Two graduate students in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering (FABE) at The Ohio State University received the Presentation Excellence Award earlier this month from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Annual International Meeting that took place in July.
Hetian Hu and Jaden Tatum each received awards for their respective presentations, which recognize the top 15% of student presentations that demonstrate excellence in content, delivery, and impact. They were judged on the expertise and creativity of their research, communication skills, and feedback from judges, peers, and industry professionals who attended the presentation sessions. The winners will also receive a cash prize for their achievements.
Hetian's award-winning presentation focused on Ultra-Shear Technology (UST), which is a novel semi-continuous high-pressure-based liquid food preservation method. Compared to traditional thermal processing methods (pasteurization and commercial sterilization), UST could potentially achieve a similar level of inactivation of pathogens, spoilage microorganisms, and bacterial spores while providing better nutrient preservation by minimizing heat effects. He was advised by Dr. V. M. Balasubramaniam.
"I would like to thank my adviser, Dr. Bala, for providing valuable guidance for my project and my lab members for helping me with my experiments," said Hetian. "Moreover, I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Ahmed Yousef for helping me with the microbiological part of this research, and Christopher Gecik for his support with electrical installations."
Jaden's award-winning presentation focused on modeling to minimize energy requirements for in-bin drying of different grain types in a small-scale dryer for developing countries. This presentation builds on Jaden's existing Ph.D. research with Dr. Ajay Shah, her advisor.
"As a Ph.D. student, it is always rewarding to get your work recognized, especially at a national or international level," said Hetian. "It takes a lot of preparation to explain our research to general audiences in a short presentation, so I am very glad that the efforts we put into our research and presentation paid off."
Congratulations to Hetian and Jaden!