Wolfing Down Food Science

Looking Back at 2025: With Special Guests... Ourselves!!!

Send us a textIt has been a great 2025 for WDFS.  We spoke with wonderful, highly accomplished guests who provided a plethora of good advice about food science careers, about professionalism, and about life.  We welcomed Stella as our podcast editor.  We had our first Spanish/English bilingual podcast.  We were pleasantly surprised to be invited to do a live podcast at the American Society of Baking annual conference.  Incredibly (for us, anyway) the podcast is now heard in 107 countries around the world.  So much to be grateful for.In this episode we decided to interview one another about the year that was 2025.We hope you enjoy this last WDFS podcast episode of 2025 and look forward to great new interviews in 2026.Until then, keep Wolfing Down Food Science!Got a questions for us? Email us at wolfingdownfoodscience@gmail.comPlease take a minute to help others find our podcast by leaving a rating and comment on your podcasting app!

FORM TUF ABS™ and Build Soft Skills with Arnie Sair

Send us a textDr. Arnie Sair is a third generation Ph.D. food scientist, a returning guest to WDFS, and Head of Global Quality & Food Safety at Bunge.  Arnie returns to WDFS with a new endeavor: the Core Ready™ leadership program.  Core Ready is focused on building the soft skills and leadership habits students need to thrive in the workforce from day one using the FORM TUF ABS™ approach.  In this episode, Arnie explains what each letter of FORM TUF ABS™ means and how each skill benefits early career advancement.  With a career path that has allowed him to grow as a leader and facilitate that growth in others, he is uniquely positioned to offer success to those just entering the workforce, as well as those looking to add new skill sets.Got a questions for us? Email us at wolfingdownfoodscience@gmail.comPlease take a minute to help others find our podcast by leaving a rating and comment on your podcasting app!

From Rheology to Resilience: Scaling the Ranks of Food Science Leadership (S9:E5)

Send us a textJoin us as we sit down with Dr. Chris Daubert, who brings a wealth of experience from every corner of the Food Science world.Currently serving as Vice Chancellor and Dean of the College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri Columbia, Dr. Daubert shares his unique career path—from his roots in agricultural engineering and becoming a recognized expert in rheology (the study of flow), to his pivotal roles as Department Head at NC State (2010-2017) and most recently, President of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).Join us as we explore the evolution of his leadership style, the crucial differences between leading a department versus an entire university college, the major challenges facing food science leadership today, and his top advice for students interested in leading the next generation. Don't miss this insightful look into the forces shaping the future of food!Got a questions for us? Email us at wolfingdownfoodscience@gmail.comPlease take a minute to help others find our podcast by leaving a rating and comment on your podcasting app!

Stop studying your weakness (S9:E4)

Send us a textApril Hix Morrison is an alumna of our department and has, for the last 17 years, served as our professional Academic Advisor across all three of our Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Science majors.  A big part of April’s job is helping students’ thrive at NC State.  To aid in this, NC State University, and many others, have implemented Clifton Strengths assessments to help students discover and develop their greatest talents.  April became a Clifton Strengths coach this year to enhance her ability to support students. Got a questions for us? Email us at wolfingdownfoodscience@gmail.comPlease take a minute to help others find our podcast by leaving a rating and comment on your podcasting app!

Tell us a story, the connection between storytelling and leading (S9:E3)

Send us a textDr. Katie McKee is an Associate Professor and Leadership Educator in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences at NC State University. Her work focuses on transformative leadership and its application to solving complex challenges to enable communities to thrive. Her research and extension efforts, including the Agents for Change program, a center on developing leadership capacity among youth, college students, and professionals to address "big, messy challenges" in their communities, with a strong emphasis on the common good in agriculture and education.Learn more about Dr. Katherine McKee and her work.Got a questions for us? Email us at wolfingdownfoodscience@gmail.comPlease take a minute to help others find our podcast by leaving a rating and comment on your podcasting app!