University of Arkansas Sensory Science Center

05/21/2026

Today, we provided lectures and hands-on experiences focused on the sensory aspects of raw and cooked rice as part of the Rice Quality and Evaluation Short Course, hosted by the University of Arkansas Rice Processing Program and the Cereals & Grains Association.

Following Dr. Han-Seok Seo’s lecture on the sensory aspects of rice, Sophia Stanzo and Nguyen Ngo demonstrated how descriptive sensory analysis is conducted on cooked rice. Natalia Calderon and Lei Chen then led hands-on lab sessions on discrimination and affective testing using raw and cooked rice.

A big thank you to all the attendees for your enthusiastic engagement and attention throughout the course. The session’s success was also mad possible by the seamless coordination, dedication, and teamwork of our group.

Brilliant work, Helen, Lei, Natalia, Sophia, Dr. Seo, and all attendees!

05/15/2026

A couple of our team members were recognized by the IFT Ozark Section yesterday during the 2nd IFT Ozark Connect: Stories That Inspire event, held at Walmart’s Culinary and Innovation Center.

Lei Chen (Ph.D. student) was recognized as the IFT Ozark Section candidate for the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Outstanding Volunteer Award. Lei was selected through the nomination and voting process by the OIFT leadership team. Congratulations, Lei, on this well-deserved recognition for your professional volunteerism, and thank you for representing our team!

Natalia Calderon (Ph.D. student), who served as Event Coordinator, received the IFT Ozark Section Outstanding Volunteer Award in recognition of her exemplary volunteerism and dedicated contributions to the Ozark section during the 2025-2026 year. Congratulations, Natalia, on this outstanding achievement!

We are proud to celebrate Lei and Natalia for their leadership, service, and volunteerism to the IFT Ozark community.

05/15/2026

We are pleased to share that our work, published in the Journal of Food Science, was recognized as one of the journal's top-viewed articles in 2024. 🎉 🎉 🎉

Many congratulations to Natalia Calderon (Ph.D. student) 💐 , as well as our co-authors, Dr. Brittany White (Ollie) and Dr. Han-Seok Seo, on this recognition!

You can check the article out: https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1750-3841.17511

05/11/2026

Big congratulations to Natalia Calderon on publishing this article in Journal of Food Science!

This study provides practical guidance for selecting color-evaluation methods that better reflect consumer perception of visually heterogenous foods, such as chocolate chip cookies.

By comparing instrumental colorimetry, digital image analysis, and computer vision against human sensory responses, the findings show that method choice and sampling strategy can significantly affect how well measured color represents perceived color.

Thank you to co-authors Eniola Ola and Han-Seok Seo, and to everyone who supported this work at the University of Arkansas Sensory Science Center.

If you are interested in this study, please check it out! This article is Open Access.

Food color is commonly quantified using colorimeters; however, these instruments may be impractical in home-based or small-scale production settings. More accessible alternatives, such as digital im...

05/10/2026

Join the 75th edition of the Sensory Science Journal Club!

Our monthly journal club meetings are held virtually, providing a convenient opportunity for anyone interested to participate. Engage in thought-provoking discussions on cutting-edge research, gain valuable insights, and expand your professional network in the field!

The 75th Sensory Science Journal Club (Virtual Meeting)
📅 Date & Time: 9:00 a.m. (CST) on May 11th (Monday), 2026
🏛️ Place: Virtual platform (Zoom)
📄 Title of Article: The sound of sweetness: Effects of packaging opening sound pitch on sweetness perception and production evaluation (Published by Li et al. in Food Quality and Preference)
🎙️Speaker: Ms. Natalia Calderon (Ph.D. Student, University of Arkansas Sensory Science Center)
🎤 Moderator: Mr. Lei Chen (Ph.D. student, University of Arkansas Sensory Science Center)

RSVP to [email protected] (Zoom link will be sent to you)

05/08/2026

🎉Exciting News!🎉

Please join us in celebrating Sophia Stanzo, who has become the 22nd team member inducted into the Hall of Graduates at the University of Arkansas Sensory Science Center.

In recognition of this achievement, Sophia received our signature jersey, personalized with her last name and the number 22. We are proud to welcome her to the team!

This celebration was made even more special by the presence of Sophia's parents and grandparents, who traveled from Texas to participate in today's ceremony. We also enjoyed spending time together over dinner and getting to know Sophia and her family even better.
To Sophia's family: Thank you for joining us and for giving us the opportunity to work with your wonderful daughter and granddaughter.

Congratulations, Sophia, on this well-deserved honor!

04/29/2026

We are pleased to welcome Mr. Hernan Campos to the University of Arkansas Sensory Science Center.

Hernan is joining our team as an Undergraduate Research Assistant while pursuing his degree in Food Science at the University of Arkansas.

Before joining our center, Hernan gained research experience through a 10-week Summer REU at the Cato Springs Research Center at the University of Arkansas and a student internship at NOWDiagnostics | NOWDx in Springdale, AR. He also brings valuable work experience from Sam's Club in Bentonville, AR, and Rick's Bakery in Fayetteville, AR.

Hernan stands out for his collaborative spirit, culinary skills, intelligence, and consistent commitment.

We are excited to have him as part of our center and look forward to working with him. Welcome aboard, Hernan!

04/28/2026

Congratulations to Mr. Lei Chen, a Ph.D. student, for presenting progress on his research project at the GPSC Spring Research Colloquium, held at the University of Arkansas Union on Friday, April 24, 2026.

Lei's work is supported by a research grant he recently received from the Graduate Professional Student Congress (GPSC) at the University of Arkansas.

Thank you, GPSC, for supporting student research.

Way to go, Lei!

04/27/2026

During the Food Science Department luncheon last week, we held a departmental ceremony to recognize two outstanding alumni for their achievements, service, and contributions to the food science profession and department.

Ms. Dawnna Bowen, Vice President of Innovation at Tyson Foods, received the 2026 Food Science Department Outstanding Alumnus Award. Congratulations to Ms. Bowen on this well-deserved recognition!

Mr. Matthew Chapko, Principal Sensory Scientist for Member's Mark at Sam's Club, received the 2026 Food Science Department Outstanding Young Alumnus Award. Congratulations to Mr. Chapko on this wonderful achievement!

We are proud of you, Matt, and look forward to your continued engagement and support of our department, university, and community.

04/24/2026

Congratulations to Eniola Ola (M.S. graduate, currently at MMR Research) and Dr. Han-Seok Seo on being recognized as a National Scholar and Outstanding Mentor, respectively, by the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards at the University of Arkansas. 🏆

Thank you for your outstanding accomplishments and mentorship, and for representing our laboratory, department, and university so well.