Pilot Plant internship helps ETMAS student find passion and gain experience
Tucked away in the far southern part of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus is the Food Science Pilot Plant, a flexible, state-of-the-art space for food processing.
As part of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and working alongside the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory, the Pilot Plant includes a food analysis laboratory, product development kitchen, and the pilot plant itself, which features an array of food processing equipment that allows scientists and external clients in food manufacturing to develop and test novel products at scales well beyond the lab bench.
“We develop foods made from crops grown on University of Illinois farms, produce products for University Dining, test new ingredients and processing methods, and scale products such as extruded cereals, snacks, powders, beverages, and other foods,” said Jedi Brown, a Senior Pilot Plant specialist.
The plant is also an educational asset for future food science leaders. It provides a hands-on environment where students get experience operating equipment, following food-safety procedures, troubleshooting processes, working with project teams, and completing work that closely reflects what they will encounter in industry.
Elijah Akinbiyi-Brown is a senior studying Engineering Technology and Management for Agricultural Systems (ETMAS), which is in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences with close ties to The Grainger College of Engineering at Illinois.
For the last year, Akinbiyi-Brown has gotten to know the Pilot Plant well in his role as a Food and Agricultural Science in Technology Education and Research (FASTER) intern.
The Pilot Plant is equipped with tanks, mixers, spray dryers, retorts, homogenizers, and other gleaming stainless steel machines. Akinbiyi-Brown described his first time seeing all the equipment as “super intimidating.” Now, though, he’s familiar with it all and has even rewired two spray dryers
Akinbiyi-Brown’s specific expertise has helped him thrive as a FASTER intern, especially on engineering-based projects.
“The plant acts as a bridge between small-scale kitchens and large-scale production,” Akinbiyi-Brown said. “Every day is different, and it has been such a giant learning process.”
Aside from grappling with wire systems, Akinbiyi-Brown has also helped with processing activities, including using equipment and working with corporate partners. He has helped make the “Block I” cookies. The experience has developed Akinbiyi-Brown’s adaptability and communication, and he said he feels more prepared than ever to enter the workforce.
Akinbiyi-Brown hopes to one day create and design new technology or products relating to food safety while creating more sustainable and ergonomically friendly products.
“The FASTER internship has opened this horizon to me,” Akinbiyi-Brown said. “It’s really helped bridge the gap between engineering, bio-processing, and the food industry for me.”