Joseph Awika, Ph.D., was recently named head of the Department of Grain Science and Industry and director of the International Grains Program Institute at Kansas State University. His last day with Texas A&M AgriLife was Aug. 16.

Awika served as the head of the Department of Food Science and Technology since 2021, as well as a professor and director of the Cereal Quality Lab in the Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences from 2008 to 2021. He is also a former student of our College. We thank him for his service and wish him the best in his new role.

David Baltensperger, Ph.D., professor and head of the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, has been appointed interim head of the Department of Food Science and Technology. 

He will continue the department’s mission to develop a world-class training, research and outreach program to help shape the future of the food science profession and meet current and emerging needs of industry stakeholders.

FSTC hosted its second annual welcome bash

The department kicked off the 2024-25 academic year in style with its inaugural welcome bash on Friday, Sept. 13 at The Gardens Pavilion. Excitement was in the air with live music plus dancing, delicious pizza, popcorn, Kona Ice and Gallivant ice cream.

Texas A&M AgriLife Research and its partners have expanded their efforts to educate the international community on the benefits of transitioning from technology using radioactive materials to safer alternative technologies such as electron beam. The technology offers a high-speed method of sterilization while protecting material properties.

Educators from Texas, Georgia and Indiana recently participated in a five-day Food Science Summer Research Experience in the Department of Food Science and Technology. Shortly after, eight undergraduate students from Texas A&M University and Prairie View A&M University came to the department for a four-week education and training program.

These groups were some of the first participants in a three-year, $1 million-plus project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Muhammad Bilal Haider, Ana Nava and Cyprian Syeunda, all students in the Department of Food Science and Technology, were recently recognized by the Institute of Food Technologists.

Since he was young, Stephen Talcott, Ph.D., has always been interested in science.

But it was during his time as an undergraduate student at Texas A&M that he met dairy chemist Charles Dill, Ph.D., and became “hooked” on food science and technology. Dill and Talcott’s research experiences analyzing cheddar cheese laid the foundation for his future career.

Heather Struchen ’12 never heard of food science until she took a nutrition course. But the class fascinated her because it dealt with the science behind what we eat.

Following up on that fascination, she discovered opportunities in food research and development and decided to pursue an undergraduate degree in food science in the Department of Food Science and Technology.

As a Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi senior majoring in chemistry and minoring in math, Sofia Lara-Ramos chose a final project related to food science, focusing on milk proteins in processed foods.

This project sparked her interest in food chemistry, leading her to discover the Department of Food Science and Technology in College Station, where she continued her journey.

This summer, Maddie Shults ’25, interned at McCormick and Co. spices and seasonings in Hunt Valley, Maryland. Her focus was on consumer goods, specifically working to reduce the sodium content in McCormick’s products.

This internship allowed her to apply her food science knowledge in practical ways and benefit from networking opportunities.

Join us for an enlightening exploration of the future of protein at the IFANCA-FDIP Symposium on “Alternative Proteins.” Hosted by the Department of Food Science and Technology in collaboration with IFANCA’s Food Diversity and Innovation Program, FDIP, this symposium promises to be a thought-provoking event.

The Texas A&M University Food Science Club meets Wednesdays at 6 p.m. The club is open to all majors and features meetings with industry professionals as well as opportunities to network, socialize and volunteer.

The department offers many gifting opportunities that will have a lasting impact on our department.

Learn about the many scholarship opportunities available in the department.

Established in 2020, the Department of Food Science and Technology aspires to develop a world-class training, research and outreach program that leads the nation in shaping the future direction of the food science profession, while innovatively meeting the current and emerging needs of stakeholders. The department is invested in unique high-impact education and research programs that apply contemporary and novel technologies in food processing, food safety and quality, and sustainability.

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