The last 12 weeks I have spent as a Scientific Assistant at IFST have flown by. I was familiar with the organisation and had set my eyes on somehow being involved the minute I found out that my university, Manchester Metropolitan University, supported its students with an IFST Membership. So, when I read of the opening in the student newsletter, I jumped at it! Working here was a fantastic opportunity to grow my network and manage a project from start to finish under one of the best managers I’ve had the pleasure of working with Natasha (Senior Scientific Affairs Manager). I now wholly appreciate the role a body like IFST plays and understanding how they function within the various communities and spaces it operates in these insights are priceless. Everyone welcomed me so warmly and I am proud to say that I was a part of the team that contributes to and promotes knowledge sharing within the food science community through a variety of events, resources and publications. One of my key responsibilities was working on the Food Safety Knowledge Hub as part of a working group of volunteers. This involved identifying and collating resources that SMEs, larger businesses, consumers and educators would find useful. As I had just finished a module on Food Safety and Quality Management as well as my level 3 HACCP certification, the timing couldn’t have been better. Additionally, I also worked on other resources that needed to be reviewed and refreshed to ensure that IFST is always up to date on the latest advancements as well as the requirements of its community. These involved working closely with the Scientific Committee’s members- all of whom are experts within their food science niches. In addition to being such lovely people, my time at IFST reaffirmed my faith in how valuable it is to give back to your community and has inspired me by showing me how much there is to learn and the level of detail required to make a mark.
A project that is especially close to my heart is the IFST Food Science Fact Sheet on Protein Food Sources. This was something I authored under the expert guidance of Natasha which was peer-reviewed and then signed off by the Scientific Committee. I am grateful for the level of autonomy with which I could operate and for the trust placed in me. Managing a project involves collaboration, communication, time, patience, inspiration and the desire to ensure that what is finally put out is the best version it can possibly be (perfection is the journey and improvement is continuous). Working on a variety of resources showed me that they each require a different approach. The greatest takeaways from my time here are the numerous soft skills in teamwork that I’ve acquired and honed. I understood what it takes to foster and build a wonderful culture as I was extremely lucky to have experienced it here at IFST. Social media is all about that ‘hustle culture’ which never did sit right with me, but my time here has shown me there is a healthy, constructive, and efficient way to get quality work done while being authentic to yourself and the community. If you’re a student and reading this- well, what are you waiting for?!
Kavya Krishnamurthy- IFST Scientific Intern (May - July 22)