Teaching & Guest Lectures

Teaching Assistant at Penn State, University Park, PA

FDSC 201: Introductory Food Science Practicum (Fall 2018, Fall 2019), Instructor: Dr. Gregory Ziegler

• Created a 2-hour class on food foams including lecture, pilot plant work, sensory, and homework

FDSC 404: Sensory Evaluation of Foods (Fall 2017), Instructor: Dr. John Hayes

Guest Lectures at Penn State, University Park, PA

“Craft Chocolate: Current Market Conditions and Consumer Perception,” Guest lecture for FDSC 497: Product Development. October 2020; November 2019; October 2018.

“Sensory Science and Consumer Insights and their Application in Agricultural Business,” Guest lecture for AGBM 440: Innovation Management. February 2020; February 2019; February 2018.

“Food Science as it relates to International Agriculture,” INTAG 100: Introduction to International Agriculture. December 2019; April 2018; July 2017; December 2017.

“From Cacao Tree to Chocolate Bar” Lecture for the Pennsylvania School for Excellence in the Agricultural Sciences. July 2019.

“From Cacao Tree to Chocolate Bar” Lecture for the 2019 Minority Student Interns of the Plant Genome Program of the National Science Foundation. July 2019.

“Chocolate Manufacturing Principles.” FDSC 201: Introductory Food Science Practicum. October 2019.

“Craft Chocolate: Current Market Conditions, Consumer Perception, and a Tasting Experience!” Guest lecture for AGBM 440: Innovation Management. April 2019.

Campus Talks

Craft Chocolate: the Scientific, Social, and Environmental Facets of the Industry

With Dr. Alejandro Gil Aguirre. PSU Science Policy Society Presents: Science on Tap in Quarantine, February Edition. February 22, 2022. Oral Presentation.

Does a National Sensory Panel Improve Specialty Food Quality? An Exploratory Study with Honduran Cocoa Liquor

2nd INTAD Global Gallery. University Park, Pennsylvania, USA February 28, 2020. Oral Presentation.

Expensive, Artisanal, and High-Quality: Premium Chocolate Consumer Perception of Craft Chocolate

Farm to Fork: A Student/Post-Doc Research Symposium. University Park, Pennsylvania, USA April 26, 2019. Poster Presentation. 

Gamma Sigma Delta Research Expo. University Park, Pennsylvania, USA March 26, 2019. Poster Presentation.

The Pennsylvania State University Graduate Exhibition. University Park, Pennsylvania, USA March 24, 2019. Poster Presentation.

A Night of Chocolate: An Interdisciplinary panel discussion of chocolate from gene to bean to bar

University Park, Pennsylvania, USA March 28, 2018. Panel coordinator and moderator.

I’ve got the golden ticket’—consumer perception of premium chocolate

The Pennsylvania State University University Graduate Student Exhibition. University Park, Pennsylvania, USA March 25, 2018. Poster Presentation.

Awarded Graduate School Exhibition Poster Award for Social & Behavioral Science: First Place

Characterization of Flavor in Fine Flavor Theobroma cacao Cultivars of Honduran Origin

INTAD Global Gallery. University Park, Pennsylvania, USA February 23, 2018. Oral Presentation.

Chocolate Chemical Quality Analysis Techniques

Ghent University Cocoa and Chocolate Workshop, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. September 2-4, 2015. Oral Presentation.

Community Involvement & Outreach

What’s Flavor got to do with it? Insights from Premium Chocolate Consumer and Trained Panel Research

The Village at Penn State. State College, Pennsylvania, USA March 26, 2019. Oral Presentation.

Chocolate: The Story of Bean to Bar

Science Pub Wednesday, Big Spring Spirits. Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, USA February 6, 2019. Oral Presentation.

From Cacao Tree to Chocolate Bar

Bellefonte Area High School. Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, USA November 1, 2018. Oral Presentation.

Characterization of Chocolate Flavor Using Descriptive Analysis

Delta High School. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA USA. May 23, 24, 2018. Oral Presentation.

Chocolate Processing and Sensory Science

Presented to area middle school girls in the Girls Love Science (GaLS) program. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA. February 2, 2017; February 27, 2018. Oral presentation and activity.