Dr. Choudhury's Graduate Students
Brandon Coleman
After completing my undergraduate work here at Cal Poly in Food Science, I went to work for Frito Lay in a large scale food manufacturing environment. In this environment I learned the importance of food systems management. It also helped me understand that having a well-designed product and process allows for high quality food which yields economic success. My interest peaked towards research and development work, leading me back to Cal Poly to develop my technical skills as a scientist.
I am currently focusing on food processing design, and the impact that it plays on food quality attributes. Specifically, I am researching a new method to effectively produce ready to eat cooked oatmeal. I am measuring the impact that this new design plays on the overall texture, flavor, and appearance of the cooked oatmeal. I am also expanding my business skills by performing a process economics analysis, which will determine the feasibility of the industry to use this method in comparison with current methods from a cost standpoint. I am taking a number of Ag Business classes, Statistics Classes, and Industrial Technology classes to supplement my Food Science curriculum.
Kyle Manchester
I am pursuing my masters of agriculture with a specialization in food science and nutrition. My undergraduate degree was in chemistry, which prepared me well for my graduate studies researching environmentally friendly options for cleaning food and wine production equipment under FSN department head Dr. Gour Choudhury. I knew I wanted to pursue my masters at Cal Poly because I found the research project interesting, and I knew it could be applied and be helpful to the industry immediately. I also knew that I would learn a lot about producing original independent scientific research, which will help me in my career down the road.
Gregg Yasuda
I received a B.S. in Food Science from Cal Poly in 2012. During my undergraduate, I interned two summers in a row for Land O'Lakes Inc. at their facility in Tulare, CA. My projects there included: packaging material yield, warehousing, process improvement, Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), Clean-In-Place turnaround time, and the fundamentals of lean manufacturing. Following the internship and during the last quarter of my undergraduate, I decided that I wanted to expand my knowledge beyond that of supply chain manufacturing. Pursing my M.S. in Agriculture with a specialization in Food Science and Nutrition was the best way for me to accomplish that. Dr. Choudhury was my senior project advisor and I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with him again on my master's thesis research. My thesis is focused on the research and development of a fruit and nut snack as a healthy alternative to candy and confections currently on the market. On-going research is being conducted on the nutritional composition of fruits and nuts, natural and alternative sweeteners, and processing techniques. Product development is what I hope to do in the future and I know this experience will help my career.
