Diana Davis Spencer Scholar works with Dr. Nayak on food waste project.
Through a generous grant from the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions is providing invaluable support for twelve Diana Davis Spencer Scholars to conduct research on two sustainability projects designed to help develop skills in entrepreneurship, teamwork, leadership and problem-solving. Shayla Kleisinger, a junior in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, works with food processing professor Balunkeswar Nayak (School of Food and Agriculture). Her research focuses on the use of biomaterials such as cellulose nanofibers in food packaging to improve the shelf life of food products. The long-term goal of this project is to reduce food waste and plastic use by incorporating biodegradable materials in the packaging.
For more information see: https://umaine.edu/mitchellcenter/2018/04/18/diana-davis-spencer-partnership-sustainable-maine/ and https://umaine.edu/mitchellcenter/people/balu-nayak/