Thank you for joining us! Wondering who is behind the posts? Want to know what our favorite foods to Instagram are? Do we follow the recipes or improvise? Why do we love this community? The Eats with Engineers team wants to share share a bit about ourselves.
Dr. Monica Burdick
Founder and Co-editor in chief
Ramen!!
Follow the recipe, but leave room for improvisation and creativity in case something is a little wonky.
Everyone has a story, and everyone needs to eat. Eats with Engineers is meant to be a community where engineers and friends share tales from the field over food (pictures). You know, I could tell you an engineer’s work will always be in the service of humanity – preservation of our environment, our health, and our safety through high and low tech innovations. In that sense, engineering is the ultimate human profession. But if I told you all that plus served up some donuts, it would be even better! Eats with Engineers is just the place for such shenanigans.
Nicole Sova
Co-Founder
My favorite foods to Instagram are desserts. More times than not, I am too eager to eat my meals to remember to take a picture. Plus, sweets are generally more Instagram-able.
As much as I try to follow recipes, both my cooking and professional life always end up having a bit of improvising in them. Adding the extra ingredient, or taking on the unexpected role, at the last minute usually end up being the best part.
The Eats with Engineers community has connected me with many incredible engineers. I’ve learned that engineering isn’t limited to one stereotypical personality type and that engineers can be successful in a multitude of careers. You can be passionate, goofy, professional, and respected all at once.
Alexander (Xan) Ostermann
Contributing Author
I like to take pictures of hot sauce. My own sauces particularly.
I love to experiment and try new things. Although I might occasionally follow an old family recipe, and I’m likely to follow the recipe on a first attempt, I love to change it up and add a new element when I’ve made a dish a couple of times. I recently altered a hot sauce recipe to make a tasty curry hot sauce that I’m pretty proud of.
I love having a creative outlet that keeps me in an engineering mindset between my Masters Work experiments.
Lydia Seiter
Contributing Author, chemical engineering student & gastronomist currently abroad
Here in Southeast Asia, I’ve gobbled down many meals that I’d never heard of before — Anchan blue noodles and Malaysian nasi lemak, anyone? Sharing images of these meals exposes my friends and followers to how vast, beautiful, and culturally diverse our world is.
In all aspects of my life, I enjoy exploring, experiential learning, and straying from the beaten path. This is how I found myself taking a “gap year” midway through my junior year of college, to co-op at the world’s largest chemical company and then to study abroad in Thailand. Naturally, I’m an improvisor!
The Eats with Engineers community challenges the stereotype that engineers are boring, dull folks who just do tedious calculations all day! We are a vibrant, interesting bunch who delight in drawing parallels between what happens in the kitchen and our academic knowledge of math and science. I was so honored to be asked to join this organization by two very important role models in my life — Dr. Burdick and Nicole Sova — here’s to many more years of Eats with Engineers!
Eric Martin
Seasoned contributor and root beer attaché
I really enjoy Instagraming tiramisu… mostly because I get to eat the tiramisu shortly thereafter posting it to Instagram.
I typically like to follow a protocol, but I’m always accounting for variable change and adapting on the fly as needed. It’s the best of both worlds.
Everything. Before Eats I was just a cockeyed optimist yearning for something more. When I first heard about Eats, I was inspired. It’s truly an honor to be part of this team, its mission, and a movement so much bigger than myself. I’m also in it for the free snacks….
Emily Caggiano
Contributor
My favorite type of food to Instagram would be desserts!
While cooking, I tend to follow the recipe pretty strictly. I think the most I’ve done is change the type of cheese.
To me, it is important to help people realize that although the stereotype surrounding scientists/researchers/engineers are antisocial, “mad scientist” types, that we are normal people who enjoy everyday things, like stuffing our faces with good food!
Disclaimer: The opinions stated on the Eats with Engineers website and social media accounts do not necessarily reflect those of our current employer, former employers, or degree granting institutions.