Profile
Julie Bland
My CV
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Education:
School of Agriculture at Poisy (France) 2005-2008, University of Reading 2008-2011, French school of Dairy Industry 2011, University of Reading 2012-2015
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Qualifications:
French Baccalaureate in Agriculture, Honours Degree in Agricultural Business Management, Certificate in Cheese Technology .
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Work History:
I have been a horse-riding teacher and working on different farms every summer since 2000
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Current Job:
PhD student in Food and Nutritional Sciences (still a student but I get paid)
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Read more
To do this I try using milk from different breeds of cows and mixing them together to see what happens. This is a natural way of making more cheese and will help cheese-makers make more money. It is very interesting because what I found will have a direct impact on the industry and people, in a few years you could be eating cheese made using the method I am creating now! Also, I believe the best food is made naturally and with this new method I am showing you don’t need to add lots of artificial substances to make more or cheaper food (You won’t find horse meat in my cheese) !
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My Typical Day:
I don’t have a typical day, every day is different: some days I make cheese, others I analyse it in the laboratory ( and eat it :), I often travel to talk about my work to farmers and cheese-makers and sometime work in a office writing reports.
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Read more
I love this job because it’s never boring. I am not always in a office or lab and spend in fact quit a lot of time in wellies going to farms to pick up milk (it is quite a physical job). Making cheese is very rewarding when you finish your day by putting 20 kg of cheese in the fridge plus getting free cheese for me and my friends is cool. Working in the lab is a bit repetitive but it gives you a real kick when you discover something nobody else knows. I also meet a lot of new people all the time ( farmers, cheese-makers, scientists, students…) and enjoy sharing what I know. Finally, I also spent some time in front of the computer writing reports and learning more about cheese,which I found very nice and relaxing after everything else.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
If I win, the money will be used to buy a small cheese-making kit to show students in neighbouring schools how cheese is made and how science helps to make better cheese.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Hard working, organized, creative
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Yes, I used to get bored and chat with my friends all the time. It’s only at uni where I studied something I was really interested in that I became a good student.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Depends on the day! This is the great thing in my job I am always listening to music, the radio is playing in each lab and I listen to my ipod when I am making cheese.
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Have an assistant so I can concentrate on the most interesting part of my work, becoming a world cheese expert :-) and get my own house.
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