Interview with a Food Scientist

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Pranav Kaushik Pidatala is a Food Science Professional working in the Research and Development Department of SunTree Snack Foods LLC. Pranav’s day is all about tree nuts and a happy professional living and breathing in his favorite profession. Born into a middle class Telugu family, Pranav became passionate about pursuing a career in Food Science prior to under graduation and overcame several challenges to become what he is today. This is his career story.

What is Food Science?

Food Science is a multidisciplinary field involving biochemistry, nutrition, chemistry, microbiology and engineering devoted to the study of food. Food Science is relatively new and growing discipline. Compared to other disciplines, there are very few institutions in India that offer educational programs in Food Science.

What is your typical day like?

I work in the Research and Development Department of SunTree Snack Foods. Our company is a Tree-nut based snack food manufacturing company. Using tree nuts like almonds, peanuts, pistachios, cashews etc., we make delicious and satisfying snacks. My core duties and responsibilities are developing nut-based snack products including formulation, sensory analysis, and providing technical support. Best part is that I am surrounded by healthy snacks all day.

Where were you born? Would you please tell me about your family?

I was born in Maharashtra, India. My maternal family used to live in Maharashtra because of my Grandad's work. My father is a retired government employee. My mom is a housewife. When I was a toddler, my family moved to Andhra Pradesh. I have a younger sister who got married recently.

Tell me about your life after High School.

I completed my primary and secondary school education in Hyderabad, Telangana. I focused on getting into a good university for my undergraduation and made a conscious decision not to choose Computer Science or Electronics as my major. I learned about BioTechnology’s growth and potential and choose to pursue an undergraduate degree in Industrial BioTechnology from SASTRA University, a deemed University.

   

Can you please tell us about your undergraduation?

I enjoyed learning BioTechnology in Sastra University. During my undergraduate program, I researched on downstream processing of whey proteins for my thesis in Sastra University’s Research Laboratory and I became passionate about food science. I became so interested in Food Science that I couldn’t stop myself from reading all the books on Food Science. I enjoyed reading these books like fiction novels. I decided to pursue master’s degree in food science after my undergraduate program in Industrial BioTechnology provided, I get funding.

Where did you go for Post-Graduation? Were you able to get full funding?

No. It wasn’t an easy ride. Tuition fee is very high for Masters education. And I did not get an opportunity with full funding but I received a job offer to join Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as Systems Engineer in India. I was heartbroken that I was not able to pursue master’s in food science with scholarship. So, I accepted a job in IT and worked for TCS.

I didn’t give up my dream and continued contacting professors from Universities in US, Netherlands, Singapore, Australia and to learn about education/research opportunities with 100% scholarship. I wasn’t planning to get into Food Science Master’s program at any University. I wanted to do research in my Master’s program in a reputed research university and also get full funding for my research. And after some serious hard work and networking for 2.5 years, I received an offer to pursue Master’s by Research in Food Science from Oklahoma State University, USA.

How is the Master’s program? Were you glad that you reached your goal?

Master’s in food science is a wonderful program and this is where my life in ‘tree-nuts & peanuts’ started. I researched on peanut butter snack foods and my learning curve went steep. Immediately after Masters, I received an offer to work as Food Safety Quality Specialist in a tree-nut based snack food company. After working for about an year, I was able to transition to Research & Development in food industry.

You have a very inspiring and successful career story. Did you face any challenges in this journey?

Yes. I faced few challenges along the way, but I never gave up on my interest in pursuing a career in Food Science.At that time I felt like I was wasting my good years in doing a job in IT while my heart was set on Food Science research. But that work experience helps in doing statistical data analysis in my research today.

During formulation of new food products, we are also supposed to taste food products.So I had to pick and choose vegetarian research products and pass multiple meat-based research opportunities.

Also, it wasn’t easy for me to get a job after graduation. Without much experience in food industry, getting into R&D was not easy. Networking, working on multiple roles and projects helped me get to where I am today.

  

Do you have any advice for our readers?

Success takes time but its important to work hard. Never lose hope and keep working towards your goal. One day you will achieve it. It took 5 years to achieve my short-term goal of joining prestigious university for MS food science and about 9 years to achieve my long-term goal of getting into R&D while facing many disappointments. Stay focused and be patient. Hard work definitely pays off.

