Laboratory Alumni
Mona Abdelgaid
Hometown: Mansoura, Egypt
MSU Education: B.S. in Chemical Engineering, 2019
FPDL involvement: Analyzed the texture and particle size of a locally made pancake mix. Researched the shelf life of a locally made hummus.
Awards related to FPDL research: She was selected by the faculty and deans in the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering as one of 40 MSU seniors to receive the 2019 Award for Excellence
Update:Mona is a PhD candidate at the Chemical Engineering department, University of Pittsburgh. Her expected graduation is Spring, 2024.
Edwin Allan
Background: Edwin developed his passion for improving value-added agriculture as a youth in his hometown of Damolgu, Ghana, where crop farming is the main occupation.
Education: Edwin earned a PhD (Individual Interdisciplinary) at MSU in 2023. Previously, he attained his M.S. in Sustainable Food Systems at MSU and his B.S. in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Ghana.
FPDL Involvement: PhD work: Researching the culinary and nutritional quality of Montanan vs. Washington lentils and chickpeas and experimenting with extrusion processing of Montana lentils and chickpeas. Master's work: Edwin led the development of a culturally-sensitive peanut product for smallholder farmers in Kaffrine, Senegal.
FPDL-related Awards:
- Outstanding Graduate of the College of Education, Health and Human Development-Montana State University, 2023 fall semester
- Outstanding Graduate Student in Sustainable Food Systems, Montana State University, 2020 spring semester
- Montana State University’s graduate award in Scholarship Excellence – 2020 spring semester
- Judges’ Choice Award in Montana State University $50K venture competition
- First Place in the Developing Solutions for Developing Countries Competition (DSDC), Institute of Food Technologists 2020 conference
- Published works
Eric Allen
Hometown: Burlington, Vermont, USA
MSU Education: Senior in Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems (expected graduation - Fall 2022).
FPDL Involvement: Worked on MPP lentil powder program
Riyadh Alturaif
Hometown: Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia
MSU Education: Pursuing a B.S. in Chemical Engineering (expected graduation - Spring 2023)
FPDL Involvement: Assisted with Bison Cracker project and Lentil Dip project.
Rachel Baranek
Hometown: Helena, Montana, USA
MSU Education: B.S. in Nutrition Sciences
FPDL Involvement: Worked on the Cold-hardy Berry Smoothie Blend project
Grace Beck
Hometown: Oswego, Illinois, USA
Education: B.S. in Chemical Engineering
FPDL Involvement: Assisted with the cold-hardy berry, cricket protein hydrolysate, and bison cracker projects. Worked with Montana Pollution Prevention to assess the Food Extrusion Unit and propose more environmentally friendly alternatives.
Update: Fermentation Process Operator with Meati in Denver, Colorado
Havilah Burton
Background: Havilah grew up in Montana and later spent 15 years in WA being a military spouse and raising her children before college
MSU Education: B.S. in Hospitality Management, option Restaurant Management: Farm-to-Table, 2021FPDL involvement: developing products and ideas around food sovereignty for tribal peoples.
Update: Havilah is living and working on the Flathead Reservation
Elif Cebi
Hometown: Istanbul, Turkey
MSU Education: M.S. in Bioengineering, 2019
FPDL involvement: Assisted with the project “Lower Glycemic Crackers Development by Using Montana Lentils”
Update: Clinical Research Associate with PPD, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific
Génesis Yosebeth Chávez Reyes
Hometown: Chinandega, Nicaragua
MSU Education: M.S. in Sustainable Food Systems, 2022
FPDL Involvement: Co-developed a culturally-appropriate food product in alliance with the Boys and Girls Club of the Flathead Reservation & Lake CO. The product features highlight the cultural heritage of the Native Americans by incorporating underutilized locally produce food ingredients, including bison meat, serviceberry (saskatoon berry) and Indian ricegrass.
Awards related to FPDL research: MSU College of Education, Health & Human Development's Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion mini-grant, 2022; NUTR 496 Product Pitch Video Competition, Spring 2020; finalist in the MSU College of Education, Health and Human Development’s 3-Minute Thesis Competition, Spring 2020.
Everett Choi
Hometown: Bellevue, Washington, USA
Education: Senior in Chemical Engineering, graduation date 2023
FPDL involvement: Helped to develop and refine Senegalese recipes with team PATH; worked with Pulse Project team to increase Montanans’ consumption of lentils
Genna Devitt
Hometown: Columbia Falls, Montana, USA
Education: B.S. in Nutrition Science focused on Dietetics, 2022
FPDL involvement: Lab administrative assistant. Research project on developing a Decolonized, Indigenized, and International Food Enterprise Certificate at MSU.
