The Food Science Club isn’t just for students in the major. Regardless of background or experience, any student who has even the smallest love of food should look no further.
Heather Carbon, president of the food science club and University of Idaho, junior, said student involvement is their main priority for the upcoming school year.
Heather Carbon
“We’re a very, very open club. There’s no requirements to be a part of it,” Carbon said. “Really we just want people to attend the meetings to know about us and everything we can offer for students.”
Former club president and UI senior Ivy Kloepfer said there are a number of different opportunities available to all students.
“It’s not just for people interested in food science,” Kloepfer said. “This would be a great experience for business majors, sales majors, people interested in sales and other aspects of the food industry, because there is real diversity here.”
The club is a chapter of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), the professional organization that works with both the club and the major.
“There’s anywhere between 50-60 chapters around the nation, and we serve as representatives for food science majors,” Carbon said.
IFT hosts an annual meeting each summer, open to all club members, and this year, Carbon and Kloepfer were among thousands in attendance.
Kloepfer said they work hand-in-hand with the professional development portion of IFT to make sure students know what they can expect.
The club’s product development team was a national finalist at the event, and Carbon said one of the doctorate students in the program came in second place.
“That’s a really big deal for her to place second at this level, so we’re really representing here,” she said. “We really work hard to get where we’re at, but we all have a common goal.”
Another goal for the upcoming year is to help fund club members to be able to not only join IFT, but attend the annual meeting as well, Carbon said.
The club is a joint program with Washington State University, although the UI club meets separately. However, social events are commonly held for both colleges.
“I really worked on fostering a relationship with WSU while I was president last year,” Kloepfer said. “Really just working with them and connecting better.”
Carbon said club turnout is generally very good at the beginning of the school year. With anywhere from 15-20 members regularly attending meetings, she said these are one of her favorite parts of the club.
“I just really love them, I think the meetings themselves are just so much fun,” Carbon said. “We usually try to make some sort of potluck theme where everyone brings breakfast for dinner or something like that.”
The Food Science club puts on different events and fundraisers throughout the school year, with Kloepfer’s personal favorite being their grape picking event.
“It’s actually a lot of hard work, but it’s a really great opportunity to just kind of spend the day with the other club members and get to know them better,” Kloepfer said.
While Carbon was recently elected president in April, she said she is greatly looking forward to the upcoming year.
“We have so many goals for the upcoming year, so many fundraisers,” Carbon said. “We just have a lot of different things we are definitely excited to discuss and make into part of our plan.”
Max Rothenberg can be reached at [email protected]