College of Ag Sciences students taste Greek cuisine and culture on trip
College PARK, Pa. — Students in Penn State’s University of Agricultural Sciences explored Greece’s rich culture — and its meals — whilst finding out abroad in Thessaloniki, Greece, this summertime.
Furnishing this chance to Penn Point out learners was essential to Chris Sigler, assistant training professor and educational adviser in the Department of Meals Science. His goal was to aid his food items science students grow their experiences outside the classroom and produce networking options.
“I consider that when students seem again on their college occupations, they should really come to feel that people courses broadened their encounter and understanding of what they are studying,” Sigler claimed.
With aid from the college’s Undergraduate Schooling and Ag Sciences Worldwide places of work, Sigler worked with Helen Yarenis, review overseas coordinator of advertising and marketing and communications for Perrotis School — component of the American Farm College in Thessaloniki — to make it possible for Penn Point out college students to generate credit history when getting portion in a six-7 days research overseas plan hosted by Perrotis.
College students could take two classes — “Mediterranean Diet” or “Greek Wine Organization” — or participate in an internship or exploration. They also studied Greek tradition and language and visited historical sites, this kind of as Mount Olympus and the Parthenon, and regular web pages, which includes a mussel farm and a cherry competition. And, of study course, they acquired how to make common Greek food.
Lauren Wolf, a 2nd-year food items science major, opted for the Mediterranean Diet plan study course. She reported heading on excursions and subject visits throughout Greece authorized her to acquire palms-on experience.
A person of the most appealing points Wolf figured out for the duration of her excursion abroad, she mentioned, was how significant the agriculture marketplace is in Greece. Furthermore, she learned about the well being gains of seafood and its job in the Mediterranean diet plan.
She also discovered that her time overseas allowed her to hook up with fellow Penn Staters and fulfill students from other universities, which served her to be more open up to new experiences.
“Studying overseas assisted develop my independence as a result of touring to Greece,” Wolf stated. “Also, I truly feel it is aided me turn into extra outgoing and link with other folks.”
Catarina Rodrigues, a 3rd-calendar year food items science big, is intrigued in products development and selected to do investigate at Perrotis that focuses on the solution growth of gluten-absolutely free and dairy-free snacks. She and her spouse baked foodstuff and analyzed their water activity, colors, textures and other properties.
“People would come for taste tests and tell us their beloved samples,” Rodrigues reported. “I just remember sensation so thrilled at that second, just doing some thing that was meals science-relevant, which restored my assurance in picking my big.”
The expertise also enabled them to meet foods science majors from other universities, which includes Ohio State, Purdue, College of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech.
“They now get to learn what it is like to fulfill other foodstuff scientists — simply because foodstuff science is a really little field — and they have the option to get started networking and collaborating with other pupils from diverse universities, who could possibly be pupils they end up doing the job with in the industry in the upcoming,” mentioned Sigler.
Sigler ideas to operate with Perrotis University to increase the software. He also plans to direct a modest group of learners again to Perrotis as component of an embedded spring system, Food stuff Science 460: Worldwide Food stuff Output.
“Global engagement is crucial to reinforce interpersonal capabilities and broaden international viewpoint,” claimed Ketja Lingenfelter, assistant director for university student global engagement for Ag Sciences Worldwide. “International immersion and palms-on activities not only enable college students to obtain skills not ordinarily made in a classroom but also to discover facets of their prospective occupations on a international degree.”
This training course supports the college’s Sustainable and Obtainable Examine Abroad initiative, which encourages learners to incorporate sustainable techniques into their analyze abroad encounters and can make finding out overseas available to all college students.
Even further details about review overseas opportunities via the University of Agricultural Sciences is readily available by making contact with Lingenfelter at [email protected] or by checking out agsci.psu.edu/students/research-overseas.
