Graduate student profile- adrianna maria pilch

pilch-adrianna.jpgAdrianna Maria Pilch successfully defended her Master's thesis on October 7, 2022. Adrianna is originally from Chicago, Illinois. Prior to her stint at Purdue, Adrianna obtained B.S. degrees in Chemistry and Food Science and Nutrition from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Adrianna's thesis was titled "Effects of Different Forms of Vitamin C on Wheat Starch Properties." Her research investigated the effects of one acid form and two salt forms of vitamin C on wheat starch processes that occur during and after heating and mixing starch with water. Acidic vitamin C appeared to promote starch degradation during these processes more than other common acids. Salt vitamin C appeared to stabilize starch, increasing the thickness of starch and water mixtures during and after (while cooling) these processes more than other common salts. Adrianna's graduate mentor was Dr. Lisa Mauer. Other members of her graduate committee included Dr. Bruce Hamaker and Dr. Lynne Taylor.

When it was time for Adrianna to select an institution where she would continue her education, there were a couple of factors that influenced her decision to attend Purdue University. "I chose Purdue because I was really interested in the research topics that the food science department focused on. Additionally, Purdue allowed me to stay relatively close to my family and friends in Chicago. I also received an ARGE Graduate Diversity Research Assistantship which I am very thankful for and helped alleviate at least the financial stress of being a graduate student."

Additionally, Adrianna recommends Purdue Food Science to prospective graduate students because of the facilities and opportunities available to students. "The Purdue food science department has high quality research facilities and connections with other departments if sharing of resources is necessary. The graduate course requirements allow students to really focus on and make the most of their independent research."

After graduation, Adrianna plans to return home to Chicago and continue her career as an Associate Scientist at Newly Wed Foods. Congratulations, Adrianna!