August 2012

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

Here's my husband's extended family helping me get through a  'spider's web'.

Getting ready to do Challenge Course 1

Walking across Challenge Course 1 on a wire!

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:

During the presentation 

L-R: Bharath, Ying, & Danny (USU)

Enjoying the scenery in Sun Valley

Danny skipping rocks

Vanessa just chucking them (I'm no good at skipping)

Danny with the USU poster

I'll be updating soon with our activities from the month of September. :)