The Internship team is pleased to introduce the Spring 2014 STEC-CAP Interns.
Cody Baumgartner, student at Kansas State University and native of Courtland, Minnesota, is collaborating with Drs. T.G. Nagaraja and JianfaBai on does pooling of immunomagnetic separation beads affect sensitivity of detection of six non-O157 serogroups of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli in cattle feces?Cody states “as junior in Animal Science and Industry with a Bioscience/ Biotechnology option, food safety concerns are addressed frequently in class and are a common concern with consumption of animal products. Since I was a freshman, I have had the opportunity to study particular types of pathogenic bacteria common in cattle in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology at Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Lots of my work experience has dealt with E-coli, particularly shiga toxin producing E-coli. I have learned different detection methods for different serotypes of E.colialong with other pathogenic bacteria, by studying different virulence factors, vaccination effectiveness, antibiotic resistance and PCR detection methods. Learning a variety of methods for identifying E-coli has strongly influenced my interest in food safety. Not only has my work at the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine furthered my knowledge in the medical sciences but also raised more interest to me in food safety. Research dealing with food safety has been a strong interest as a future profession. Being able to contribute to food safety is something I want to continue to do not only to protect humans, but to protect the commercial food markets.”
Samantha Bolen, Kansas State University, will be working with Drs. Daniel Thomson, Chris Reinhardt and Randall Phebus on translation of STEC Mitigation Research to Field Implementation.She states “having spent the majority of my youth in the livestock industry, I enjoy all aspects of production from conception all the way up to having a home raised steak sizzling on the grill. I found my interest in food safety through Kansas State University’s Meat Animal Processing course. Through this course, I realized that producing the safest, most reliable end product is a task that involves the producer, processor, and the consumer.”Samantha is a native of Carrollton, Illinois.
A native of Scranton, PA and Drexel University student, Nicole Cortesewill be working with Drs.John Luchansky and Anna Porto-Fett on quantifying thermal destruction of Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli in veal. “As a graduate student in the food science program and a registered dietitian, I care first and foremost about keeping my community healthy. Food safety plays an integral role in that. I want to work towards quick and concise detection of STEC and other foodborne pathogens, which will help keep our community safe.”
Carolina Gonzalez, graduate student at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX, will be working with Dr. Matt Taylor on enzymatic quantification of lactic acid production on beef by commercial lactic acid bacteria food safety intervention as a preliminary indicator of antimicrobial mechanism. Carolina recently completed an internship in Washington D.C. on Capitol Hill. “I learned that there a many different issues that affect the American population and most people constantly seek ways to make a better life for them and their families. I was amazed to see how much constituents care about food safety. Furthermore, it was interesting to read a lot of the research that has already gone into food safety. The biggest question most people have is always, “is this safe for my children to eat?” I am excited to be a part of a project that works toward creating a better and safer food supply.” Carolina is a native of Laredo, TX.
Shelby Millerwill be working withDrs. David Renter and Natalia Cernicchiaro on the seasonal prevalence of STEC-7 in commercial feedlot cattle. The Kansas State University student and Baldwin City, KS native states, “I am interested in this project and food safety, because in the beef industry shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) causes a lot of problems for ranchers, packing plants, and consumers. This year there were 35 people that were infected with this strand of E. coli and 31% of those people were hospitalized, but thankfully no deaths were reported (CDC, 2013). When E. coli is found in a product it must be recalled, which is devastating for the industry and market. I want to be able to prevent, and help solve the problems of E. coli. This internship will give me the opportunity to do so.”
Sarah Schuetze, student at Kansas State University, is interning for Dr. Randy Phebus researching the determination of the antimicrobial effectiveness of a novel fatty acid based system as an intervention technology for surface treatment of beef tissue and hides to control STEC-8. Sarah states, “It seems to me that foodborne illness has become an increasing concern in the United States within the past few years. One of the problems is that each food safety situation can be different when dealing with biological contaminants. Techniques, products and treatments have to constantly be updated in order to keep up with ever evolving microorganisms. There are so many different ways to approach a food safety issue but finding the best solution is sometimes the most difficult part.”Sarah’s hometown is Cimarron, Kansas.
TamraTolen, student at Texas A&M University and native ofSugar Land, Texas, is collaborating with Dr. Matthew Taylor onevaluation of non-acid antimicrobials for minimum inhibitory and minimum bactericidal concentrations against STEC 8.Tamra states “my interest in food safety started to pick up speed while conducting research for my M.S. degree. Identifying a proposed method of control against a known pathogen of concern in food products has allowed me to gain so much knowledge in food safety research. I feel that research is integral in food safety and the development of treatments that reduce pathogens that would cause harm to consumers.”