Since my last post about our summer so far, here's what we've been up to:
- Went to Lava Hot Springs and Chesterfield, ID for a fun getaway weekend.
- Went to the best demolition derby there is (Tooele County)
- Went to Sun Valley, ID for a product development competition (more on that later)
- Went to Heber Valley Camp with family
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| Here's my husband's extended family helping me get through a 'spider's web'. |
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| Getting ready to do Challenge Course 1 |
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| Walking across Challenge Course 1 on a wire! |
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| Zip-lining down! |
- Started school! Danny is taking 6 credits and doing a lot of research for his thesis on improving the texture of low-fat cheese by using a double-emulsion. He's also a TA for an undergraduate class. Vanessa's taking 6 credits this semester so it's a lot more laid back than the summer was for her.
Now, for the Product Development Competition in Sun Valley - Danny and 2 other USU Food Science students entered a product into the Idaho Milk Processor's Association (IMPA) Product Development Competition. They competed against two other schools (BYU and Univ. of Idaho/Washington State). The products had to be at least 51% dairy (as it's a dairy competition) and competed in a number of different categories: introductory paper, a poster display, a powerpoint presentation, and judging of the actual product. Danny and the other 2 students decided to do an Asian-style Dairy Dumpling. It's a cream-cheese filled dumpling with a rice flour exterior (really yummy!). Here's what their packaging would look like (if in stores):
Utah State had the best poster and best presentation by far. BYU's product was called Frigelato (an 'ice cream' when frozen, a 'gelato' when refrigerated), and the UI/WSU product was Juustioli (a ravioli made of juustoleipa cheese). BYU had the best tasting product, which accounted for the most points. In summary, BYU won first place ($10,000 prize), USU won second place ($5,000 prize), and UI/WSU ($3,000 prize) came in third. I'm so proud of Danny for his hard work and dedication to this product! USU did a great job and represented the school well. And the prize money is also a plus :)
Lucky for me, I got to go with them and stay in Sun Valley Inn (really fancy), so it felt like a mini-vacation. Here are some pictures of our time in Sun Valley:
