Anower grew up in Bangladesh. She excelled at math and science and was accepted into UC’s Honors Program. At UC, she had a chance to work on research projects on microplastics with partners such as Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and UC’s College of Medicine.
“A research lab is a little different from a food science lab,” she said. “At UC we use more analytical tools like Raman spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.”
But there was no classroom experience that could replace on-the-job experience in a commercial lab, Anower said.
“Co-op teaches you what your future could look like. You can picture yourself in the workplace and what you want or don’t want,” she said. “UC science majors can get a lot of exposure to research at the university. But the co-op program shows you the job possibilities. And that creates a bridge to industry.”
And Anower is looking forward to seeing where her interests take her.
“I really like food science. It’s a good balance of something I do out of passion and something I’m learning,” she said.
Featured image at top: UC biochemistry student Tasnim Anower works in a UC chemistry lab. Anower had two internships at Swiss company Givaudan that introduced her to careers in food science. Photo/Connor Boyle/UC Marketing + Brand