Cornell Food and Brand Lab Internship 

Hometown: Allentown, PA

Undergraduate: Connecticut College, 2013

Major: Behavioral Neuroscience

 

Future: Before coming to the lab, I wanted to go to 

medical school to become a pediatrician who focuses 

on obesity. However, the lab has made me reconsider

my career goals, and explore other career options such

as Public Health and food marketing!

 

Summer Projects:

I had a chance to participate in a variety of projects.

I got to help one of the post-doc supervisors, Drew Hanks, with an observational study that explored the economic principle known as the Tragedy of the Commons. We went to a restaurant to see if eating habits differed depending on whether the basket of chips were shared or not. I also had a chance to work with Aner Tal on an online survey that tested if the perceptions of a person changes (on measures such as personality and success) if that person is seen drinking a diet beverage versus the regular, more caloric version. The biggest project I worked on was under the guidance of Dr. Wansink, which involved writing a paper that would help companies change their environment to improve the health of their employees.

 

I really liked how the internship was different on a daily/weekly basis. One week, we would spend doing research at the lab, and another week we would be attending a conference with well-known companies (including General Mills, Wegmans, and the Culinary Institute of America). One day while we were conducting a survey study for Wrigley’s gum at a local food market, I was even filmed on PBS for a segment that will be on air in the spring of 2014! It was also great that not only do you work with your supervisors- but you can form close relationships with them as well. Dr. Wansink would have social outings intermittently during the internship for the interns and the supervisors. We would either have dinner or a meeting at his house, or go out to do something fun, like mini-golf and see a movie at the drive-in.

 

Advice for Future Interns:

If you’re interested in the lab and are hard working, I strongly recommend applying! I was nervous to come here since I don’t have a specific background in food psychology or marketing, but I’m so glad I did. The Food & Brand Lab is a great place to work, where you’ll be surrounded by extremely intelligent, motivated, and fun people. Truly the best work experience I’ve ever had and unforgettable.