NOAH C. DAMERON

 Noah c. Dameron   

Department of Food Science and Technology
Food Science and Technology 
Griswold, CT 

Noah Dameron is Food Science and Technology (FST) major with interests in food safety and food insecurity. He has engaged in research to improve food safety and nutritional quality at food banks that bridge gaps for people who are food insecure. He credits Dr. Ahmed Yousef’s microbiology class for teaching him to think critically about real-world problems and seek possible solutions when there was no clear answer.

Noah worked with Dr. Barbara Kowalcyk and Dr. Nicole Arnold in the Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention (CFI). He learned to analyze qualitative data and understand the social and environmental implications of food insecurity. Noah developed and presented a research proposal at the CFI Think Tank, networking with experts in food safety and leaders in academia, government, and industry. He also presented his proposed research project at the FoodS.U.R.E. poster competition, where he won first place.

Noah also got involved with organizations outside the lab. He was a member of the Food Science Club, ENR Scholars program leadership council, his Residence Hall Advisory and Community Council, and he participated in the FST College Bowl and attended IFT First. He is president of Know Food Waste and served as education and outreach chair. Noah has worked in the front office of the Parker Food Science building and is a peer mentor for FST.

Noah also completed two internships. At the Mystic Cheese Company in Griswold, Connecticut, he learned about cheese making, microbial testing and detection, dairy processing, and implementing food safety protocols in the manufacturing environment.

As a food safety, quality, and regulatory intern at the T. Marzetti Innovation Center, in Lewis Center, Ohio, he worked on process improvement, quality control, and developing and gathering key resources to implement a food safety program. To develop a broad view of company functions at both administrative and manufacturing positions, he shadowed the engineering team, research and development team, and others. He designed an experiment to determine the cause of a processing problem and presented his findings to department heads.

Currently working with Dr. Ahmed Yousef, Noah is learning new lab skills. He has isolated microbial colonies from sampled food products, and performed DNA extraction, PCR, and gel electrophoresis. Noah plans to attend graduate school to get a master’s degree in environmental science, working with Dr. Jiyoung Lee. He hopes to better understand the hurdles and microbial dangers faced by food insecure individuals and focus his studies in One Health.

Service, involvement, and accolades: Know Food Waste, president, education and outreach chair | FST Peer Mentor | Dean’s List | Boy Scout volunteer (Eagle Scout recipient)| Emergency Medical Technician volunteer | Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) certification | ServSafe certification