Boyle Will Also Serve on the IFTSA Board of Directors
Boyle Elected IFTSA Vice President of Chapter Engagement
Alabama A&M University doctoral student Katelyn Boyle was recently elected Vice President of Chapter Engagement for the Institute of Food Technologists Student Association (IFTSA). IFTSA is a student-governed organization with more than 2,000 members spanning 60 chapters in 59 countries. It’s designed to develop future leaders in food science, and is the student arm of the Institute of Food Technologists.
Boyle, who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in food science, is a doctoral student in food science with a concentration in nutritional chemistry, under the guidance of AAMU Chair and Professor of Food and Animal Sciences, Dr. Martha Verghese. In her new role, Boyle will also serve on the IFTSA Board of Directors for one year starting this September.
“I’m extremely proud and honored to be elected,” says Boyle. “I have been part of the national organization for three years, and never thought I would be in the position that I am in now.”
Boyle is charged with connecting and engaging with chapter leaders around the world to help them improve their chapters. Boyle is AAMU’s current IFTSA vice president and served as president during the 2022-2023 academic year. The Warner Robins, Georgia native also comes from a family of AAMU alumni.
“I decided to follow in my family’s footsteps and further my education at The Best HBCU in the country,” says Boyle. “Both my brother Austin Boyle and father Antonio M. Boyle attended school here, and my father went on to become the Director of Admissions from 1994 to 2005.”
Boyle has made the most of her time at Alabama A&M. She has presented her research at the Association of 1890 Research Directors' Symposium and the Southeastern Section Institute of Food Science (SEIFT) competition, taking a 2nd place win. She was Team Captain and took 1st place in the 2023 SEIFT Annual Product Development Competition, and placed 3rd in 2022’s SEIFT & Hershey’s Product Development Competition.
Boyle also won 1st Place in the Graduate Poster Competition at AAMU’s 2024 STEM Day, and earlier this month, earned 1st Place in the Competitive Graduate Poster Competition in the area of Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health at the National Association of 1890 Research Directors’ Symposium in Nashville.
“These research and competition opportunities have been pivotal to my educational journey,” says Boyle. “With this, I knew that I wanted to stay at AAMU to obtain all my degrees, because I was able to find a University and department that looks out for their students, cultivating and fostering their success!”
Boyle is finishing her first semester as a doctoral student and graduates in December 2025. She plans to pursue a career in the food industry, medical field, or academia.
“I fell in love with the AAMU HBCU experience, so workng in the Department of Food and Animal Sciences here at Alabama A&M University would be wonderful,” she says. “I have truly grown during my time on The Hill and have created relationships with friends, peers, faculty, and the administration that I know will last a lifetime.”