Baking & Snack - November 2020 - 22

STEM FOR WORKFORCE

" My generation doesn't just want a paycheck at the
end of the day, but we want to know that we're doing
a greater good, that we're doing something not just for
ourselves, " she said. " That's such a huge motivator today,
and if you are working in the food industry, you not only
have that opportunity, but there is so much room for
growth and development. "

Making the industry more visible

Left: Business professionals volunteer to
teach how food companies work and raise
awareness of a potential
career in the industry.
Right: Students develop
products, then create
a business plan to take
them to market.
Blue Valley CAPS

For Laila Carter, the Future of Food class took the idea
of STEM to a whole new level by taking the theory of
science and making it more relatable to the real world.
Some of her most memorable experiences included collaborating with " an ice cream chemist " from DuPont to
develop a gluten-free, ice cream cookie sandwich product for a class project and having a food microbiology
internship with the company.
While she was a KSU student, Ms. Carter took what
she learned from CAPS and developed Laila's Thiccck
Paleo Cookies that were sold at a local cafÃ©/coffee shop
chain in Manhattan, Kan.
" Once you've been through CAPS, everything that
you do stems from CAPS, " she said.
Hearing from food professionals along with visits to local
food operations gave her the firsthand knowledge that fed
into the natural curiosity Ms. Carter gained from watching
the show " Unwrapped " while growing up. Currently an account data analyst at Synexis, a biodefense firm, she never
stops applying what she learned from CAPS.

22 Baking & Snack November 2020 / www.bakingbusiness.com

CAPS, Ms. Carter added, provided a correlation between her biology classes and an understanding of how
food companies work.
" That was the link, " she said. " That cool 'aha!' moment
where you see it in action is part of CAPS. "
Jennifer Bauer, business development specialist for
Blue Valley CAPS, pointed out that the Future of Food
curriculum is a match for students with a penchant for
STEM-based knowledge because the umbrella course
blends in those disciplines so seamlessly.
She noted that the courses make students aware of
the dynamics of food at an early age when they're initially determining their potential career choices and before they invest tens of thousands of dollars in a college
education. In fact, CAPS feeds KSU's Baking Science
and Management program and other universities with a
food science curriculum.

One of a kind
Started in 2014, the Future of Food program was spearheaded by Jennifer Lindsey, vice-president of global
marketing at Corbion; Joe Whalen, the course's instructor; KSU advisors; and Blue Valley faculty members.
" It mirrors what industry is really like, " Mr. Whalen
observed. " It's part science. It's part business, and it's understanding society's relationship with food. "
He said the first semester of the multidisciplinary
course immerses students in the entire breadth of the
food industry and complements other CAPS courses. In

http://www.bakingbusiness.com

Baking & Snack - November 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - November 2020