3. Collaborator: College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
It was a conversation with another Bruce—Bruce Branham, professor of crop sciences—that led to this particular collaboration. “I told him the ag school needed to start growing for Dining Services,” Aubrey says. The two departments paired up to secure a grant for winter wheat, which was planted in 2016 and will be harvested in the spring and ground by the Nutrition Pilot Plant. It’s been a learning process for all parties involved; because the wheat is an heirloom varietal, it has a very different nutritional structure from standard plants, so pastry chefs have been testing its reaction to yeast and ratios for recipes for baked treats.