Interview with an Inventor - INTREPID (Wearable that prevents sexual assault)

Manisha Mohan invented a wearable that solves sexual assault, a massive problem affecting people globally. Inspired from a horrific event in India, Manisha set out to find a solution and invented a product that prevents sexual assault. Her product and work received recognition all over the world and people are excited to get their hands on this product across borders. This is Manisha Mohan’s career story.

What is a wearable?

Wearable or wearable technology is an electronic device that can be worn on the body as an implant or accessory. Popular wearables are smart watches and wrist bands that measure heart rate or number of steps taken.

Where were you born? What was your childhood like?

I was born in Danapur Cantt, Bihar. I did my pre-kindergarten education in Simla and then my family moved to Chandigarh when I was about 6 years old. I finished my schooling in Chandigarh and my school shaped me into who I am today including the way I think and how I do things. There is sense of independence I enjoyed during my schooling in Chandigarh.

Tell me about your family. What impact do they have on your life?

We are family of 4 and I am the only daughter for my parents. I have a younger brother and he recently graduated from Thapar University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. My parents are academically motivated. My dad has a PhD in Geography from Punjab University and my mother obtained her PhD in Hindi, Literature.

Where did you go to College? What was your college like?

After finishing High School, I started getting to know about lunar vehicles and the idea of making a lunar vehicle and rolling on the moon fascinated me. That idea of lunar vehicles motivated me to pursue Automobile Engineering. I went to SRM University in Chennai to pursue Bachelors of Technology in Automobile Engineering. The ratio of girls to boys in my classroom was very low. However, I enjoyed learning design, manufacturing and functioning of automobiles by spending more time in the laboratory, doing internships and researching concepts.

Please tell me about your project - SHE and explain how it works.

Few years into Engineering course work, nation was rocked by the Delhi gang rape incident. That incident inspired me to do something about the horrific problem and develop a product to prevent sexual harassment.

Along with a team of two, we developed an innovative product - Society Harassment Equipment (SHE). SHE is lingerie fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and pressure sensors. When a molester/offender applies pressure on the lingerie/SHE, it shocks the offender by passing electric current through the body and sends an SMS alert to emergency contacts including the location of SHE.

Project -”SHE” received accolades and Manisha Mohan received the prestigious Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (GYTI) award in 2013. She also won the Innovation scholarship in 2014 and got an opportunity to spend 21 days in Rashtrapathi Bhavan and interact with then President of India (Shri Pranab Mukherjee), ministers and researchers.

Product - SHE looks like it has the right grouping of various technologies and components. Did you come up with the solution/product from your classes alone in SRM University?

No. I did not stick to the curriculum alone during my course work. I served as an intern at several organizations while doing my course work at SRM University. Internships at manufacturing plant, and research laboratories helped me learn various concepts. Knowledge gained from classes, internships and projects helped my team and me with this product.

Is “SHE” available for purchase in the market? Did you make any improvements to the product?

No. SHE is not available in the market because of regulations. However, I came up with an innovative product - INTREPID that investigates signs of assault and prevents sexual abuse. After my graduation, I was accepted into MIT (Massachusetts, USA) to pursue Masters in Media, Arts & Science.  I was able to focus on the human interaction domain at MIT and came up with an innovative product - INTREPID that investigates signs of assault and prevents sexual abuse.

  

INTREPID seems like a cooler product than SHE. If a simple, reusable, washable sticker on my bra alerts my family and/or friends when I am in danger, I would definitely buy it for me and for my girlfriends. Is INTREPID ready for market?

That is true. INTREPID is getting ready to hit the market. I am working with a co-founder who takes care of the business aspect of this and we are making sure that product is released into the market without any hiccups. We are currently working on testing the product and it is too early to give launch date now.

What challenges did you face on your path to inventing SHE and/or INTREPID?

I faced numerous challenges all along the way. It wasn’t easy for me to move to Chennai from Chandigarh to pursue B. Tech in Automobile Engineering. It took lot of convincing and I had to fight with my parents to let me go. I was very determined to take my life under control and didn’t want to settle with cookie cutter job.

