Student Success – Cultivate Fall 2021
Definition of Success
1 a: degree or measure of succeeding b: satisfactory completion of something c: the gaining of wealth, respect or fame 2: a person or thing that succeeds
A team of six food science students won second place in the annual Institute of Food Technologists Student Association Mars Product Development Competition held virtually in June. The Cal Poly team was one of six teams to compete from colleges throughout the country, including Cornell University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Students were challenged to develop a new food idea and carry the concept through marketing and production, much like a commercial product development team. The Cal Poly team created an Earl Grey special tea sauce that thickens when heated and thins when cooled to be used on everything from ice cream to crackers. “We were pleased to hear a lot of judges had great things to stay about flavor and innovation,” said Julia Zoe, a food science senior. “One judge said that they purchased ice cream and ate our sauce all week. It felt good to know that the product we had been working on for months was one that people enjoyed.” It is the first time a Cal Poly team, which was advised by Professor Samir Amin, has placed in the competition.
Evelyn Alvarez (Animal Science, ’20), who is pursuing a master’s degree in agriculture specializing in crop science, won the Best Student Presentation Award at the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) Conference for her research with Assistant Professor Shunping Ding: "Fungicide Resistance of Botrytis cinerea Populations on Wine Grapes in the Central Coast of California." Alvarez also received an ASEV scholarship for her work.
A team of eight food science students were among the finalists in the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Student Associations College Bowl Competition in July. Students competed in the virtual challenge, which tested their knowledge in food science and technology, the history of foods and food processing, food law, and general IFT/food-related trivia. The College Bowl is designed to facilitate interaction among students from different universities and provides a forum for students to engage in friendly competition. The team, which began preparing for the competition in the fall, won the regional competition and advanced to a national competition to compete against four universities. Assistant Professor Luis Castro, who advised the team, said it is the team’s third time advancing to the finals in the last six years.
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