Avery Smith
"I believe in education, which gives me the knowledge to work wisely and trains my mind and my hands to work skillfully." - The Auburn Creed
Auburn University College of Agriculture
was born in 1871, when the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama became Alabama's first land-grant institution. In 1912, it became Alabama's first coed institution. Today, Auburn is a nationally recognized institution in the areas of fighting hunger, resisting climate change, fisheries, and poultry, among many other important research, teaching, and extension capacities. I feel very proud and privileged to have called Auburn home while completing my degrees, and am thrilled to apply my education here to my career. Please feel free to learn more by clicking here.
One of the most important things that attending Auburn has taught me is the problems that we will face in feeding the population of the future, and of solving the problem of food insecurity today. I am passionate about finding ways to bring healthy, convenient, and affordable foods to our growing population, and bridging the growing divide between the mainstream consumer and the world of agriculture.
Food Science
The food science program offered at Auburn is an Institute of Food Technologists approved curriculum administered by the nationally-recognized department of Poultry Science. The curriculum offers a highly comprehensive look at Food Science, including these food-specific courses after the core science-based courseload: Chemistry, Microbiology, Analysis, Plant Sanitation, Engineering, Safety, Processing, and the capstone course, Product Development. I discovered Food Science during my sophomore year at Auburn and knew that this was a vital component in my future career. The program has definitely challenged me academically and as a matter of balancing heavy coursework, personal life, and working while in college, and I am proud to say that I have met these challenges and tackled them efficiently. Below you can view some examples of projects I have worked on throughout my coursework.
Animal Sciences, Equine option
Auburn's Animal Sciences programs provides a comprehensive and multidisciplinary education, with heavy emphasis placed on hands-on experiences. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have taken courses with the professors of this department, whose compassion for animals and for teaching has been evident every step of the way. Courses I have taken (or will take) in this curriculum include: Equine Biomechanics and Shoeing, Physiology of the Equine Athlete, Animal Breeding, Reproductive Physiology, Anatomy and Physiology, Biochemistry, Forage Production and Utilization, Equine Marketing, Horse Management and Training, Statistics, Genetics, and my capstone course, Horse Production.
