By Whitney Baxter
Armed with real-world experience and practical knowledge, plus teaching at an alma mater of four generations of her family, Kate Gilbert (’07 food science) is on a mission to grow students’ networks and set them up for success.
Gilbert spent seven years working in the food industry, during which she took a leadership foundation course that included how to read people.
“In the back of my mind, I was thinking students need to know this information,” Gilbert recalls. “So, I started collecting ideas to help students prepare for their professional careers.”
That course, along with obtaining her online master’s degree in food science, led Gilbert back to Iowa State to become an associate teaching professor for the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition in 2014.
Shortly after, Gilbert developed a professional development class, incorporating things she had learned from her industry experience and the leadership course – everything from network building to career planning to financial literacy.
“I wanted to include all those things I wish I had been told as a college student,” Gilbert says.
Garion Brown, a junior in food science, appreciates the professional insight and real-life experiences Gilbert provides.
“It has opened my eyes to the things I need to think about ahead of graduation and what I want my future career path to look like,” Brown says.
Gilbert learned to network by watching her father walk up and start talking to folks at farm meetings. This skill helped her cultivate an extensive network within the food industry, which she uses to connect students with speakers for club meetings and classes or to find internships and jobs.
Morgan Denzer (’18 food science) says Gilbert’s help led to several internships and a graduate school mentor.
“As a student, the connections helped me understand the role of food scientists in the industry and link classroom concepts to real-world applications. Beyond Iowa State, these connections have continued to support my growth and success in the food science field,” says Denzer, now a food science instructor at the University of Arkansas.
Gilbert says watching her network lead to opportunities for students is a “lovely feeling.”
“These relationships are powerful, and when students can use them to build their own networks, that really opens up things for them,” Gilbert says. “When they graduate, they already have a group of people they can reach out to when they have questions or need support.”