FINDING THE RIGHT CHEMISTRY
When Matt Teegarden first stepped foot on Ohio State's campus in 2008, he wasn't sure where his path would lead him. But during the last 10 years, he's found connections here that have inspired him to make the world a better place.
Teegarden, who earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees at Ohio State, is working on his PhD. Here, he can combine his passions for food, science and medicine to study how the chemistry of food could help prevent disease.
"I always had an interest in health, but really wanted to stay within the field of food science. The environment at Ohio State allowed me to do both," Teegarden said. His research focuses on whether food products made from berries can slow the growth of cancer cells in the mouth.
Teegarden, who studies in the Department of Food Science, collaborates regularly with colleagues in the College of Public Health, College of Medicine and others.
"I think it's really unique here that we have our medical campus in the same physical space as our ag campus," he said. "It really allows that collaboration to happen very easily."