Award nominations open; Getting to know Rosemary Walzem

IFT award program nominations open
Deadlines are approaching for submitting nominations for two major IFT award programs: Achievement Awards and Fellows recognition.

The Achievement Award and Fellows recognition programs are held annually to acknowledge outstanding achievements and service to the profession by IFT members. Achievement Award recipients and those chosen for the 2018 Class of Fellows will be honored during ceremonies at IFT18 in Chicago.

The deadline for completed nominations for Achievement Awards is Monday, Dec. 18, 2017. The deadline for Fellows nominations is Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018. Nominations for both programs must be submitted via IFT’s new online portal, which will make it easier and more efficient for nominators and will streamline the juror review process. For more information and to nominate a recognition-deserving colleague, click here to nominate for an Achievement Award and here to submit a Fellows nomination. Email [email protected] with questions.

Nominate an emerging leader
Calling all visionary new professionals. Nominations are now open for the Emerging Leaders Network (ELN) Award. A year-long experience, the ELN Program is a highly selective global leadership program that kicks off with a 2.5-day event in July at IFT18 in Chicago and continues with a variety of virtual opportunities for continued growth and networking. The program offers new professionals in the science of food the opportunity to gain insights into scientific and technological issues, expand professional networks, and develop critical leadership skills.

Apply by Dec. 18, 2017, to be considered for the 2018 ELN Award, which covers program and lodging costs and provides candidates with additional recognition and mentorship opportunities. Those who apply for the award will also be considered for the 2018 ELN program.

Click here to apply for the Emerging Leaders Network Award.

IFT’s Food Evolution Now on Hulu
Food Evolution, IFT’s critically acclaimed documentary film, is now available to Hulu subscribers. Nearly four years ago, IFT commissioned and provided funding to develop a film that would inspire a rational conversation about the critical role of science and innovation in building a safe, nutritious, and sustainable food supply for everyone.

In addition to Hulu, the documentary is now being broadly distributed through iTunes, Amazon, and other paid video-on-demand platforms.

Food Evolution is directed by Academy Award–nominated director Scott Hamilton Kennedy and narrated by esteemed science communicator Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

IFSCC names new chairs, commissioners
IFT recently announced the appointment of Norma Dawkins (Tuskegee) as chair and Sanjay Gummalla (American Frozen Food Institute) as vice-chair of the International Food Science Certification Commission (IFSCC). IFSCC oversees the governance and policy making of the Certified Food Scientist (CFS) program. Additionally, new commissioners Russell Keast (Deakin University, Australia), Ellen Bradley (River City Food Group), and Audrey Caster (Danone) were appointed to serve three-year terms on IFSCC. Lastly, Sarah Kirkmeyer (Consumer & Sensory Insights) will serve as the IFT Board of Directors liaison to IFSCC, which is a non-voting position.

IFT extends special thanks to outgoing chair Brenda Knapp-Polzin (Cargill) and fellow outgoing commissioners Lynne McLandsborough (UMass Amherst), Dawn Merrill (Kerr), and Katherine Helena Oliveira de Matos (SENAI) for their leadership and service on the commission.

Click here to learn more about IFSCC.

Video contest launches
The Journal of Food Science Education has announced the theme for the third annual Food Science in Action video contest: “Evolution of Food and Nutrition Through the Ages.”

Those who wish to compete are invited to develop a one- to five-minute video that explores the evolution of a food, process, ingredient, or nutrient: how did it start, where is it now, and what was science’s role in its progression? For example, who thought to use a calf’s stomach to make cheese, and how did that turn into modern forms of rennet? Or how did refrigeration revolutionize how we make, purchase, and consume food?

Videos may be live action, animation, or a combination. The first-place winner will receive $1,000; the second prize is $500; and the third prize, $250. The deadline for submissions is Monday, April 23, 2018. The first-place award will be presented this summer at IFT18 in Chicago.

Latimer to lead Dunkin’ culinary team
Dunkin’ Brands, the parent company of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, has named Katy Latimer as the company’s new vice-president of culinary innovation. With more than 25 years of experience in food science and culinary innovation, Latimer will head Dunkin’ Brands’ culinary team, planning and managing the strategic development of new and enhanced menu choices served to millions of guests at more than 20,000 Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins restaurants across the globe.

Latimer joins Dunkin’ Brands after nearly two decades in leadership positions at PepsiCo, most recently as vice-president of research and development in the global beverage category. In this role, she led a product development and culinary team of more than 65 with responsibility for innovation and portfolio transformation for PepsiCo’s global beverage category, including the foodservice platform, North American coffee, and Pepsi’s Lipton Tea partnership. She also helped oversee the creation and launch of several new brand products, including Pepsi’s first premium water, LifeWtr.

Latimer has also held positions at Joseph E. Seagram & Sons and Kraft Foods, and served on the board of governors of the Flavor Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA). She received her BS in biochemistry from McGill University and her MS in biotechnology from Manhattan College. She is currently working toward a PhD in food science and is a member of IFT.

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

Curiosity was the key to attracting IFT member Rosemary Walzem, a professor of nutritional biochemistry at Texas A&M University, to a role she has embraced for the past decade—IFT’s Codex Subject Expert to the Codex Committee on Nutrition & Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU), a committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, an international food standards organization.

“I am a bench scientist with clinical experience,” Walzem explains. “Working in the realm of Codex allowed me to learn about regulatory and food trade as well as introduce me to a whole different group of professionals.” The experience has added depth and breadth to her perspective on food and the food industry as well as insights into the ways in which cultural differences and trade status among countries impact perspectives on how to go forward effectively to ensure safe food for everyone.

Walzem says her experience with Codex has also helped her to strengthen some skills that she applies in her academic role. “To successfully participate in the Codex process, you must establish a strong rationale for the positions you advocate or oppose and document your premise for that rationale with sound science,” she says. “This is entirely consistent with the aims of IFT and my own values as a nutrition scientist. Codex committees are very large; in my committee, there are often over 300 individuals from pretty much every country in addition to many non-governmental organizations, such as IFT. Listening to and integrating all these voices to achieve consensus is a skill learned through practice. This skill has helped me in my day-to-day job as an academic, where committee work is pretty much a way of life.”

She adds that her work on CCNFSDU has also provided an introduction to food science topics that are new to her and enabled her to gain expertise from other IFT members.

Asked about her most meaningful experiences with Codex, Walzem noted that “the most impactful experience happens every year at the end of the meeting with the sense of camaraderie that develops among the attendees for the progress made—often after some hard-fought debates.”

Her Codex volunteer work has also led to some fun experiences like watching the “Fish Daddy” dance in Thailand and enjoying excellent sausage at the Frankfurt, Germany, Christmas market. Outside the professional realm, Walzem makes time for Zumba and Body Bar workouts.

Section Meetings
Southern California
Dec. 20: Holiday party. Buena Park.

Click here.

In Memoriam
IFT notes the passing of the following member: Thomas Goodgame