Life in Chennai and my education in SRM University was not smooth. I faced lot of resentment from my classmates for doing things like jumping on the hood, spending extra time in the labs compared to others. But I did not let anything stop me from being who I am or what I wanted to accomplish.

Even after moving to US from India, I faced numerous challenges medically, culturally and physically. But I moved past my challenges and worked towards my goal.

You received several honors/awards for your inventions. What honors or awards motivated you to do your best?

1. Innovation scholarship from Shri Pranabh Mukherjee - I got an opportunity to interact with the President of India during the 21 day residency and learned about the most pressing challenges first hand from the President.
2. Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (GYTI) award from SRISTI - I met with great mentors like Anil Gupta through SRISTI and I continue to receive guidance from these mentors till this day.
3. National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) Collegiate award (2017)

Do you have any advice for our readers?

I suggest students to overcome any challenge big or small and pursue education. Life is boring without any challenges in it, so consider every challenge as though it is bringing you closer to success. Do not get stuck and move forward.

Interview with a Mobile and Web Application Developer

Sukesh Batchu is Mobile and Web Application Developer and is currently working as Software Developer for KPMG in Berlin, Germany. Born into a family focussed on academia, Sukesh found his interest in Information Technology and focussed on exponentially growing Mobile and Web service Business in his career. This is his career story.

• Can you please explain your profession little bit?
  
  
  There has been a tremendous increase in the use of smartphones in the global market and this led to the explosive growth of “Apps” on the smartphones. With this growth in mobile use and time spent by mobile users on applications, there is a great demand for Mobile application developers. Though there are 2+ Million apps on IOS and Android devices, there is still need and demand for skillful mobile application developers and developers are in great demand who can also with Artificial Intelligence, IOT etc
  
  
  And coming to web applications, the convenience and user friendliness of accessing over web browser with internet propelled the growth of web applications.
  
  
• Tell me about your family and childhood.
  
  
  My father is a Research Scientist in Animal Genetics, my mom is housewife and my elder brother works as Research Assistant in BioInformatics. Education and getting good grades have always been stressed as the most important things in my life right from my childhood.I definitely focussed on getting good grades all the way through my education.And this definitely helped me in getting into top rated college(CBIT,Hyderabad).
  
  
• When and how did you get into Mobile and Web Application development
  
  
  After my Bachelors of Technology(BTech) graduation from CBIT(major in IT), I was hired by Cognizant Technology Solutions(CTS) through campus placements. Though I was assigned to work on Business Process management(BPM) projects initially and work with Pega software platform , I did not get a chance to work on challenging projects and found myself with lot of downtime. As CTS employee, I have access to knowledge portal with tons of learning material.With Mobile service business booming at the time(2011), I focussed on learning mobile application tools via Knowledge portal during my downtime. Besides learning material, I have access to examples and online forums and gained new skills like developing applications using Apache Cordova and Adobe PhoneGap. With newly gained skills, I was able to get my hands on Mobile application projects and have worked on numerous Mobile application development projects serving clients since then.
  
  
• What challenges did you face in your career and how did you overcome those challenges?
  
  
  My family focussed on academia and they believed academia provided stability compared to career in Information Technology. I was initially discouraged from getting into Information Technology. With rapidly changing technologies, my family feared that career in IT would not provide job security. With some research and discussions with IT Subject Matter Experts(SME), I promised myself to stay relevant in IT by adding necessary skills to my career wagon throughout my career.
  
  
• What are the basic skills required to start career as an Application developer?
  
  
  Proficiency in using HTML5, Javascript, Jquery are required for Application development. These skills are transferable and can also be used in mobile or web application development. I would also like to point that with so many ready-to-use tools like Cordova and PhoneGap, developers can create applications with few instructions and little guidance these days.
  
  
• Do you have any suggestion or recommendation to our readers?
  
  
  Basics of programming will be covered in college and students are advised to work on taking these classes seriously. Since technology is dynamic, start preparing which technology to get into or focus on at least 6 months prior to graduation by keeping an eye on the technology trends, job postings and by connecting with industry recruiters/subject matter experts.

Interview with a Young Inventor and Founder of VAXXWAGON

Interesting interview with a young inventor. Learn how young mind thinks and know how this young inventor worked towards a goal after learning his story from Grand Parents. World needs more problem solvers like Anurudh Ganesan.

