Ph. D., Cereal Science, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND (2013)

M. S., Earth & Environmental Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton OH (2021)

M.Ed., Digital Learning, Wright State University, Dayton OH (2017)

B. S., Food Science, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND (2009)

A. S., Agriculture, College of Agriculture, Portland, Jamaica (1995)

Spring 2022 Classes 

1. Bio 1070 Health and Disease
2. Bio 1070 Health and Disease Laboratory (2 sections)
3. Bio 3710 DNA Forensic Profiling (Co-Instructor)

Fall 2022 Fall Classes

1. Bio 1050 Biology of Food (2 sections)
2. Bio 1050 Biology of Food Laboratory (3 sections) 
3. BMB 4001 Fundamentals of Biochemistry

Philosophy of Teaching

Effective teaching requires that complex information be broken down into simple, meaningful, useable, and practical information. The more the teacher is familiar with the content, the simpler and more clearly, he can explain it. For students to learn well, the information must be presented with as little distraction as possible. Distractions may include, poor teaching preparation, low confidence of the instructor, poor organization, poor communication of the information, or presenting too much information at once. Instruction should be short; preferably no more than 50 minutes at a time to keep student’s attention. Adequate time should be provided to allow students to consolidate learning. The best way the teacher can accomplish this is by creating space for practice. Ultimately, for true success, the teacher must take the time to learn how to teach, including knowledge of scientifically tested and proven instructional best practices. At the same time, he must appreciate that those practices may not work in his context or may need refining. Therefore, the teacher must be willing to test, fail, listen, adjust, test again, and yet again, until he has arrived at his own set of best practices; those defined by the degree to which he can transform the lives of his students. 

Research Focus - My research focuses on improving the utilization of dry edible beans such as pinto, navy, black, small red, kidney, and great northern bean market classes. Dry beans are known to be very nutritious due to their high fiber, protein, resistant starch, vitamin, and mineral content. They are generally consumed whole but can be converted to flours and flour fractions to produce new value-added products. My current work explores the proximate composition and functional properties of dry beans (whole and fractions), and their application in bread and cookie formulations. Specific questions that my lab seeks to address include: What is the proximate composition of edible bean flour ingredients? Do they have unique functional properties? How do they perform (quality and sensory) in bread and cookie formulations?

Laboratory Capabilities - Food analysis equipment in my lab include Thermo Fisher Scientific Lindberg/Blue M ash oven, Beckman Coulter Allegra X-14 centrifuge, Polytron PT 2500 E rotor stator homogenizer, VWR convection oven, Ohaus rapid moisture oven, ZM 200 Retsch centrifugal mill,  Ro-tap RX-29-E rotap sieve separator, Dv2T Brookfield viscometer, Bostwick consistometer, Schott Lab 870 pH meter, Konica Minolta CR-410 chromameter, Brookfield CT3 texture analyzer, Glas-Col combination heating mantle Soxhlet system, Shellab agitating water bath, Pre-Aqualab water meter, and a Thermo Scientific benchtop incubator. I also have access to a food-safe service kitchen equipped with a refrigerator, freezer, stove, microwave, baking ovens, dehydrators, ingredient dry storage, pots, pans, and food preparation utensils.

Peer-Reviewed Articles

1. Simons, C. W., Hall, C. and Vatansever, S. 2018. Production of resistant starch (RS3) from edible bean starches. J Food Process Preserv. 42(4), 1.
2. Simons, C. W., Hall, C. 2018. Consumer acceptability of gluten-free cookies containing raw, cooked and germinated pinto bean flours. Food Sci. Nutr. 6(1), 77–84. 
3. Simons, C. W., Hall, C. and Biswas, A. 2017. Characterization of Pinto Bean High-Starch Fraction after Air-Classification and Extrusion. J Food Process Preserv. 41(6).  
4. Simons, C. W., Hunt-Schmidt, E., Simsek., Hall, and C. Biswas, A. 2014. Texturized Pinto Bean Protein Fortification in Straight Dough Bread Formulation. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 69(1) 
5. Simons, C. W., Hall, C., Tulbek, M., Mendis, M., Heck, T., and Ogunyemi, S. 2014. Characterization and acceptability of extruded pinto, navy and black beans. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 95(11), 2287–2291.
6. Simons, C. W., Hall, C. and Tulbek, M. 2012. Effect of Extruder Screw Speed on Physical Properties and In Vitro Starch Hydrolysis of Pinto, Navy, Red and Black Bean Extrudates. Cereal Chem. 89(3):176–181

Technical Abstracts

1. Simons, C.W. and Ciampaglio, C. Simpler Method to Compare Starch Hydrolysis Rate and In Vitro Expected Glycemic Index of Flours. Cereal and Grains Conference (Online). October 2020
2. Simons, C. W., Osorno, J. M. and Fuelling, L. Color Does Not Predict Anthocyanin Content in Canned Black Beans. Cereal and Grains Conference (Online). October 2020 
3. Simons, C. W. and Nathan, H. Effect of Pinto Bean Starch Fortification on Bread Texture and Glycemic Index. AACC International Conference, London, UK. October 2018
4. Simons, C. W. and Nathan, H. Process for Making Resistant Starch from Pinto Beans. AACC International Conference, London, UK. October 2018
5. Simons, C. W. and Hall C. Production of resistant starch (RS3) from edible bean starches. AACC International Conference, San Diego, California. October 2017
6. Simons, C. W. and Hall, C. Sensory Evaluation of Gluten-Free Cookies Made with Pinto Beans. Savannah Georgia. October 2016
7.  Simons, C. W., Hall, C. and Osorno, J. Growing location of Lariat pinto beans and effect on lipoxygenase activity and grassy flavors. AACC International Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico. October 2013
8. Simons, C. W., Hunt-Schmidt, E., Simsek, S. and Hall, C. Texturized pinto bean protein optimization in straight dough bread formulation. Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Conference, Las Vegas, NV. June 2012 
9. Simons, C. W. Properties of edible bean flours and their application in food processing. The 9th Canadian Pulse Research Workshop, Ontario, Canada. November 2012 
10. Simons, C. W., Hall, C., and Tulbek, M. Composition and properties of pinto bean flour subjected to air classification and extrusion. AACC International Conference, Hollywood, Fl. October 2012
11. Simons, C. W., Hall, C., Tulbek, M. Characterization and acceptability of pinto, navy and black bean extrudates. AACC International Conference, Palm Springs, CA. October 2011
12. Simons, C. W., Jeradechachai, T., Manthey, F. A. and Hall, C. Effect of additives on yellow pea gluten-free pasta processing parameters and product quality. AACC International Conference, Palm Springs, CA. October 2011 
13. Simons, C. W., Hall, C. and Tulbek, M. Effects of extruder speeds on physical properties and in vitro starch digestibility of pre-cooked edible beans. AACC International Conference, Savannah, GA. October 2010

Cereal and Grains Association (CGA)