Becoming a Food Scientist

Dr. Robert L. Shewfelt is the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor of Food Science and Technology at the University of Georgia. Known for his unique teaching style and extensive collection of food-themed shirts, he has carefully studied the life cycle of a graduate student in food science and offers these tips for a more meaningful experience in graduate school and beyond.

• 1. Research as Process.- I. Unit Operations of Research.- 2. Idea Generation.- 3. Problem Definition.- 4. Critical Evaluation of Literature.- 5. Method Selection.- 6. Experimental Design.- 7. Data Collection.- 8. Processing and Analysis.- 9. Knowledge Dissemination.- II. Maturation of a Scientist.- 10. The Scientific Meeting.- 11. Critical Thinking.- 12. Science and Philosophy.- 13. Ethics in Science.- 14. Finding and Organizing Scientific Resources.- 15. Planning.- 16. Grantsmanship.- 17. Laboratory Setup and Management.- 18. Career Development.

From the reviews: "The book would also be useful in informing non-scientists about what scientists do and how they do it. ... every chapter contains some very practical advice as well as a brief more intellectual discussion of the topic. Each chapter contains charts, diagrams, or photographs and reference citations. ... The color photographs are of excellent quality ... . The chapters are mostly self-contained so the book could easily be used as a resource for a seminar for students beginning or about to begin research." (Grady Chism, Journal of Food Science Education, Vol. 11, 2012)