Kraft endows scholarships; Traceability Center gets grant
IFT WORLD
UIUC team wins DDW competition
The team from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign won the Natural Coloring Competition for Students presented by D.D. Williamson. IFT student members Mary Angela Daum and Max Van Tassell earned a $2,500 prize for their project, titled Mystical Lemon Berry Blush, a color-changing gelato. The team will receive their award at IFT15 during the University of Illinois reception on Sunday, July 12, and their poster will be displayed at DDW’s booth.
Second place and $1,000 was awarded to the team from The Ohio State University, which consisted of Peipei Tang, Xiaoyi Zhu, Jungxin Guo, Sravanti Paluri, and Yafei Han. Their project, Fruit Cyclone Cookies, focused on the development of naturally colored fruit-flavored swirl cookies marketed toward children.
Third place and $500 went to University of Georgia teammates Emily Wagener, Martina Buchholz, Anuj Purohit, and Elizabeth Carr for their project, Biscuitables. The snack-sized biscuits provide half a serving of vegetables in each serving.
Tate receives AACT scholarship
The American Association of Candy Technologists (AACT) awarded Georgia Tate with the 2015–16 John Kitt Memorial Scholarship, a $5,000 prize available to sophomores or juniors studying food science, chemical science, biological science, or a related area.
A member of IFT, Tate is a junior at Kansas State University pursuing a food science degree while working full time as senior quality technician at Perfetti Van Melle.
“Georgia’s demonstrated interest in working in the confectionery industry, active membership in the Institute of Food Technologists and American Society for Quality, and academic excellence solidify her qualifications for this annual scholarship,” the AACT says in a press release.
GFTC receives $1.3 million grant
The Global Food Traceability Center (GFTC) received a $1.3 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which it will use to help design a common technology architecture for seafood traceability and related communications, education, and training efforts.
“This grant will spark new GFTC research to create a new technology architecture—a blueprint—so that individual organizations can seamlessly share data from multiple sources throughout the international food system,” says William Fisher, executive director for GFTC and IFT’s vice-president of science and policy initiatives. “There is at present no mechanism in place to develop what our food industry stakeholders tell us is an important missing piece for effective food traceability. The grant will also help us to communicate the value of this blueprint to all stakeholders.”
The grant will allow the GFTC to focus on three primary goals: design a common technology architecture that can be shared as a blueprint to create a global seafood traceability strategy, increase awareness about the importance of this technology architecture, and support and enhance the traceability financial tool the GFTC developed in 2014.
“We are excited to support IFT’s work to develop traceability and data-sharing technology for the seafood sector,” says Meredith Lopuch, program officer at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. “Enabling companies in the seafood value chain to share information and trace products from the source is a key component to eliminating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and to improving seafood sustainability.”
In addition, Fisher hopes that this traceability blueprint can ultimately be applied to other industries, such as produce, meat, dairy, bakery, and processed foods.
Kraft endows new scholarships
Kraft Foods Group will donate $100,000 to Feeding Tomorrow to establish two new annual scholarships. The educational scholarships will each include $1,000 and a paid internship at a Kraft location, and they will also cover expenses associated with attending IFT’s annual event.
“Within the next 35 years, there are going to be over nine billion people in the world to feed, and the next generation will meet this challenge based on scientific innovation,” says Feeding Tomorrow Chair Noel Anderson. “Supporting students pursuing a food science–based career is key to finding solutions to a healthier, safer, and better nourished planet.”
The scholarships are open to U.S. students who attend an IFT-approved school and are studying food science, nutrition, agricultural engineering, biochemistry, chemical engineering, dairy science, food chemistry, food engineering, food packaging, nonthermal processing, or a related discipline. Applicants must also maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average, demonstrate exceptional leadership, and be a member of the IFT Student Association.
Applications will be available Aug. 15 and are due Oct. 1. Visit feedingtomorrow.org for more information.
Have some news to share about yourself or another IFT member? Email [email protected].
In Memoriam
Food Technology’s highly regarded contributing editor, J. Peter Clark, passed away on June 4, 2015. Clark, who had a distinguished career in industry and academia, wrote the magazine’s Processing column for 12 years. Although he relinquished his role as the regular Processing columnist last year, he continued to contribute, most recently with a column in the June issue of the magazine.
Clark was an industry consultant for many years. His professional life also included positions as director of research at ITT Continental Baking, where he standardized the formulation for Twinkies; president of Epstein Process Engineering; and associate professor of chemical engineering at Virginia Tech. He began his career with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture in Albany, Calif. Clark received a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BS in chemical engineering from the University of Notre Dame.
A Certified Food Scientist and an IFT professional member since 1968, Clark was chair of the 2015 IFT Fellows Award Jury, past chair of the Food Expo Innovation Awards Jury, member of the IFT Press Advisory Group, a Journal of Food Science reviewer, past chair of the New Products and Technologies Committee, and past chair of the Food Engineering Division Leader Workgroup, among other roles. A Fellow of IFT and the American Institute of Chemical Engineering, he received the Life Achievement Award from the International Association for Engineering and Food in 2011.
The author of eight books, he traveled the world as a volunteer consultant on food engineering projects. Closer to home, he was president of the board and a volunteer at the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry. With his wife, Nancy, Clark was a benefactor of the WFMT Folkstage program and a supporter of the folk music community.
His enthusiasm for the profession never diminished. Most recently, in addition to mentoring young professionals, Clark was chair and chief technical officer of Foodexus, a new company working to commercialize a refrigeration process he invented.
Despite his many professional achievements, Clark was characterized by friends and colleagues as humble and down-to-earth. “We are profoundly grateful for Peter’s many contributions to IFT and Food Technology,” says Bob Swientek, the magazine’s editor in chief. “His insight and intellect were matched only by his warmth and generosity. It was a privilege to know Peter. His impact on the magazine, IFT, and food processing will not be forgotten.”
Section & Division meetings
Chicago
Aug. 18: Golf outing. Lemont, Ill. Contact Lynnda Nelson at 630-916-4960 or [email protected], or visit bit.ly/1RcXIrU.
Longhorn
Sept. 24: Suppliers’ night. Frisco, Texas. Email Greg Hanks at [email protected] or Donna Henry at [email protected], or visit bit.ly/1AOOyx6.
In Memoriam
Richard Cerny, a longtime member of IFT, passed away on May 22, 2015. Known for his distinctive handlebar mustache, Cerny was a past chair of the Long Island Section and an active member of many sections for more than 40 years. Cerny received an AAS in food technology from Farmingdale State College and a BSA in food science from the University of Georgia before earning an MS in science education from Montclair State University. Over the course of his career, he worked primarily in sales, with stints at companies such as Edlong, Stepan Flavors & Fragrances, and Felton Worldwide. He served as vice-president of sales at Hagelin & Co., Flavor Materials International, and for the last nine years, Craftmaster Flavor Technology.