OSU event promotes student food and ag research

Friday, March 8, 2019

Oklahoma State University's Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center highlighted student research and awarded top winners during its annual Research Symposium.

Sponsored by the Institute of Food Technologists-Oklahoma section, Stillwater Chamber of Commerce, Stillwater Centennial Rotary Club and Oklahoma Association for Food Protection, the Feb. 26 symposium featured student oral and poster presentations from OSU, Langston University and University of Central Oklahoma.

“The Research Symposium is an opportunity for students to make presentations of their work and for researchers to network with others in the food and agricultural field and possibly foster future collaborations among colleagues,” said Peter Muriana, FAPC food microbiologist and chair of the symposium.

This year’s symposium included 6 oral presentations and 23 poster presentations with graduate and undergraduate student awards presented in both categories.

The top winners in the graduate oral competition wereJulia Sutton (OSU), first place; Frank Kiyimba (OSU) and Claudia Diaz-Ruiz (OSU), second place-tie; and Thiago Belem (OSU), third place.

Wendy Gong (Langston) and Monica Mascarenas (Langston) were awarded first and second place, respectively, in the undergraduate oral competition.

In the graduate poster competition, the winners were Dennis Pletcher (OSU), first place; Tony Kountoupis (OSU), second place; and Caitlin Karolenko (OSU), third place.

Emmy Bechtold (OSU), Jessie Payne (OSU) and Meodrick Shoemake (Langston), were awarded first, second and third place, respectively, in the undergraduate poster competition.

Thanks to the event sponsors, the winners in all categories received $250 for first place, $150 for second place and $75 for third place.

Chuck Willoughby, FAPC business and marketing relations manager, said about 70 people attended the symposium.

“We were glad to see the amount of people who attended and interacted with the students during the Research Sympsoium, especially since we had to reschedule from the original date of Feb. 19 due to inclement weather,” Willoughby said. “The event allows us to promote student research during OSU Research Week.”

FAPC, a part of OSU's Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, helps to discover, develop and deliver technical and business information that will stimulate and support the growth of value-added food and agricultural products and processing in Oklahoma.

Story by Mandy Gross