Did you know? In 2022, SSP awarded conference sponsorships for 2 emerging career professionals! Get to know one of the recipients, Katie Nance, in the following interview.
1. What is your current employer and role?
Manager of Sensory at Synergy Flavors
2. How did attending the SSP conference impact your professional growth?
Probably the biggest way it impacted my professional growth was introducing me to ASTM standards I had not heard of yet during the joint session. This allowed me to take knowledge back to my company and improve some of the sensory practices as well as be able to more clearly explain the theory behind testing.
3. Did you gain connections that helped you advance your career?
Absolutely! SSP was the first conference I attended in person since COVID and so I'm very thankful to have met so many brilliant scientists both on the ASTM and SSP side.
4. How did the travel award benefit you?
Overall, it helped financially support me in traveling to my first conference since COVID. Not only was I able to meet inspiring colleagues and absorb all of the great info, I was so honored to present at the joint ASTM x SSP session around panel performance metrics. Definitely one of the highlights of my career so far!
5. What was your favorite thing about the SSP conference?
I really enjoyed how the conference was both technical and developmental. I learned a lot about methodologies, analyses, and more. But not only did I learn about the hard science, I learned how to better my soft skills as well with the Dare presentation.
6. How does your SSP membership benefit you?
I've really enjoyed the Connectors events. Especially during the pandemic, they were an amazing opportunity to get to meet Sensory Scientists at other companies.
7. What impact has sensory had on your life? What sensory experiences stand out — think of favorite foods, sounds, textures, etc.
I think this question is hard to answer because I'm not sure I could list one aspect. When you think about it, life is constant sensory experiences! For example, my favorite flavor is coffee, my favorite texture is a warm fuzzy blanket fresh out of the drier, and I love bitter products like dark chocolate. And each individual person has their own unique preferences just like these! What I love about sensory is how the science can make analytical use of each persons' experiences to contribute to some really amazing product insights. So overall, sensory has impacted me in a huge way because sensory is with us every day!
8. What’s a fun fact or something most people don’t know about you?
Before I got into the world of sensory, I used to care for sharks, otters, sea turtles, and more at an aquarium! The baby racoons were my favorite.
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