EDUCATION NEWS

Clemson University opens DuPont Packaging Evaluation Laboratory
A new packaging laboratory at Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., has been opened thanks to a donation by DuPont Packaging and Industrial Polymers, Wilmington, Del. The donation will support Clemson’s teaching and research efforts, as well as industry outreach programs including research, testing, and continuing education.

The laboratory, which will include both wet-fill and dry-fill lines, uses state-of-the-art equipment with which students may test packaging on the same high-speed, integrated machinery lines used by industry. They will be able to study the interaction of various packaging materials with individual machines and with entire machinery lines, long before these materials reach the consumer. The dry-fill product line will test packaging for such products as candy or potato chips, using form-fill-seal machines to form the bags from plastic film, fill the bags with product, then seal the bag to complete the process. The wet-fill line will handle liquid products, such as fruit juices, that require filling bottles or plastic containers and then sealing with a cap. Food processing and packaging companies can use the laboratory to evaluate existing packaging and improved designs, as well as to test entirely new packaging concepts before they are introduced to the customer. They can also train employees on the latest equipment in the laboratory instead of on the production floor.

Kansas State holds 10th Anniversary Excellence in Food Science Day
Food science faculty and students at Kansas State University recently held the tenth Excellence in Food Science Day on the KSU campus in Manhattan, Kans. To celebrate the occasion, three seminars were presented.

Karen Penner, Professor of Animal Sciences and Industry, spoke on “Food Safety and Consumer Perception.” Curtis Kastner, Associate Head and Professor, gave a talk on “Food/Meat Safety and Research Needs.” The 1999 KSU Phi Tau Sigma Outstanding Food Science Award winner, James Marsden, Professor, gave the day’s anchoring seminar, entitled “Food Safety and Government Regulations.”

All three seminars have been incorporated into the “Meat Safety” chapter of the book, Meat Science and Applications, edited by R.W. Rogers of Mississippi State University. Winners of the IFT scholarship and other scholarships were also recognized during the program. The day concluded with a whole hog roast picnic hosted by the KSU Food Science Club.

Excellence in Food Science Day was coordinated by Daniel Y.C. Fung, IFT Professional and IFT Fellow, and attended by about 150 people from around the state of Kansas.

Ohio State professors Choe and Min receive special honors
Eunok Choe, Professor and Chair, Department of Food Science and Technology at Inha University, Inchon, Korea, recently received an Alumni International Award from The Ohio State University given by Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Choe received her B.S. and M.S. degrees from Seoul National University, and her Ph.D. from Ohio State. Among her honors, she received the President’s Award from Seoul National University in 1979 and The Ohio State University President’s Fellowship in 1985. A Professional Member of IFT, she is on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Food Science and Biotechnology by the IFT-affiliated Korean Society of Food Science and Technology. She also presents scientific and administrative advice to the Korean government on food science and technology research policy.

David B. Min, Professor of Food Science and Technology at Ohio State University, was elected to the Korean National Academy of Science and Technology, Seoul, in November 1999. He has been working on pioneering research in chemistry of singlet oxygen oxidation in foods and has published more than 200 papers and four books on food lipid and flavor. Min has also served as editor or editorial board member for seven journals, including the Journal of Food Science and the Journal of the Oil Chemists’ Society, and honored with 21 national or international research and appreciation awards, including the 1995 IFT Achievement Award in Lipid and Flavor Chemistry and the 1999 Distinguished Senior Faculty Research Award at The Ohio State University. He has been active on numerous IFT committees, served as 1992 Chair of the Ohio Valley Section of IFT, and since 1988 has been an IFT Councilor representing the Ohio Valley Section, the Education Division, or the Food Chemistry Division.