MSU student accepted into National Pork Board Scholars Program

Author: Grace Jones

Hunter Goodson

Hunter Goodson (Photo by Submitted)

A Mississippi State University undergraduate research student, Hunter Goodson, has been instrumentally involved with research on behalf of the National Pork Board (NPB).

The Davenport, Florida native and senior animal and dairy sciences major was recently accepted into the National Pork Board Pork Scholars program.

Goodson works under the direction of Associate Professor Thu Dinh in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences as an Undergraduate Research Scholar, learning the fundamental principles of meat processing science.

"Hunter is co-principal investigator of a funded project. His research will center around pork flavor degradation due to prolonged warehouse storage caused by supply chain disruptions," Dinh said. "The Undergraduate Research Scholars Program is a great investment in our undergraduate students and the NPB Pork Scholars program is a strategic investment by the pork industry in the future workforce."

"With this grant, we will not only be able to continue this research, but we will gain knowledge of the pork industry through different internships and agricultural business courses," Goodson said. "This grant also gives me the opportunity to have leadership roles, network with industry professionals, and attend conferences and professional workshops."

Goodson secured an internship with JBS, one of the largest protein providers in the U.S., at their Louisville, Kentucky pork processing plant. He will be an operations intern this summer and return to Mississippi State in the fall to start his master's program in meat science.

For more on the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences in MSU's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, visit www.ads.msstate.edu.

Date: 2022-04-25

Animal and Dairy Sciences