Sheryl Hosler, the instructor for the UIC at Chicago Biology Colloquium course, found my contact information on Twitter and asked me to present to the two lecture groups about a career field that applies a biology degree and is an alternative to medical field work. You already know that I’m extremely passionate about our field and industry, and I want as many people as possible to know about the career pathway earlier than later. I eagerly accepted the invitation, because I even had started as a biology pre-med major before learning about nutritional science. I had never even heard of food science and it wasn’t available at my college. So, whenever I get the chance, I try to offer students information about the working world – mostly that it’s not as set in stone as it seems – and to encourage them to take ownership of their careers and to get real with what their core values are. This helps them begin building a career that they love from the beginning.

Sheryl kindly let me share the recording of the session with the PeasOnMoss audience.

A quick note about Sheryl. In addition to working on her PhD, she is also a youtube presence herself. Originally an environmental scientist, she maintains a channel all about environmental education as The Roving Naturalist. Her creative approach to education, especially in industries that rely on in-person training, will become the style for the near future, firstly, as a response to limitations due to pandemic response, and secondly, as a habit change that results from a full year of changed behaviors in education. It was a privilege to see how she works and how she chooses to engage her students.