Future Game Changers | Anna Linnert-Fuller

Anna Linnert-Fuller

Hi, my name is Anna Linnert-Fuller. I am 22 years old and currently in my fourth and last year of my studies at HMSM following the Horizons in Hospitality track. I am half British and half Austrian but have spent most of my life living in Vienna, Austria. After finishing high school I took a gap year and moved to Lisbon by myself before moving to Maastricht to start my studies at HMSM.

Anna's Experience

In my third year at HMSM I began my ComIn project (Community Involvement Project). For this, I decided to work on a project with the Foodini 3D food printers in the food experience lab. After learning about the different research areas at the lab, I chose to focus on 3D printing within the health care industry. This led me to start my research on patients with dysphagia, a condition where people have difficulties swallowing, which requires people to eat textually modified (pureed) food. Dysphagia can stem from different disorders, diseases and conditions impacting muscles or nerves that help you swallow, one of them being MS.

Currently, this food looks unappetizing and is often served in unrecognizable shapes. My research focused on improving the visual appeal of this food through 3D printing. I experimented with printing food into recognizable shapes such as vegetables and more fun or abstract ones like castles, flowers, and patterns and ran a survey to see what people preferred. The aim was to explore how presentation affects people’s perception and determine which designs are most appealing.

Anna's Wings

I was excited to hear that HMSM asked me to present my research project to Queen Máxima. This project deepened my understanding of hospitality and ist connection to various industries that deeply depend on it. Before starting my research, I had little idea of how 3D printing was being used and how important it had become in the field of healthcare. HMSM offers a range of projects for students to tailor their years here according to their interests and passions. HMSM not only introduces students to theory, but also enables first-hand experience of different areas connected to hospitality.

To me “wings” symbolize stepping out of your comfort zone and being open to experiencing a world outside of your own bubble. They represent confidence. Confidence in your decisions but also in the fact that things will work out if you put your mind to it.
My biggest inspiration is my mum who’s always encouraged and supported me in trying new things. She never questioned my choices but instead helped me in pursuing the ideas I set my mind on. 

My time at HMSM helped me shape my future mainly through the people I got to meet along the way and the different places I got to live in. Over the last years I have gotten to live in multiple countries across Europe. Each move meant having to meet new people, navigate a new language and a new way of living. That wasn’t always easy but I learned from my experiences to trust the process. In the next 5 to 10 years I hope to be working with people who are passionate about what they do, stand out and want to have an impact. To me, hospitality means creating memorable experience with and for people.

 

Anna's Tips

My advice to other students would be to be confident in your decisions. The only way to know if something was the “right” decision is by giving it a go. I have met the most amazing people throughout my studies at HMSM and would not change it for the world!