Food Science and Human Nutrition Newsletter | Fall 2022 Recap

The Food Science and Human Nutrition newsletter publishes twice per year, in January and June.

From Department Head Chris Gentile

Chris Gentile profile image
Department Head Chris Gentile

Greetings from the halls of the Gifford Building on the Colorado State University campus.

I hope everyone had a chance to relax with friends and family over the holidays. I appreciated the time to recharge and reflect on my first semester as department head. On my mind are the once-in-a-generation opportunities we have as a department to shape our future.

In our immediate future here on campus, we are starting spring semester. Our fall semester was busy, positive, and productive. You can read below about some of the exciting accomplishments and events, including the launch of a new reciprocity agreement between our Hospitality Management Program and Front Range Community College, as well as the return of alumnus Brian Stein as a department seminar speaker to discuss his successful career at Nestle.

I hope you enjoy the latest edition of our newsletter, Food. We are proud of our students’ academic progress, faculty research and publications, alumni success, and industry partnerships and hope you will scroll, click, and read more. Alumni and friends, please let us hear from you – tell us about your latest activities and accomplishments! Come by the Gifford Building to say hello next time you’re in the area.

Warm regards,

Chris Gentile, Professor and Department Head

Alumni
Tiffany Weber profile image

Enchanted reinvention

Tiffany Weber (’99) followed a whisper from Banner executive to owner of Hillside Vineyard. The new member of the Executive Leadership Council for the College of Health and Human Sciences is embracing hospitality management and fermentation science and technology in her latest career move – and opening doors for CSU students, researchers, and events.

Brain Stein speaking in front of a classroom

Brian Stein (’00) shared insights from his 20-plus-year career with Nestle

When Brian Stein earned his bachelor’s degree in nutrition and food science from Colorado State University in 2000, the job market was bleak. But his roots in science and his creative business sense set his trajectory for a two-decade career and leadership role in the largest food and beverage company in the world, Nestlé.

Seth Yoder sitting at a desk with a mask and vest on

Massive budget cuts lead Seth Yoder (’10) to jobs he never dreamed of

Seth Yoder graduated from Colorado State University in the spring of 2010 with a degree in Nutrition and Food Science from the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition in the College of Health and Human Sciences.

Programs
CSU and FRCC agreement

Front Range Community College, CSU plan lowers costs, eases transfers

Front Range Community College averaged from 60 to 70 hospitality management students in early 2020. Then the pandemic hit, crippling Colorado’s tourism industry.

CSU Brew Crew enjoying drinks together at the table

CSU team toasts creation that’s part of Lazy Dog’s college brews collection

Spark of Genius, a beer created by Colorado State University students for the Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, has been released into the brew-niverse.

Ken Smysack speaking to a group

Student-run Aspen Grille providing meals in Durrell Center

A Colorado State University on-campus eatery has a temporary new home and new name for the 2022-23 academic year.

Faculty
Brittney Sly profile shot

Assistant Professor Brittney Sly (’06, ’21) provides students with lifelong lessons and skills through mentorship

After several years of involvement with the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State University, two-time alumna Brittney Sly is beginning this year as a full-time, assistant professor.

Jeff and Charlene holding their book Superfoods

Faculty researchers endorse superfoods in new book, Superfoods: Cultural and Scientific Perspectives

How can consumers digest information about superfoods to prioritize them in their budgets and diets? Two Colorado State University researchers in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition propose a palatable balance between jargon-filled scientific literature and trendy marketing ploys in their new book, Superfoods: Cultural and Scientific Perspectives

Research
Megan Mueller HHSM profile photo

Megan Mueller discussed her research in the restaurant industry and goals to improve public health on college podcast

Dr. Megan Mueller, an assistant professor in CSU’s Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, discusses her research in identifying and informing systems, policy, and environmental approaches to obesity prevention, with a focus on helping children and families.

CHHS Research day logo

Judges needed for research poster sessions at College of Health and Human Sciences Research Day – March 6

CHHS Research Day is an annual event created to showcase the variety and quality of research and creative scholarship by students, faculty, and staff in CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences. The fourth annual CHHS Research Day will take place Monday, March 6, 2023, at the Lory Student Center Main Ballroom.


Graduate students earn awards at CSU Graduate Student Showcase

Annie Campain in front of her poster

Annie Campain

Annie Campain has been recognized with the Undergraduate Choice Award at CSU’s Graduate Student Showcase for her work researching eating disorders.

Bri Risk profile shot

Bri Risk

Bri Risk was awarded an honorable mention distinction for her research on probiotics, seeking to further understand how they influence health. 

Sydney Holmes profile image

Sydney Holmes

Sydney Holmes was awarded the Undergraduate Choice Award at CSU’s Graduate Student Showcase for her research on the effects of microgreens on gut health.

Students
Carissa Weiberg profile shot

Outstanding nutrition and food science graduate Carissa Weiberg (’22)

Carissa Weiberg is a senior in the Colorado State University Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition majoring in nutrition and food science with a concentration in dietetics management. She has been on the Dean’s List for six semesters and will graduate magna cum laude.

Lydia Bennett profile image

Outstanding hospitality management student Lydia Bennett (’22)

Lydia Bennett is a senior in the Colorado State University Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition majoring in hospitality management with a minor in business administration. Bennett is graduating cum laude. She currently works as a student manager with Catering by Housing and Dining Services at CSU.

Emily Woolf profile image

Ph.D. student winner of Emerging Leaders in Nutrition Science Abstract Recognition Award from American Society of Nutrition

Emily Woolf, Ph.D. student in the Colorado State University Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, was selected as a finalist for the Emerging Leaders in Nutrition Science Abstract Recognition Award Program, which recognizes the best research presented by students and young investigators.

Kate Haas profile image

Fermentation science and technology student Kate Haas shared ‘How I chose my major’ in blog post

In the “How I chose my major” series, we showcase the academic paths CSU students have taken, and students tell their stories in their own words. Read on to meet Kate, a CSU Fermentation Science and Technology major, and learn how she decided it was the perfect path for her college career and far beyond.

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