IFT NEWS

Myron (Mike) Solberg, Director of the Center for Advanced Food Technology (CAFT) and Professor II in the Department of Food Science at Rutgers University, retired January 31, 2000.

After receiving his Ph.D. in food science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1960 and working four years in Quality Control for the Colonial Provision Company in Boston, Solberg joined the Department of Food Science at Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, as an Assistant Professor, eventually rising to Professor II. At Rutgers, he was instrumental in the development of both the undergraduate and graduate programs in the Department of Food Science. As a teacher, he was a dedicated mentor to 15 Ph.D. degree and 19 M.S. degree students, and his former students hold influential positions in the U.S. and abroad, in industry and academia.

Solberg played a major role in the creation of CAFT, a cooperative research venture between the food industry, academia, and government. He became its first Director in 1985. Through his leadership, CAFT has developed new knowledge in food science and technology that has provided generic solutions to industry problems for use in specific product and process improvements. Through his efforts, understanding between industrial and academic researchers has dramatically increased, creating an atmosphere in which new methods and instrumentation have been developed. His own research, focusing on “how” and “why” relative to bacteria in food processing, provides a long list of studies from which new knowledge has been gained. For example, one landmark study from his laboratory concerning potential botulism hazards in modified atmosphere packaged fish resulted in FDA adoption of a conservative stance in this regulatory area. He also serves as the Associate Director for Food Science and Nutrition of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. In this position, he stimulated interdisciplinary research and programs related to food science and nutrition. Solberg is known worldwide for his research, and his work has been published in more than 100 scholarly papers and book chapters. His research expertise has been recognized by his appointment to several editorial boards, including service as co-editor of the Journal of Food Safety.

He has received numerous honors and awards throughout his career. These include the 1981 Distinguished Food Scientist Award from IFT’s New York Section, the 1990 IFT Nicolas Appert Achievement Award, and the Award for Superior Service from the Secretary of the Agriculture. In 1979, Solberg was named an IFT Fellow, an honor which he has also received from the American Chemical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Professional activities include service on national and international advisory boards and expert panels, service to professional organizations including IFT and the American Society for Microbiology, and service on numerous University, College, and Department committees.

CAFT and the Rutgers Department of Food Science will honor Mike Solberg at a retirement party to be held at the Hilton Hotel in East Brunswick, N.J., on Saturday, April 8, 2000. For more information about this event, please call Miriam Gonzalez at 732-932-8306, ext. 303.

Paredes-López receives several awards
Octavio Paredes-López, Professional Member of IFT and Director of the Center for Research and Advanced Studies, IPN, Irapuato, Mexico, received the Third World Network of Scientific Organizations (TWNSO) Award in Agriculture extended to him in Dakar, Senegal, in November 1999 by the President of the Republic of Senegal, M. Abdou Diouf, and the President of the Third World Academy of Sciences, José Vargas. This award is given every two years to scientists from developed and developing countries who have performed outstanding research in the agrofood area useful to the Third World.

Paredes-López was also named Founding Fellow of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology, which was created under the sponsorship of the International Union of Food Science and Technology, in a special ceremony held October 5, 1999, within the activities of the 10th World Congress of Food Science and Technology held in Sydney, Australia. He is one of three Latin American individuals who were honored in recognition of their scientific contributions to food science and technology. In December 1999, he was granted as well the Doctorate Honoris causa by the University of Sinaloa, Mexico, where he has acted as invited professor and academic advisor for more than 20 years.

Paredes-López received a B.Sc. in biochemical engineering and an M.Sc. in food science from the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico City, and a Ph.D. in plant sciences from the University of Manitoba, Canada. He has published more than 150 papers in refereed international journals and edited three books, including Molecular Biotechnology for Plant Food Production.

Regional Section and Division News
Washington, D.C./Virginia
At the December meeting, the section recognized four University of Maryland students who were 1999–2000 recipients of IFT scholarships and fellowships. Certificates were presented to Amanda K. Brown (freshman) and Jenny S.E. Wolford (sophomore), who each received a $1,000 IFT scholarship, and to Belei Ge (graduate student), who received a $2,000 IFT fellowship for her research on detection of shiga toxin-producing E. coli and antibiotic resistance of Campylobacter. The fourth student, Micha Bhatnagar (senior) received a $1,000 scholarship from FIS, Inc. More than 100 people attended the meeting, which featured presentations addressing the proposed FDA rule on labeling trans fatty acid content of foods.

by BETSY BAIRD
Assistant Editor