Update: Moving to Rochester, Minnesota in June 2023 after accepting a position as a project coordinator for the Kitchen Coalition program associated with Channel One Food Bank.
Shelby Duncan
Hometown: Lewistown, Montana, USA
Education: B.S. in Food and Nutrition (dietetics option), 2022
FPDL Involvement: Assisted KayAnn Miller with research on the interconnectedness of dietary intake and mental health among the Indigenous communities of Montana.
Elle Dyrdahl
Hometown: West Linn, Oregon, USA
MSU Education: B.S. in Health and Human Development
FPDL involvement: Assisted with research on nutrition of Indigenous communities in Montana and its impact on depression and anxiety
Update: Continuing to expand knowledge in nutrition and mental health in physical therapy school.
Sumedha Garg
Hometown: Auckland, New Zealand
MSU Education: M.S. in Sustainable Food Systems
FPDL Involvement: Researched the value-added product and market development of cold-hardy berries with the aim to support Montana farmers to diversify their income streams and promote crop biodiversity in a land where a monoculture climate seems to dominate.
Awards related to FPDL research:
- 2022: Outstanding Graduating Graduate student award from College of EHHD; First Runner-Up for the 3-Minute Thesis in College of Education, Health and Human Development; Semi-Finalist for the Big Idea Challenge with Launchpad at MSU, awarded $500
- 2021: Blackstone Launchpad Fellowship (awarded $5,000); Institute of Food Technology Finalist for the Graduate Research Video Competition and 3-Minute Thesis in College of Education, Health and Human Development
Bailey Green
Hometown: Snohomish, WA, USA
MSU Education: B.S. in Chemical Engineering, 2020
FPDL involvement: Assisted with the lentil cracker projects—both the in vitro research of total starch content and glycemic index and the textural analysis of the crackers
Update: Food Engineering Graduate Student with Lactalis France, graduation date 2023; beginning Nov., 2023: Continuous Improvement Engineer with Stonyfield Organic Yogurt
Mattie Griswold
Hometown: Stanley, Idaho, USA
MSU Education: M.S. in Sustainable Food Systems, 2022
FPDL Involvement: Assisted with research on how value-added food processing is associated with food sovereignty in Tribal communities in Montana. Coordinated communications for multiple collaborative food sovereignty projects between MSU and the Flathead Indian Reservation.
Roman Hagge
Hometown: Everett, Washington, USA
MSU Education: B.S. in Chemical and Biological Engineering, 2020
FPDL involvement: Chickpea enriched pasta project
Update: Chem Lab Technician with Hytek Finishes Co.
Carly Hart
Hometown: Missoula, Montana, USA
MSU Education: B.S. in Dietetics and Nutrition, completed Montana Dietetic Internship, 2019
FPDL involvement: Assisted with the project “Lowering Glycemic Index Cracker Development Using Montana Lentils” specializing in the consistency of production and baking of crackers
Update: Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at Camelback Nutrition & Wellness in Missoula, Montana
Katy Hilburn
Hometown: Boise, Idaho, USA
MSU Education: B.S. in Chemical Engineering, 2021
FPDL involvement: Texture and Consumer Preference of different grains and grain size in Cream of the West’s 7-Grain Pancake Mix, Gaps in Intellectual Property Management in Tribal-University Agricultural Collaborations
Awards related to FPDL research: Montana State University Vice President for Research Scholarship, IRAEA Undergraduate Research Scholarship
Update: Process Engineer at bp’s Whiting, Indiana refinery
Spencer Johnson
Hometown: Kalispell, Montana, USA
MSU Education: B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Honors, 2020
FPDL involvement: Initial survey and experiment creation lead for Lentil cracker project
Update: Supply Chain Process Engineer at Novozymes in Raleigh, North Carolina
Anna Kramer
Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Education: Pursuing a B.S. in Chemical Engineering
FPDL Involvement: Assisted in the development of crackers using Indigenous ingredients.