Interview with an Visual Effects Artist

Satish Babu Ratakonda is a famous Visual Effects Artist based in San Mateo, California. Born in Khammam, Andhra Pradesh, Satish’s career grew organically in Television, Gaming and Feature Film Visual Effects. Today he works at Sony Interactive working on Product design as well as cutting edge imaging technologies like Virtual Reality and HDR.

What are Visual effects? Where do we use Visual effects?

Visual effects are the cool tricks and processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of live action. Visual effects are mostly used in film making and it is these visual effects that help make imaginations come live.

Some of the works I did were used in the films Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Avengers: Age of Ultron etc

Can you tell me little bit about childhood or may be your school life?

I was an above average student, if not the best in school. I have always been interested in science and especially physics. As a child I was very observant (I was told) and as I came to realize that I was more interested in observing visually than doing anything else. For example, I was more interested in how the Fire looked and how it moved visually then the technical science and reasoning behind that. My parents or teachers never gave it enough importance to my thinking, in fact I did not know at that time that it was my way of interpreting things and that there could be any meaningful outcome to that. The only known outlet for me was to express it in Drawings, but I was not interested in traditional art, so I would draw more than detailed and shaded illustrations in science records than a required simple outline illustration, which was again mostly overlooked. I now realize that at that point of time, there was lack of emphasis on visual science or 'art of science'.

When and how did you get into Visual Effects Artist?

After my Bachelors in Arts & Science, I have thought about going for higher education in Genetics and one day I met my uncle working in CCMB (Center for Cellular and Micro Biology) to get some guidance. He was in the middle of preparing a presentation and he asked me to help him with few designs and pictures for the presentation. To my surprise I thoroughly enjoyed drawing designs, and pictures I did a good job on the work.

Then I choose to join a Multimedia Institute (Training or technical/vocational center) and enrolled myself in Photoshop course. During this training and with the tool - Adobe Photo Shop, my interest and attention to details were put to use and was able to bring my art projects to life. I worked on few assignments, made a profile with few random designs and ideas and went on looking for a job carrying my profile and I found my first job in Ramoji Film City as Digital Compositor.

Was it easy finding a job after taking a course in Multimedia Institute?

No. It was not an easy task. I didn’t have any mentor/ guide throughout any phase of my life and I had to go find information and get updates in my career and path. It was not simple like I learn a technology/software and do the same task every time in each project. I learned about what’s trending, what companies do Visual Effects, what skills are required at every stage of my life and I assigned a goal for myself.

Can you please explain your work and what it’s like?

My projects/tasks start with visionary/ my directors explaining how they want the picture. I am responsible for bringing some one’s imagination to life and this process can be some visionary just using words and explaining it or it could be some pictures on paper/story boards.

I work with multiple technologies and techniques every day to bring imagination to life. I don’t get to use same technology/technique on every project and it all comes down to how well I brought an imagination to life on screen. Some of the Software / programming languages I use are Autodesk Maya, Autodesk Flame, Foundry Nuke, Adobe after Effects, Adobe Photoshop, Houdini, Cinema4D, and Python.

Learning the fundamentals of commercial art (television/films) , learning the craft of motion picture visual effects, which involves color theory, cameras, lenses, film, film procession adding computer graphics, all the way to the process of delivering to the big screen or a television broadcast, needed a lot patience, foresight and hard work. While the above mentioned were fundamentals which would never change and are key to one's survival, the software and other tools are just mere tools which you would keep up with as the technology evolves.

What advice can you give to our readers?

To build a career in Visual Effects, you don’t need to have high level degrees. However, formal education is strongly recommended because course work is designed to gradually develop your skills and give time to develop your own vision, style and approach towards the career and industry.

Top Vfx artists are generally very observant, have a keen ear, respectful of others and their ideas, work well in team environment and ok to work long hours. Ask yourself what your dream as a Vfx Artist/Animator, try to find out what’s the most inspiring to you and if you think you have it in you to emulate / chase or even do better. Have a plan with open mind. Keep smiling :-)

To learn more about Satish Ratakonda, visit http://www.animationmagazine.net/vfx/the-artists-toolbox-tools-of-top-animators/