry. The Anaheim Convention Center is so very close to Disneyland and California adventure, which made the area pretty lively and full of pedestrian/car traffic. The event itself was incredible --large, official, colorful, and busy. Guests with ribboned name tags, briefcases, and firm handshakes crossed my path several times as I walked through the lobby outside the exposition. 

Kenneth L. from my hometown was also a 2014 scholarship recipient!

      The exposition, "Fresh Summit", was enormous. You couldn't see any of the enclosing walls because of the curvature of the Earth's surface! There were booths and small "arenas" for produce company's exhibits and diverse samples of every kind as far as the eye could see. One of my favorite booths was that of Bolthouse Farm because I enthusiastically support a lot of their healthy products directed towards kids. I am also a big fan of their snack carrot product, formerly titled "Shakedowns". I talked with some associates for a while and got to sample the product. It was so exciting and valuable for me to talk directly with an employee about the produce industry and specific marketing strategies.

     Additionally, the conference had some important activities for students from UC Davis, CSU Fresno, and Cal Poly through the presentation of the PMA Foundation for Industry Talent. FIT intends to reach out to students and fill the demand of new professionals and leaders for the produce industry. During the presentations, I learned a lot about the extremely dynamic inner workings of the industry, from cultivation, distribution, marketing, and weather impacts. I would definitely recommend students interested in the produce industry to become a member of the Produce Marketing Association and let your career grow!

Casually excited young scholar, E. Dufort

      Scholarship recipients also had the opportunity to present research relevant to the industry during the UC Davis Reception held at the Marriot. I had the pleasure of presenting data that I helped gather for Cara A.'s Master's thesis on the topic of heat and ripening of California pistachios (Pistachia vera). The reception was an excellent networking opportunity and all of the UC Davis alumni were extremely supportive of the students -- GO AGS! 
     Dean Helene Dillard of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences was also present and articulated growing support for students gaining real-world experience well before graduating from UC Davis. I second that motion!



       I'd like to thank the Postharvest Technology Center at UC Davis, specifically Beth M., Penny S., Pam D., and the generous sponsors for providing me with this extremely valuable and educational opportunity. I learned a lot, made useful connections, and got inspired for my future in the food industry. Here are some more photos from my experience at the Fresh Summit. Enjoy!

Company displays were decorated very creatively and varied
greatly in size-- from multi-arena to 2-story booths!

Kenneth and I having a blast and eating healthily!

Concluding Remarks for Summer 2014

       After the pilot plant run at Oscar Mayer in Madison, I continued my internship with the normal tests for quality on the final hot dogs, and worked hard to compile and interpret data for my final presentation. There were a lot of graphs, tables, and explanations of materials and methods to form a conclusion for a recommendation for the Oscar Mayer business unit. My final presentation was Monday, Sept. 15 and I worked with Scott O. to cater a luncheon to accompany my powerpoint; we figured that more people would attend if there was food to enjoy! We served beef and turkey hot dogs from the company store, Mom's Baked Beans with a Roof of Bacon, Sriracha coleslaw, and potato salad -- YUM! Upon walking in and smelling the food, I heard someone say "This is already the best intern presentation, and she hasn't even started!" :)



      The presentation was a powerpoint with about 30 slides, comprised of intern background, additional projects at Kraft, summer adventures, materials and methods, results, discussion, business impact, and acknowledgement. The entire lunch and presentation took less than 30 minutes! It was a huge success following a long culmination of hard work and dedication.

Speaking of hard work and dedication, I had some help
deconstructing my bike so that I could ship it to California

       After the presentation, I worked on a technical report for a summary of experiment results and trained a newly hired employee, who would be assuming my work responsibilities upon my departure. I also scrambled to get rid of the mass of food in my refrigerator by hosting a luncheon for closer mentors and coworkers from my department. I cooked them a stuffed bell pepper lunch in some of the kitchen ovens --everyone loved them! I also got to spend more time with my sponsors, Dr. Legan and Dr. Leland, and Chad G. before leaving.

SURPRISE!! My 22nd Birthday in the Bat Cave
"Good friends, good love, good life"

       I was also very eager to see the city a few more times before leaving and took a couple of photos from my concluding visits.

The L train station in the Loop

Three Floyds Brewery & Restaurant - Munster, Indiana

The Green Mill cocktail lounge for swing dancing
Landmark for mob history with Al Capone!

Overall, I have been the most fortunate person to have had this unforgettable and extremely valuable experience during my time spent in Glenview, IL as a Kraft Foods R&D intern. I look forward to my return for another great internship in May, after I finish my undergraduate career in March. I love living in the Midwest, exploring, and I value gaining experience in the food industry. I will continue to use this blog as an educational conduit for the underclassmen in the UC Davis Food Science Department and to share more experiences from events in different fields of the industry.

Boiler UP!

     
        During the final weeks of my internship, I decided to squeeze in ONE more graduate school visit -- this time to West Lafayette, Indiana to Purdue University. I was able to take Amtrak from Chicago Union Station directly to West Lafayette and spend Friday night to Tuesday morning at Purdue, graciously hosted by 2 fellow interns that I met at Kraft. Behold the benefits of networking!

Ross-Ade Stadium at Purdue University

        My first experience as a potential Boilermaker was attending the football game and tailgate for Purdue vs. Central Michigan in the giant football stadium. The cheers and general fan behavior reminded me a lot of football games at Aggie Stadium. I even approached the trombone section of the Purdue "All-American" Marching Band to ask them questions to find similarities to the Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh.

Of course I toured the pilot plant!

       Earlier in the week, I contacted the Food Science Graduate Program Coordinator, Mitzi Barnett, and she was able to quickly and skillfully create a schedule for an official visit. The schedule included 30 minute meet and greets with 6 different professors of whom I expressed interest. I also received a tour of the department and went to lunch with some current graduate students! I met with Dr. Keener, Farkas, San Martin-Gonzalez, Liceaga, Yao, and Feruzzi to introduce myself, discuss their research, and ask about their future projects. I found a couple advisors with whom I really enjoyed conversing and I have been keeping in contact with them. The graduate students also gave me great advice for choosing an advisor, program, and university; the hierarchy of importance is the dynamic with advisor, the research, then the location/university. It is most critical for success to have an understanding with and to get along well with your professor so that your research project is completed on time. Additionally, I was taken on several tours of the department, into labs, classrooms, lounges, kitchens, and the pilot plant. What a great facility!

A new method of frying: Radiant Frying

      Besides experimenting with the radiant fryer with Dr. Keener and his graduate student, one of the coolest parts of my trip to West Lafayette was having dinner at Dr. Farkas' house (Department Head of Food Science). He has recently been appointed after Dr. Nielsen retired and has great rapport with the students. He invited the new freshmen and some seniors to have a catered dinner at his beautiful home to introduce himself and encourage the seniors to bestow advice to the underclassmen. It was a really fun dinner and I even got to give advice and speak about the program at UC Davis. I welcomed any questions about the graduate program and told the international students about California --it was awesome to be a representative to UC Davis Food Science!

     I really, truly, totally enjoyed my visit to Purdue University and West Lafayette. The people are nice,  the department is strong, the potential MS research programs are interesting, there is plenty of funding, and the Midwest is beautiful!! I would welcome the opportunity to attend this school for my graduate studies. Additionally, an interesting comparison was made: If West Lafayette : Davis, Indianapolis : Sacramento, and Chicago : San Francisco. I think that these parallels really stimulate Purdue as a choice for my future!! Time will tell, and a few other grad school visits. 

                              Boiler UP!

The Amtrak station sunrise