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College of Life Sciences Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science
Food Science

Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular Activities Available

Students are encouraged to get involved in extracurricular activities.
The following organizations and activities allow students to network with other students and food industry professionals:

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    Food Science Club

    The club is a student chapter of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). All Food Science or Food Industry Management majors are automatically club members. Get on their email list by emailing yfoodsci@byu.edu and stop by the Food Science bulletin board by the Sensory Lab to find out what's happening!

    Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for the latest activities!
    BYU Food Science Club-Instagram
    BYU Food Science Club-Facebook
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    Bonneville Section of IFT

    The Bonneville Section of IFT holds several activities throughout the year, including guest lecture/dinners and an annual Supplier's Night. Participating in these activities is a great way to network with local people in the food industry.
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    IFT Annual Meeting

    IFT Annual Meeting is held in June or July each year. It's a great opportunity to network with professionals in food science as well as the alumni from our program. The meeting includes technical sessions as well as a Food Expo. In the technical sessions, experts speak on various food science topics. Students also present their research in poster or oral presentations. The Food Expo is made up of hundreds of companies who set up booths to show off their novel food ingredients, processing equipment, or services.

    Each year the department provides travel grants for students to apply for this trip! For more information, please contact Dr. Dunn at michael_dunn@byu.edu
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    IFT College Bowl

    IFT College Bowl is a competition organized by the IFT Student Association. There are 6 regions throughout the country and each must select a college bowl team to represent their region at the National Competition. The Western Region typically holds their College Bowl Competition in April. Two teams at a time compete against each other in answering food science trivia questions. The winning team goes to the national competition at the IFT Annual Meeting.

    Since the competition’s inception in 1985, BYU has won four times -- in 1992, 1997, 2005 and 2012. (BYU News) In 2019, BYU won the regional College Bowl held on BYU campus and competed with other schools in July in New Orleans, Louisiana.

    Each semester Dr. Laura Jefferies teaches a one credit College Bowl class to help students prepare for the competition. For more information, please contact Dr. Laura Jefferies at laura_jefferies@byu.edu
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    IAFP International Association For Food Protection

    IAFP International Association For Food Protection holds a world-wide annual meeting for food safety professionals to attend to exchange latest information and technology. It is also a great opportunities for students to present their research posters and to network with tons of professionals in the industry not just in the US but from other countries too.

    FDA and USDA play a big role in this meeting as they are the main agency that ensure the safety aspect of food to protect consumers.

    In 2019, two teams from the BYU Food Science program presented their research posters on Food Adulteration in Infant Formula and Spore-forming bacteria in dairy powder processing in Louisville, Kentucky mentored by Dr. Brad Taylor and Dr. Frost Steele.
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    Product Development Team


    This team works to develop new food products to submit to various competitions. Contact Dr. Mike Dunn, michael_dunn@byu.edu for more information.
    Possible competitions include:

    Undergraduate Research Paper Competition


    This competition is organized by IFTSA and open to any undergraduate students who have conducted original research. Students must submit an abstract of their research. The top six finalists will give an oral presentation of their research at the IFT Annual Meeting.

    Food Science Major

    University Course Catalog

    M.A.P. Sheet