The only comprehensive Food Science program in Tennessee! We pride ourselves on our personal attention to students both in advising and in the classroom.
Welcome to the Department of Food Science at the University of Tennessee, the only comprehensive food science program in State of Tennessee. The Department has three major functions that are administered by each of the three units of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. The Herbert College of Agriculture administers the teaching program, the UT AgResearch the research program and
05/18/2026
Once a Vol, always a Vol 🧡🎓
Congratulations to our UT Food Science graduates! Innovation begins with curiosity, is guided by science, and driven by passionate minds. We can’t wait to see how you shape the future of food!
05/15/2026
Food Science 2026 Awards and Celebration 🎉
We had a great time celebrating the sweetest and smartest bunch! As the year comes to a close, we’re proud to celebrate the accomplishments everyone has achieved and reflect on all the memories we’ve made together.
Our 2025-2026 outstanding students are:
⭐️ Outstanding Freshman - Isaac Welch
⭐️ Outstanding Sophomore - Phoenix Welch
⭐️ Outstanding Sophomore - Sylvia Rapp
⭐️ Outstanding Junior - Cora Wildman
⭐️ Outstanding Junior - Mary Anna Chester
⭐️ Outstanding Junior - Emily Runkle
⭐️ Outstanding Senior - Noah Anderson
⭐️ Outstanding Senior - Abby Johnson
⭐️ Outstanding Senior - Chrissy Dice
⭐️ Outstanding Senior - Alice Grace Beavers
⭐️ Outstanding Master’s - Duy Trinh
⭐️ Outstanding Master’s - Ngan Nguyen
⭐️ Outstanding PhD - Bingqi Chen
Congratulations everyone on a great year! 🧡
04/27/2026
Congratulations to alumni Niamh Schumacher on accepting a place in the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree in Public Health in Disasters!
Over the next two years, Niamh will study across Spain, Sweden, and Cyprus, gaining interdisciplinary training to address global public health challenges in disaster and crisis settings. We are so proud to see our alumni making an impact on a global scale!
04/17/2026
DRUMROLL PLEASE…
The results are in and we showed out at the 2026 National Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest!
🏆Cheddar Cheese:
1st place team; 1st place individual – Elizabeth Cathey; 3rd place individual – Luke Bronkala
🏆Cottage Cheese:
1st place team; 1st place individual – Elizabeth Cathey
🏆Milk:
3rd place team; 1st place individual – Kiran Bhela
🏅Yogurt:
3rd place team
🏅All Products:
2nd place team; 2nd place individual – Elizabeth Cathey
This team delivered an outstanding performance! A huge congratulations to Taryn Breeden, Kiran Bhela, Elizabeth Cathey, Luke Bronkala, Ian Sorochan, Dr. Charles White, Kyla Adkins, and Abby Johnson. The hard work and dedication truly paid off.
⭐️ A special shoutout to Abby and Elizabeth for sprinting across Charlotte airport so this team could make our connection and get back to our home sweet home, Rocky Top.
04/08/2026
Congratulations to our graduating students that earned the title of Volunteer of Distinction! These students have shown outstanding academic achievement, community engagement, exceptional teaching, and/or excellence in research.
We are thrilled that Bingqi Chen, Kriza Calumba, Cassady Smith, Abby Johnson, and Alice-Grace Beavers have been recognized for their hard work and impact they’ve made. 🧡🤍
03/31/2026
Institute Professor of Food Science Toni Wang was recently recognized by UT Research, Innovation & Economic Development for being a Research Rock Star! Her work explores the chemistry of fats, proteins and biomaterials to create innovative, sustainable solutions. Read more at the link:
🔗 research.utk.edu/oried/2026/03/17/research-rock-stars-toni-wang-reimagines-how-biomaterials-power-a-circular-bioeconomy
UT AgResearch | Department of Food Science - University of Tennessee
Spend a day in the life of senior Alice-Grace Beavers, a Food Science Pre-Professional student, as she shares her jam packed day with classes and student organization meetings. AG was recently announced as a Torchbearer, the university’s highest undergraduate honor, and you’ll see a small glimpse into why she is so deserving of this honor! We can’t wait to see what impact she makes on the world focusing on the interaction of agriculture, food, and medicine.
03/25/2026
We are so incredibly proud of Alice Grace! 🧡
03/16/2026
A full-circle moment 🧡 Food Science alumna, PepsiCo food scientist, and UTK 40 Under 40 award winner Rachel Vanlandingham returned to campus to share her career journey and connect students with internship opportunities. We are so proud of her and couldn’t be more honored that she wanted to take the time to inspire and support our students.
02/25/2026
It’s all in the details. ✨
Students in our Product Development class are hard at work making their ideas come to life. In this class students put together their knowledge gained thus far to create fully fledged food products. What seems like just a simple food product has countless hours of work, research, planning, and problem-solving.
Can you guess what 3 products students are making this semester?