Sharon Li
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois, USA
MSU Education: M.S. in Sustainable Food Systems, 2020
FPDL involvement: Developed lentil crackers made from Montana wheat and lentils; studied the texture,
consumer acceptance and marketability
Awards related to FPDL research: Sharon and her peers placed 2nd in the IFTSA & MARS Product Development Competition and 1st place in IFT’s Food Science in Action video competition; 1st place in the Sensory and Consumer Sciences Division Graduate Student Poster Competition
at IFT20
Update: Sharon is an Associate Food Scientist at Mizkan, Chicago, Illinois
Grace Nichols
Hometown: Chugiak, Alaska, USA
Education: B.S. in Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems, 2022
FPDL Involvement: Worked on the PEAK Protein project
Update: Specialty Crop Business Development Program Manager at Ravalli County Economic Development Authority
Simone Paul
Hometown: Estes Park, Colorado, USA
MSU Education: B.S. in Chemical Engineering, 2020
FPDL involvement: Led the project to improve the textural stability of Gluten-Free Prairie Granola
Update: Nuclear Engineer at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Nicolette Paulus
Hometown: Hood River, Oregon, USA
MSU Education: Bachelor's in Food and Nutrition: Dietetics Option, 2022
FPDL Involvement: Worked on fresh market potential and value-added opportunities for cold hardy berries in the Northern Rockies
Ravi Kumar Pirati
Hometown: Tenali, Andhra Pradesh, India
Education: M.S in Chemical Engineering from MSU
FPDL Involvement: Developed recipes for extruded lentil texturized vegetable protein, extruded lentil snack puffs, and extruded lentil pasta from lentil starch and protein concentrate using a twin screw pilot scale extruder.
Update: Extrusion Engineer at Balchem Corporation, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Emily Raber
Hometown: Kingston, Washington, USA
MSU Education: B.S. Food and Nutrition - Dietetics, 2021
FPDL involvement: Assisted in the Development of a Peanut Product for Senegal Smallholder Women Farmers project. Textural analysis and nutrition analysis of the peanut product. Also involved in the GI of potatoes.
Awards related to FPDL research: Her team took 1st place at the International Food Technologist's Annual Event & Expo; Judges' Pick in the MSU College of Business & Entreneurship $50K Venture Competition.
Update: Dietetic Intern at University of Massachusetts Amherst
Kim Scanlon
Hometown: Santa Barbara, California, USA
Education: M.S. in Sustainable Food Systems, 2022
FPDL Involvement: Developed value-added food products containing lentil concentrates that supported community-based environmental, social, and economic welfare
Edward Shaw
Hometown: Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
Education: B.S. in Sustainable Food Systems (Agroecology focus), 2022
FPDL Involvement: Developed and implemented a farm to school program in Senegal as a part of Team PATH.
Awards related to FPDL research: Team finalists at 50k MSU Venture competition; received 2020 outreach and engagement SEED grant.
Olivia Smith
Hometown: Dover, New Hampshire, USA
MSU Education: B.S. in Nutrition Science, 2021
FPDL involvement: Assisted with texture analysis of lentil crackers under Sharon Li
Update: Qualitative Research Analyst at Mayo Clinic
Rebecca Soulé
Hometown: Bellevue, Washington
Education: B.S. in Hospitality Restaurant Management: Farm-to-Table, MSU, 2023; Associate of Applied Science with Honors in Culinary Arts from Gallatin College, MSU, 2020.
FPDL Involvement: Assisted with graduate student projects offering her expertise in culinary arts, recipe development, and food storytelling.
Update: Rebecca is currently the FPDL's Culinary Manager and R&D Chef
Sage Stevens
Hometown: Green Mountain Falls, Colorado, USA
Education: Dual B.S. Degrees in Organismal Biology and Microbiology: Environmental Health, 2022
FPDL Involvement: Member of Team PATH; focused on women's roles in West African Food Systems
Awards related to FPDL research: Presidential Emerging Scholar
Update: Research assistant at the Center for Vaccine and Virology Research at Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Sage is part of the Tuberculosis vaccine research group, where they are working to develop a TB mRNA vaccine.
Mehmet Turker
Hometown: Adana, Turkey
MSU Education: M.S. in Sustainable Food Systems, 2019; B.S. in Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering
FPDL involvement: The Effects of Lentil Flour and Pre-roasting treatment on the Consumer Acceptance, Texture and Microstructure Properties of Developed Crackers
Awards related to FPDL research: IFT19 Product Development Division Graduate Student Poster Competition – 2nd Place
Montana State University Undergraduate Scholars Program (USP) Research Grant
Update: Food Research Associate at New Age Meats, San Francisco, California
Jade Turner
Hometown: Helena, Montana, USA
MSU Education: B.S. in Food and Nutrition
FPDL involvement: Assisted in the bison cracker project and researching the culinary and nutritional quality of Montanan vs. Washington lentils and chickpeas.
Matthew Weaver
Hometown: Story City, Iowa, USA
MSU Education: B.S. in Food Enterprise-Hospitality Management, 2021
FPDL Involvement: Insect Protein Product Development
Update: Food Safety and Production Manager at Gastro Gnome Meals in Bozeman, Montana