Fermentation science graduate student Cathy Rubin left quite an impression with state agriculture officials — including MTSU alumnus and Commissioner Charles Hatcher, Deputy Commissioner Tom Womack and others — during a three-month internship.

An internship proposal Rubin helped design for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Consumer and Industry Services division will be submitted to the Tennessee Department of Human Resources for future opportunities.

Cathy Rubin of Murfreesboro shares about her internship experience this fall with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Consumer & Industry Services division during the MTSU Master of Science in Professional Science internship presentations Thursday, Dec. 2. “Cathy did set the bar pretty high and was an exceptional intern,” said Danny Sutton, consumer protection director, Tennessee Department of Agriculture Consumer & Industry Services. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

“Cathy did set the bar pretty high,” said Danny Sutton, consumer protection director for the division and an MTSU alumnus. “Commissioner Hatcher and Deputy Commissioner Womack were both present for her (Nov. 17) presentation and said this was a great effort on an internship. (They) were very impressed with how it was managed and the follow-through by Cathy was spot-on and excellent.”

Rubin recently joined nine others for an MTSU Master of Science in Professional Science internship presentation Dec. 2 in the Science Building. All but one will graduate Saturday, Dec. 11, in Murphy Center, earning master’s degrees in fermentation, health care informatics, engineering management, biostatistics, biotechnology and actuarial science. All completed internships this fall.

MSPS is a groundbreaking two-year master’s degree program that combines curricula in business and STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — to produce in-demand, working graduates, many of whom land with the companies they interned with for one or more semesters.

Also known nationally as Professional Science Master’s, or PSM, the MTSU degrees equip students for successful careers in business, nonprofit, government or the academic world.

Cathy Rubin, left, and professor and MTSU Fermentation Science Director Tony Johnson sit in the Science Building’s Liz and Creighton Rhea Atrium. Rubin, who will graduate Dec. 11 during commencement in Murphy Center, completed her internship with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Consumer & Industry Services division, drawing rave reviews from colleagues and administrators for her volunteer performance for three months. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

Rubin’s route to finish line

A Philippines native, Rubin, 47, a self-proclaimed foodie, volunteered for the internship and was “able to use and see how the knowledge I learned from the classroom was applied in daily life,” in summarizing her experience. “Director Danny Sutton and his team made sure I had a well-rounded experience by exposing me to the different sections of the Consumer and Industry Services division.”

Danny Sutton

“She was an exceptional intern and quickly fit in to the mode of operation here,” Sutton said. “No one goes to school to become a regulator. Most find their way through life and job experience. She is one of the very few that once she saw the big picture, it was clear, and she had some very specific talents that would make her a great addition to our team.”

The exposure Rubin gained to the division’s responsibilities was eye-opening.

“My supervisor, Patricia Szappanos-Hart, coordinated with various staff to shadow them during field inspections, ranging from grocery stores, dairy farms, produce farms, plant nursery and even a hemp farm,” she said. “I also toured the various laboratories that were part of the division. I realized that this division touches all of the Tennesseans in their daily lives in more ways than one to ensure consumer safety and we are not even aware of it.”

Dr. Tony Johnston

Professor and Fermentation Science Director Tony Johnston said “the internship program Cathy developed will directly impact an untold number of students in the future and is an exclamation point on her MSPS degree. … She’s an excellent student who quickly became a mentor and surrogate mother to many of the other MSPS fermentation science students.”

Rubin’s post-graduation plans include “taking a much-needed break,” she said. “I will work on a few projects and will look at other options after the holidays.”

Leaving MTSU imprint at internships

Fermentation students Braley Gentry, who will graduate next May, and Jane Wilson, both from Murfreesboro, interned at Delcato Family Wines in California and Hap & Harry’s Brewing Company in Nashville, Tennessee, respectively. Denmark, Tennessee, native and Antioch, Tennessee, resident Cecilia Nelson (PathGroup Labs) and Chiazam Odoh(Info Cycle) of Eha-alumona, Nigeria, pursued health care informatics degrees. Baghdad, Iraq, native and Murfreesboro resident Haider Alsaman’s engineering management internship was with Amazon.

Biostatistics’ Dreama Coats of Knoxville, Tennessee, interned at the Tennessee Department of Health, while Thomas Woodward (biotechnology) of Murfreesboro interned with Volunteer Botanicals. Actuarial science majors Brennan Langenbach of Franklin, Tennessee, and David A. Scheinberg, a Signal Mountain, Tennessee, native now living in Nashville, interned with Fortitude Re and MTSU, respectively.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)

Audience members listen to a Master of Science in Professional Science presentation Thursday, Dec. 2, in the MTSU Science Building. Ten students seeking master’s degrees in six different areas spent the fall semester interning with businesses or state organizations. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

Bradley Gentry, left, Jane Wilson and Cathy Rubin pose during the MTSU Master of Science in Professional Science presentations Dec. 2 in the Science Building. Gentry, who will graduate next May, interned at Delcato in California; Wilson interned at Hap & Harry’s Brewing Company in Nashville, Tenn.; , and Rubin interned with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture at the Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)