��ӽ紫ý students selected for nationwide meat science program

Associate Professor Derris Devost-Burnett with students Chelsie Dahlgren, Virell To, Maliq Holmes and Joseph Mangano in ��ӽ紫ý’s Meat Science and Muscle Biology Laboratory. The four students were recently part of the Smithfield Foods INTERGRATE program. (Photo by Dominique Belcher)

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Four Mississippi ��ӽ紫ý students were among only 30 chosen nationwide to participate in a recent training conference for college students entering the meat science industry.

The ��ӽ紫ý students traveled to Smithfield, Virginia, for the Smithfield Foods INTEGRATE program, where they worked closely with other meat science students to expand their view of industry careers.

��ӽ紫ý student participants included:

Joseph Mangano—an animal and dairy science master’s student from Pearl River, Louisiana, who earned his ��ӽ紫ý undergraduate degree in 2018.

Maliq Holmes—a senior animal and dairy science major from Vicksburg.

Chelsie Dahlgren—an animal and dairy science major from Ocean Springs who completed her undergraduate degree in December.

Virell To—a food science, nutrition and health promotion master’s student from Indonesia, who earned her ��ӽ紫ý undergraduate degree in 2020.

“Smithfield has a huge industrial scale operation, and they are invested in enhancing their processing capabilities,” said Mangano. “I was excited to see their operation and learn how their techniques can be incorporated into our university meat lab.”

Both Mangano and Holmes work at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station’s Meat Science and Muscle Biology Laboratory under Associate Professor Derris Devost-Burnett, in ��ӽ紫ý’s Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences.

Dahlgren and To work as student researchers assisting both Associate Professor Thu Dinh in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences and Professor Wes Schilling in the Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion.

Burnett, Dinh and Schilling encouraged all four students to apply and assisted them during the process. Scott Willard, Interim Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences also assisted with their travel.

“This immersive approach gave students the opportunity to experience stakeholders in the meat industry that are interested in taking new ideas or customer requests and turning those into products on a commercial scale,” said Burnett. “Having four students selected for this opportunity further contributes to ��ӽ紫ý’s reputation in this field.”

For more information on the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, visit , on the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, visit .

��ӽ紫ý is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at .

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