Food Science Focus Evolves as Enrollment Thrives

Purnendu Vasavada, PhD, professor of food science at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls, said the cyclical enrollment in food science programs has to do with students’ decisions to enter majors such as computer science or biotechnology in the 1990s and early 2000s. “But the realization hit that all of these things lead to the processing and safety of food,” said Dr. Vasavada, who is a member of the Food Quality editorial advisory board. “People who are, for example, chemistry majors, microbiology majors, biotechnology majors, end up taking courses in food science or changing their major to food science. Many times, the trend is that food science enrollment increases after the junior and senior years rather than people starting at their freshman year.”

Media Exposure

Dr. Floros attributes the increased enrollment to a combination of several factors. As mentioned, increased attention to food in the media, television programs, and books has brought food science to the forefront. Dr. Dong said exposure through the media, such as programs on the Food Network, has helped to highlight the field and recruit more students.

Dr. Boor agreed, based on conversations she has had with prospective undergraduate students, that the Food Network has played a role. “Also, a lot in the press about local foods and increased interest among certain segments of the population on improved health have also brought people toward the field of food and understanding how it gets from the field to the marketplace,” Dr. Boor said.

Recruiting efforts—by individual universities and by the IFT—have also played a large part. At Penn State, for example, Dr. Floros said the department now has dedicated staff for program recruitment. He added that food scientists across industry, academia, and government have joined in recruiting efforts by speaking at high schools to educate students and increase awareness of the field.

The IFT’s recruitment efforts have involved partnering with the Discovery Channel to develop a new career guidance program and the creation of a 30-minute food science education program, both of which launched in 2006, according to the IFT website.

Jeff Culbertson, PhD, professor of food science at Ohio State University and chair of the IFT Education Division, told Food Quality that the IFT is increasing contact with high school students and teachers by developing labs within high school chemistry and biology.

Most recently, the IFT launched its “Food Geek” campaign. In a statement to Food Quality, an IFT representative described the program “Are You a Food Geek?” as “an innovative and fun recruitment campaign designed to introduce students, and prospective food science majors, to the exciting possibilities our field offers and showcase how IFT can advance their career paths.”

The New Faces of Food Science

Recruiting efforts, other factors bringing students to food science

Students who major in food science tend to come from various backgrounds, but all have one thing in common: their deep interest in and passion for applying science to food. Food Quality spoke with both undergraduate and graduate students to find out what attracted them to the field.

Before recruiting efforts were in full swing at universities and at the Institute of Food Technologists, many high school students were not aware of the discipline of food science. Claire Alessandra Aucella is one such example. Aucella is currently a second-year food science major at Cornell University, but when she was originally looking at colleges, she did not know that food science existed and stumbled upon the major through her college sources. Before deciding to pursue a food science degree, Aucella considered becoming a chef.

I was able to take a course that introduced high school students to different science and professional fields, and one of the weekend courses was run by graduate students at Cornell University. — Matt Ranieri, Cornell University