5 questions with Devon: Meet a Food Science alumnus
January 25, 2021
Five Questions with Devon
Devon McDonald
Bachelor of Science in Food Science, 2019
Graduate Student Researcher in the Flavor and Encapsulation Research Lab | Plant Protein Innovation Center
Describe your current job. What does it look like on a weekly basis?
I work in the flavor lab in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition where we are identifying the flavor profile of potential plant protein crops. I use flavor extraction techniques to try and find the best way to identify all the compounds that create the flavor of the crops and protein isolates. Then we will determine if some undesirable compounds can be minimized during processing.
What do you most enjoy about your current role?
Researching something new is a fun project because you have to figure out what is the best way to go about doing it, and then why it's the best way using a range of methods and instrumentation. I also like hearing about all the other research going on in the department that others are involved with and having a ton of great people and resources available.
What made you choose CFANS and the major?
The food industry really fascinates me and CFANS offers a lot of insights into how the industry works and its current trends. They have a good general focus on what the current problems are and issues that should have our focus and what we could be doing about them. Food science as a major seemed like a reliable applied science that is also really fun to work with and could keep my interest for many decades. I like learning about it and this food science department offers a lot of paths into the world of food.
"The most rewarding part about being a Food Science major is that the coursework is really captivating, and I actually wanted to be learning the information. This can be hard to come by in college and is the motivation we should be looking for when we decide what to do with ourselves. You can see direct ties to why we learn these things and how they could be used in the rest of our food careers."
How did your experiences in the major help you in your career?
Working in labs is a great way to be involved and learn useful skills here and there during the undergrad years. You get to meet a lot of great researchers and hear stories on top of learning extra material outside of the classroom. It's always hard as an undergrad to predict what you actually want to work within your major/industry and just getting any exposure to stories or work is really helpful for figuring this out.
CFANS has a lot of practical coursework and can really open avenues into interesting and relevant fields as long as you utilize the resources available to stay involved. Find something you actually want to learn more about.
What class or which professor had the most significant impact on you?
My advisor is Gary Reineccius and he is a great resource and personality to be around. He got me involved in my grad research and has a lot of great experiences to share. It is also good to see that he somehow still finds all of this work interesting over 40 years later. Also as an undergrad, many grad students helped form the food science program as a whole and could connect with the students well. Breann Abernathy, a former PhD student in nutritional biochemistry, really showed me the ropes of academia and research before I even got started.
