April 28, 2003

ISU, Doughmakers cook up successful partnership

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — A partnership between Indiana State University's family and consumer sciences department and a Terre Haute manufacturer has given students real world experience, provided faculty with a wider range of expertise to share in the classroom and helped the business get off to a successful start.

The partnership began about three years ago when Doughmakers, Inc. asked the department of family and consumer sciences to examine its unique textured cookie sheets to determine how they stacked up against competitors.

"We knew they preformed really well but we did not have the education and the experience in equipment to know exactly why they did, "said Doughmakers President Bette LaPlante. "It was very valuable to us that we were able to have a resource right here in Terre Haute."

Testing at Indiana State gave Doughmakers the data it needed to secure a patent for the cookie sheets, manufactured at the company's plant in the Vigo County Industrial Park.

"We found that the Doughmakers pans really do give a very good cookie. They don't over brown on the bottom like some cookie sheets do," said Sarah Hawkins, professor of family and consumer sciences.

"It's been great for the students to have an opportunity to do some real life kinds of testing, to see what really goes on there, to be able to have the opportunity to be part of something that really makes a difference," Hawkins added.

Alyson McIntyre, a junior family and consumer sciences major from Westport, was first exposed to Doughmakers through a high school fundraiser.

"When I came to ISU I was so excited to hear that they have this partnership," McIntyre said. "It was great to have a connection with them to see how the product was made but also have the opportunity to use it in our classroom."

The family and consumer sciences department has "always valued experiential learning: hands on, laboratory, studio work, internships, we've always done that. Now ISU is trying to get all other departments to do it and we've been doing more of it," said Frederica Kramer, department chair.

"This has been an excellent opportunity for both the faculty and the students to see some of the things we take for granted. There's a lot of things that go behind even something as simple as a cookie sheet. There has to be engineering. You have to know some physics, conduction, convection, radiation. You have to know something about the materials, the design that they have on the cookie sheet is one of the things that causes it to perform so well."

Kramer spent a recent sabbatical in Doughmakers' test kitchen testing the company's product against 28 competitors.

"It's given me an opportunity even though I'm pretty far along in my professional career to do something I'd never had the opportunity to do before. It got me out of academia into the actual world of work," she said. "They have gotten to know our students better. I think they understand the university better. It's just a good partnership all the way around.

The partnership has even resulted in an international endorsement for Doughmakers' products from Salem Sunna, a graduate student in dietetics from Amman, Jordan.

"Last Christmas my mom was here and we tested the baking sheets, Sunna said. "She took some with her back home. They are doing wonderful, especially with Jordanian pastries."

Sunna likes the practical experience Indiana State has provided.

"You implement whatever you study here," she said.

In exchange for the university's expertise in testing Doughmakers' products, the company provides bake ware to family and consumer science labs and awarded a stipend to the ISU Foundation. Doughmakers also awards a $1,000 scholarship annually to a student in the department.

Thanks to the successful partnership, the university and the company have become "good neighbors," LaPlante said.

"There have been many times when we've been able to call on them and a lot of times where they just step in without even being asked. A perfect example of that was at our factory sale at Christmas. We had so many people show up, we always hand out free cookies. And even though we had a freezer full, we were almost out of them the first night. They just jumped right in and all weekend baked. Without them we would have been in hot water."

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Contact:
Frederica Kramer, chair, family and consumer sciences, (812) 237-3297 or f-kramer@indstate.edu: Bette LaPlante, president,
Doughmakers, Inc., (812) 299-8750.

Writer:
Dave Taylor, ISU Public Affairs, (812) 237-3743 or devtaylo@isugw.indstate.edu

ISU Public Affairs:
(812) 237-3773 or http://isunews.indstate.edu