Faridi receives Ellis Island Medal of Honor; Getting to know Rob Porfiri

Faridi receives Ellis Island Medal of Honor
Hamed Faridi, chief science officer for McCormick & Co., was presented with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor during a ceremony in Ellis Island, N.Y., for his research on the culinary health benefits of herbs and spices. The award, which was established in 1986 by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO), is awarded each year to a select group of Americans to recognize accomplishments in their field and inspired service to the United States.

“It was very humbling to receive this award. I accepted it on behalf of my many mentors, colleagues, and partners around the world,” says Faridi. “I was delighted and honored to stand next to and be included on the roster of distinguished Americans that have given lifelong service to our nation and the world.”

Faridi, an IFT Fellow and Certified Food Scientist, leads a global team of scientists and flavor experts at McCormick, where he is responsible for research, product development, and technical services. Faridi helped create and develop the McCormick Science Institute (MSI), an independent research group whose mission is to increase the scientific understanding of the potential health benefits of culinary spices and herbs. “Through this work we have demonstrated that spices and herbs, when consumed at a culinary level, have beneficial physiological benefits and can promote healthy eating by increasing the flavor of foods while partially replacing salt, sugar, and fat in everyday meals,” Faridi explains.

Being honored as a food scientist alongside business, community, civic, and military leaders was especially meaningful to Faridi. “This was the first time I was receiving an award where I was not surrounded by fellow food scientists and nutritionists,” reflects Faridi. “To be honored as a food scientist in such distinguished company, and to have the chance to represent my profession and its supporting community, was truly special.”

Other 2016 honorees include U.S. treasurer Rosario Marin and actress and television host Padma Lakshmi. Fellow award recipient Tony Orlando performed during the ceremony, which also included a fireworks display around the Statue of Liberty. Past recipients include six U.S. presidents, Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, Generals Norman Schwarzkopf and Colin Powell, Rosa Parks, Henry Kissinger, Hillary Clinton, and John McCain.

IFT recognizes 50-year members
IFT would like to recognize the following individuals, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary as members of IFT: G. Lionel Bailey, Wayne R. Bidlack, Joanne W. Caid, Joseph M. Carlin, Leonard A. Ciani Jr., Joseph S. Cohen, Constantin Genigeorgis, Robert B. Gravani, Sumesh C. Hirway, Lamartine F. Hood, Charles C. Huxsoll, John F. Konecny, Tung-Ching Lee, Tetsujiro Matsuashi, B. Onuma Okezie, Phillip A. Richardson, Ghazi H. Taki, Stephen L. Taylor, Lilian U. Thompson, Erik Von Sydow, and S.F. Ziccarelli.

For Gravani, current IFT treasurer and IFT past president, being part of IFT through the years has given him access to a network of food science professionals as well as connected him with some of his most influential mentors. First joining IFT while a college junior at Rutgers University, Gravani has worked to inspire the next generation of food scientists to utilize the benefits IFT can offer, namely, face-to-face networking, internships, and the opportunity to expand their horizons and develop leadership skills. IFT is a great way for them to “listen, learn, and contribute,” he says.

Whether in their first or 50th year, Gravani encourages IFT members to be ambassadors for the organization and the profession. “It’s important that each individual member think about what IFT means to them and translate that level of enthusiasm to someone that’s not a member,” he says. Gravani has displayed his own enthusiasm in many ways, including supporting the Fun Run as adviser as well as earning the designation of being the only person to have participated in every Fun Run since the race was created.

IFT thanks each of these members for their years of support.

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Schieberle presents Tanner Lecture
Peter Schieberle, full professor at the Technical University of Munich, was chosen by the Chicago Section of IFT to present this year’s Tanner Lecture on May 9. The annual lecture—now in its 54th year—honors Fred Wilbur Tanner, a food scientist and microbiologist who served in the founding of IFT.

In his speech, “The Sensomics approach: A useful tool to unravel the genuine aroma blueprint of foods and to elucidate the generation of key odorants during food processing,” Schieberle explained the concept of sensomics, which breaks down the odorants in food into a re-creatable blueprint—an aroma signature. During olfaction, odorant receptor sites “translate” aromas into familiar scents, such as that of freshly roasted peanuts. Using sensomics, scientists can isolate the key odorants responsible for giving this impression and use this information to create better quality foods. For example, he said, hazelnuts harvested in Turkey do not roast as well as those from Italy, and using sensomics, scientists can measure the difference in the levels of odorants in the nuts and take approaches to achieve a consistent product and ongoing consumer acceptability.

