Office: WSTC 157W | Phone: (308) 865-8979 | Email: woodsje@unk.edu
Janice Woods helps students prepare for and find internships and other experiential learning opportunities that complement and build upon their classroom learning. She also works with businesses to create and develop internships. Her undergraduate experiences with internships as a research and development intern at Tyson Foods International headquarters in Springdale, AR, and then Cargill Fresh Meats divisional headquarters in Wichita, KS, helped shape her expertise on how companies can administer high quality internships for students. During graduate school at Kansas State University, Janice worked as an Undergraduate Recruitment Coordinator, then at McCain Foods USA as a Quality Control Supervisor and Production Shift Manager. At McCain Foods, she was involved with the supply chain and was named McCain Foods International Woman of the Year for her lean operations and six sigma. Janice has held membership in the American Society for Nutritional Science (ASN), APICS Association for Operations Management, Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), and the American Meat Science Association (AMS). She also has a certificate in Career Coaching from Midwest Association of Colleges and Employers (MWACE). Besides presenting at national conferences, Janice’s work with internships has earned her appearances on radio, in newspapers, and on television. She has consulted for the Nebraska Department of Economic Development. Janice and her husband started an agricultural services company in 2008 which has expanded to include multiple locations and employees in Nebraska and Kansas.
M.S., Food Science, Kansas State University
B.S., Food Science and Industry, Kansas State University
Stress influencers on phenolic compound production in leafy green vegetables
Phytochemical production in organically versus conventionally grown vegetables
Why undergraduates pursue careers in Food Science
Creating and developing internships
The earlier that a student can get a taste of a potential career, the easier it is to make decisions that may affect the first many years of that student’s professional life. Internships are so much more than a chance to apply classroom learning. The student can start to see what kind of workplace culture they like, learn how to apply their strengths to a professional position, and fine-tune what they should focus on during their remaining semesters at college.
Starting as early as high school, students should work in age-appropriate ways to gain skills and experiences that will help to shape their choices of college major and eventual career. Whether at an internship or high school/undergraduate work experience, gaining soft skills in customer service, oral and written communication, sales, organization, and time management will translate to career success in the future.
