Graduate student Kaitlin Smith combines her love of plants with a passion for food science

When opportunity knocks, food science graduate student Kaitlin Smith answers. Now pursuing her second degree, the Blue Hen takes advantage of all the University of Delaware offers. 

As an undergraduate in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR), Smith completed a cheese-making internship at UDairy Creamery and later worked in ice cream production. She was an Ag Ambassador, a Blue Hen Ambassador, and a member of Sigma Alpha, a professional agricultural sorority, the Horticulture Club and the Food Science Club.

During her senior year, funding from the Food Science Club enabled Smith to travel to Chicago for the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) conference. She was amazed by what she experienced.

“I felt like a kid in a candy store,” Smith said. “There were hundreds of companies giving out their products. I listened to all these people talk about their products, things I could not have dreamed of.”

When UD’s Food Microbiology (ANFS 439) course with Kali Kniel, professor of microbial food safety, piqued her interest in research, Smith saw an opportunity. 

“I decided to return to UD for my master’s degree because I wanted experience in research,” Smith elaborated. “I didn’t do undergraduate research. Even though it was an option, I did not take that route.”

Kniel also served as Smith’s undergraduate academic advisor.

“Kaitlin wanted to continue to advance her scientific knowledge by conducting research for a master's degree in food science,” said Kniel. “Assessing food safety risks and studying new technologies that might reduce food safety risks in hydroponically grown vegetables seemed like a perfect fit for Kaitlin.”

Students admitted to the Thesis M.S. in Food Science program receive support via research or teaching assistantships. The position includes 12 months of competitive stipend support each year, a tuition waiver, and access to discounted health insurance. Smith accepted a research assistantship in the Kniel Lab, which explores food safety and public health issues involving the transmission of viruses, protozoa and pathogenic bacteria. 

Now in her second year as a graduate student, Smith is in the lab every day.

“Our lab is beautiful, and it's kept clean and pristine,” said Smith of the Kniel Lab in Worrilow Hall, CANR’s recently renovated, state-of-the-art laboratory facility. “We have autoclaves to ensure sterility, which we use every day, and we run PCR [polymerase chain reaction] tests to confirm the detection of microorganisms from the environmental samples.”

Smith and her lab colleagues are part of an effort to improve food safety through bacterial surveillance. Every lab member works on a different aspect of the project.

“We receive confidential water, soil, and swab samples from farms in Delaware and test them for different microorganisms,” Smith explained. “We report our findings to the farmers to help ensure they are producing food safely.”

Smith is also busy with her own research into mitigating cross-contamination in hydroponics. In most hydroponic systems, roots from individual plants touch the same water. Smith compares this system to one in which a robotic arm waters separated individual plants. 

“We’re testing lettuce to see if robotic arm watering and individual plants will reduce cross-contamination of E.coli bacteria if it were to enter a system,” Smith elaborated.