Rise: Pathways to Diversity in Food Science Careers

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Undergraduate and especially graduate programs in food science in both the United States and abroad are experiencing declining enrollments, and some reports have estimated that, as a result, approximately 2700 U.S. positions in food science and closely related disciplines each year remain vacant. RISE: Pathways to Diversity in Food Science Careers will provide information and opportunities to undergraduate, graduate students and K-12 educators interested in Food Safety and related disciplines of Food Science/Technology and Manufacturing with the final objective of increase the number of highly qualified Hispanic students that pursues advanced degrees in Food Science Careers.
APPROACH: Orientation: Careers and Opportunities in Food Science Freshmen students at UPRM, UPRA and IAUSG are in need of basic information regarding careers in Food Science. In order to disseminate information in a wide-reaching and efficient manner, we propose to take advantage of the existing UPRM academic course known as UNIV. This is a weekly course that is offered during the fall semester and is required for all freshmen at UPRM. It helps to acquaint students on such matters as university life, academic programs and opportunities for career development. The Office of Student Orientation, which is in charge of planning UNIV activities, will allocate one semester hour for the presentation "Careers and Opportunities in Food Science" by the PD and/or Co-PD of RISE. The presentation consists of an overview of food science related fields, UPRM on-campus research
programs, activities, faculty, and highlights of the experiences of students from the RISE program. Through this presentation we expect to generate interest in freshman students in pursuing a career in food science and to visualize the RISE Program as a unique opportunity that will increase their chances of gaining admission to a competitive graduate program. During the activity, freshmen will receive brochures with information on the RISE Program. Names and e-mail addresses of interested freshmen will be collected for future contact. In order to reinforce the information provided to students during their freshman year, the PD and/or Co-PD will present an orientation to sophomore students from the participating programs. This orientation, held during the spring semester, has a dual purpose: first, it provides students with information on the on-campus summer workshop, and secondly, on
the requirements and application procedure to the RISE Program.. A special conference (PolyCom- videoconference or on-site) will be coordinated (two times per year) with all collaborating institutions in order to offer the same orientation. Summer Workshops A list of students and electronic mail address from the Biology, Industrial Microbiology, Industrial Biotechnology, Chemistry and Engineering programs, with a GPA of 3.00 or above, will be requested from the Registrars' office. Every student on the list will receive electronically, a RISE descriptive brochure. The list of candidates is also posted on bulletin boards in the departments as an additional way of notifying students about their opportunity to enter the RISE program. Students on the list receive an invitation to attend a presentation on the RISE: Pathways to Diversity in Food Science Careers held by the PD and/or Co-PD.
The acceptance criteria for the RISE program are: 1). enrollment in the biology, industrial microbiology, industrial biotechnology, chemistry, agricultural science or engineering programs, 2) junior status (at two years from completing the bachelor´s degree), 3) a GPA at or above 3.00 (major and overall), 4) demonstrated interest in pursuing a MS or PhD. in Food Safety and related disciplines of Food Science/Technology and Manufacturing and 5) two letters of recommendation from science faculty. One on-campus workshop with modules on: Food Microbiology, Food Processing and Technology, Food Chemistry and Sensory Analysis will be offered. This workshop will provide our undergraduate students with the opportunity to learn new skills and methodologies related to food science. Particular emphasis will be placed on developing skills of critical thinking and the ability to approach a
problem using the scientific method. The workshop activities will be offer by graduate students from the program of Food Science and Technology, under the supervision of PD and Co-PD This workshop provide graduate students with the opportunity to interact with RISE participants and serve as role models. Collaborating faculty of the Food Science and Technology Program will be invite to share his/her experience in the field of Food Science and Technology. The Alfredo Ramirez de Arellano y Rosell Building will be used to hold the workshop. This relatively new state-of-the-art building belongs to the Program of Food Science and Technology and has enough space to accommodate all the activities. Each module will be designed to accommodate 15 participants (10 undergraduate students from the participating institutions, and 5 K-12 educators). Students, faculty and RISE trainees will have ample
opportunity to interact during breakfast and lunch. A closing activity for the workshop participants, faculty members, program administrators, and graduate students form the Food Science and Technology Program will be held on the last day of the workshop. During this activity certificates of participation will be presented to the participants. At the end of the activity, an evaluation of the workshop will be requested from every participant. K-12 educators will be encouraged to introduce at least one lecture and/or laboratory on Food Science topics at their schools.