Schieberle holds the chair for food chemistry in the Chemistry Dept. at the Technical University of Munich, and he is also director of the German Research Center for Food Chemistry (an institute of the Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz Assoc.) and director of the Hans-Dieter-Belitz Institute for Cereal and Protein Research. Schieberle is author of more than 350 publications and coauthor of Food Chemistry, and he has served as associate editor for the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry for 13 years. He has won numerous awards and recognition, including the Flavor & Extract Manufacturers Assoc.’s Excellence in Flavor Science Award. Schieberle studied chemistry at the University of Aachen and food chemistry at the University of Bonn and received his PhD from the Technical University of Munich.

Food Communicators Workshop returns
During the second annual CanolaInfo Food Communicators Workshop, 10 participants learned a variety of ways to effectively communicate food science to consumers through media interviews, social media, and public speaking, as well as how to handle food science naysayers encountered in social settings such as at dinner parties and in coffee shops.

The interactive, all-day event, which was held at IFT’s Chicago office on April 15, incorporated speakers, hands-on training, videos, and group discussions. The participants, who are students or new professionals, were chosen from a strong pool of applicants who submitted a video and written essay discussing how they would describe food science to consumers.

Connect at Division Networking Reception
At the IFT16 Division Networking Reception, attendees will enjoy an open bar and complimentary appetizers while they participate in a fun visual activity. The reception will take place Monday, July 18, from 4:45 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. in the Grand Concourse Lobby at McCormick Place—conveniently located across from the Expo entrance. Anyone who RSVPs for the reception before IFT16 begins will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a Polaroid camera, and the student with the most creative social media post showing how they’re connected will get a $500 travel grant to IFT17. Visit ift.org/divisions for more information, and visit addevent.com/?iY92954 to RSVP and add the event to your calendar.

Learn About CFS at IFT16
At IFT16, attendees interested in the Certified Food Scientist (CFS) program have several opportunities to learn how the credential can benefit their organization or career. Attendees can visit the CFS table at the Career Center (Room S406A) on Sunday, July 17, from noon to 5 p.m., or attend the CFS Info Session in the CFS Lounge (Room N231) on Monday, July 18, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. In addition, attendees can stop by the CFS Lounge any time during show hours to speak with Certified Food Scientists who have already been through the process and take away information about the credential. Click here for more information about CFS.

Getting to Know Rob Porfiri
Each month, we meet one of IFT’s valued volunteers.

Being part of the LEAD 360 program has been one of the highlights of Rob Porfiri’s career. After participating in the program, Porfiri remained involved as a mentor. “To be given the opportunity to assist and help facilitate the group learning and development over the short period of the program was very rewarding and a lot of fun,” he recalls. “It also was such an inspiring process just to be able to meet with the other candidates from all over the world and hear their diverse stories and experiences within the world of food science.”

Porfiri, a product development manager at a privately owned company in Australia, is currently involved with the New Professionals workgroup finding ways to further build relationships within this sector of IFT. He appreciates how his volunteering has provided opportunities to expand his professional skills and interests. “These experiences have helped me practice many tangible workplace skills while also further developing my confidence to continue to push outside my personal comfort zone to continue developing,” he says.

In addition, Porfiri finds that working on volunteer efforts helps keep his energy levels high. “My experiences volunteering within IFT have always left me feeling reenergized due to the passion shared from the great people that I get to interact with. So while it’s sometimes tough balancing commitments between work, family, and further study, the interactions and engagements with the IFT networks I have formed are always well worth the time investment,” he explains. “You are always learning and getting to practice something new while hopefully giving something back to the community that has given me so much.”

In Memoriam
R.B. Sleeth passed away March 29, 2016. A member of IFT since 1953, Sleeth served in many roles over the years, including chairing the Muscle Foods Division and serving on Graduate Fellowship and Babcock-Hart juries. Within the Chicago Section, he chaired the Tanner Lectureship Committee and was an active member of numerous committees, including Program, Membership, Tellers, and Executive Committee, and he also served on many IFT task forces. Sleeth was named an IFT Fellow in 1981 and received the 1997 Industrial Scientist Achievement Award. Sleeth began his career at Armour and Co. as a food technologist before eventually becoming vice-president of scientific affairs; he retired as vice-president and director of research in 1994. He earned his BS in animal husbandry at the University of West Virginia, his MS in animal nutrition at the University of Florida, and completed his PhD in meat and food technology at the University of Missouri.

IFT also notes the passing of the following members: Laura Helen Blake, Marlene Dyer, Thomas Richard Mulvaney, and Keith Weisenburg

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