Honored with Mid- Career Educator Award

Associate Professor Dr. Arnaud Van Wettere received the 2022 Mid-Career Educator Award from the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. Van Wettere teaches in USU’s College of Veterinary Medicine and is a diagnostic pathologist at the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.

“I try to present the material in the context of where students are going to see it,” said Van Wettere. “I want to show them that we’re not learning this material just because it exists, but because it’s pertinent to their life as a veterinarian. When we teach them something, it’s because they need to know it, even if it’s a rare disease.”

His diagnostic work means Van Wettere has no shortage of experience with rare and common diseases alike — and that makes a difference.

“It’s easier to teach a material you live every day rather than teaching out of a book you don't practice,” Van Wettere said. “I can show them cases in class I’ve seen before that are relevant to what they’re learning. I wouldn’t conceive of teaching a material I don’t practice. I wouldn’t feel good about teaching it." �

The drink’s name “MOBA Boba” a nod to gamer slang for Multiplayer Online Battle Arena games. It also has 130 mg of caffeine, which is comparable to other energy drinks.

Marsh said acid whey has been a challenge for dairy companies to upcycle because its high mineral content makes it difficult to dispose of and its acidic flavor is not very palatable. But they hit on a formula they feel will resonate with gamers because of its taste, nutrition, energy and sustainability components.

Hatching a Smart Cookie

As a smaller team, Marsh and Annalisa Jones competed in the Institute of Food Technologists’ Smart Snacks for Kids Contest. They began work on “Saurus Snacks” in early 2021 but were not selected to compete as a finalist in that year’s competition.

After a year of improving their product, Marsh and Jones came up with the final version of Saurus Snacks, an interactive snack comprised of a lightly sweetened meringue “eggshell” enclosing one of three dinosaur cookies, and were invited to compete as finalists. �

Read more about the winning products online at tinyurl.com/FoodScienceWins