Bumpers College Hosts Food Science Exchange Students from Austria, France, Germany and Greece

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Pauline Morin, a food engineering student from France, learns how to operate nanofiltration equipment at the Cato Springs Research Center.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Department of Food Science at the University of Arkansas has a long history of French and other European students conducting research and several are currently or just finished taking advantage of that opportunity.

Laura Fassier, a student at LaSalle University in Beauvais, France, is spending six months in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Science's food science program working with Franck Carbonero, assistant professor of gut microbiology. She is studying vegetable fermentation to see bacterial and fungal changes over time and to assess the impact of sauerkraut and kombucha microbes on gut microbiota and how well they survive.

"I've really enjoy my time in Fayetteville," said Fassier. "I am learning a lot during my internship and everybody in food science very nice and helpful. Working in an international context is very important to develop skills like adaptability, learning to think differently and be more open minded."

Pauline Morin, a food engineering student from AgroCampus Ouest in Rennes, France, worked with Luke Howard, professor of food chemistry, on the fortification of blueberry juice with antioxidant polyphenols extracted from processing waste and gained experience with separation technologies and chromatography.

"I've enjoyed working with passionate food science experts," said Morin. "Everybody made sure that international students felt at home. I value this experience a lot. I have grown professionally and personally, and I will never forget the three months I spent at the University of Arkansas."  

The department has created a collaboration with Hochschule Weihenstephan-Triesdorf, a university in Munich, Germany, and Annegret Jannasch, a horticulture and food technology student, completed an internship with the Arkansas Food Innovation Center. AFIC is an outreach effort of the U of A System Division of Agriculture that assists entrepreneurs and farmers in developing value-added food products for retail markets.

Jannasch worked with AFIC clients and created an environmental sampling and monitoring plan for the center's pilot plant.

"It was a great internship and I learned a lot during my time at the U of A," said Jannasch. "This program was very valuable for my further studies because it was about all the most important fields, including food safety, processing, research and product development."

Dimitra Marinou is the department's first exchange student from Greece and is currently serving as an AFIC intern. A food science and technology student at the American Farm School in Thessaloniki, Greece, she is supervised by Ron Buescher, emeritus professor of food science, to assist a local producer in manufacturing a kombucha with consistent quality.

"Working at the AFIC has helped me get an idea of how food industries work and it is interesting to see all the procedures and stages involved in producing a product," said Marinou. "I get to see and operate all sorts of different equipment I have never seen before. Working at a busy and friendly place like the AFIC has offered me a lot of valuable experience that will be really beneficial for my future in food science."

The most recent visiting student is Thomas Flecker, a graduate of Graz Technical University in Austria. Flecker is working with Steve Ricke, professor and holder of the Donald "Buddy" Wray Chair in Food Safety. Flecker is researching the ability for gas chromatography and high pressure liquid chromatography to detect and quantify microbial metabolites before returning to Vienna to begin food science doctoral studies. 

The Department of Food Science seeks not only to provide "stand-alone" short study abroad experiences but also provide educational opportunities where international research experiences are embedded into curriculum and research for U of A students along with students at partner institutions.

Bumpers College students are encouraged to engage in study abroad that will lead to life-long partnerships, cultural awareness and understanding of the global dimensions of their majors. The college's International Programs Office provides structured international experiences that enhance the marketability of students for career and academic opportunities through faculty driven, sustainable initiatives. The office supports faculty, students, international partners and university leadership in increasing opportunities for students to engage in faculty-led programs, internships, exchange programs, and study abroad activities that include research. 

The college sponsors exchange programs to Austria and France, along with faculty-led programs in Belgium, India, Italy, Mozambique, New Zealand and Australia; internships in Greece and Scotland; and research opportunities in Brazil and the Philippines, and Greece.

For more information on international program and study abroad opportunities, go here. 

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.