IFT NEWS
Symposium proposals for next Annual Meeting due September 3
The IFT Divisions and the Technical Presentations Subcommittee accepted 55 symposia for the 2002 IFT Annual Meeting. The symposia were well attended and are a cornerstone of the technical program.
IFT is now accepting proposals for next year’s Annual Meeting. The symposia represent important collections of current knowledge on given subjects. The identified topic should address a uniform theme on which all speakers focus; the topic should be timely and relevant to a large number of IFT members; and proposed speakers should be among the best qualified to present up-to-date information on the topics.
Electronic Submission
IFT accepts symposium proposals via the Internet. You can electronically submit your entire proposed program and receive an instant receipt by going to www.ift.org and clicking on the Annual Meeting section. This saves time and eliminates the diskette and multiple paper copies required under the traditional submission procedure, which is still available. For information about either method, or for information on the process and deadlines involved, request a copy of the “2003 Guidelines for Symposia Organizers” online.
The deadline is September 3, 2002. Division organizers of preliminary symposium proposals must submit their proposals to the appropriate Division Chair. The Division review includes acceptance or rejection, suggestions for modification, and ranking for final submission to the Chair of the Technical Presentations Subcommittee (TPS) by September 30. Planned cosponsorship with other Divisions must be coordinated prior to the deadline.
Symposium organizers not seeking Division sponsorship must submit their proposals directly to TPS Chair Kurt Deibel by September 3. The role of the TPS is to coordinate the review of proposals to avoid duplication of symposium topics among the Divisions. The TPS Chair will notify the organizers of symposium proposals of acceptance, rejection, or suggested combination with another symposium by October 26.
The same point system for Divisions will be used again this year. Each Division is allotted a total of two points for symposia sponsorship, with an individual symposium counting as one point. Symposia cosponsored with another Division count as one-half point. Cosponsorship with an outside organization, however, is counted as one full point. Divisions are not required to use their full two-point allotment, and the TPS will consider and review symposia in excess of the two-point limit.
Contact Kurt Deibel with questions at Tropicana North America, 1001 13th Ave., E. Brandenton, FL 34208 (phone 941-742-2983, fax 941-749-3968, e-mail [email protected]).
Career Guidance Committee honors students
IFT Career Guidance Committee members participated in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Louisville, Ky., in May.
Judging the event on behalf of IFT were Robert Noyes and Beverly Friend.
First Place and $1,000 went to Waterloo High School Senior Krista Taake of Waterloo, Ill. Her project, “Verifying the Origin of Gourmet Coffee Beans,” also received first-place awards provided by the St. Louis and Chicago Sections at her regional and state science fairs, respectively. She plans to attend Loyola University.
Second Place and $600 went to Centennial High School Senior Kavita Shukla of Ellicott City, Md., for her project, “From Food Preservation to Nanotechnology—The Applications of the Mucilage-Creating Properties of Fenugreek (Trigonella foenumgraecum).” She has patented the use of food packaging paper impregnated with fenugreek. She plans to attend Harvard University.
Third Place, $400, and a subscription to Food Technology went to Port Huron High School Senior Amy Hart of Port Huron, Mich., for her project, “ The Inhibitive Effect of the Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium) on Heterocyclic Aromatic Amine Formation in Cooked Ground Beef.” She was a member of the team that won the IFT second-place award at last year’s fair. She plans to attend Yale University.
IFT REGIONAL SECTION & DIVISION NEWS
Chicago
The Chicago Section presented three awards at its May meeting.
Brian M. Berg, University of Illinois Div. of Nutritional Sciences, won the 2002 Graduate Student Award in Vitamin Research. The award, which consists of a check for $1,500 and a plaque, honors his research efforts into the effects of dietary antioxidants on the alteration of age-associated impairments of mentation.
Pat Sullivan, Flavor Savor Inc., Franklin Park, Ill., received the Ellery Harvey Service Award in recognition and appreciation of his sustained, unstinting efforts in support of IFT and the Chicago Section, and for his outstanding efforts in organizing the Section’s Suppliers’ Night for several years.
Chuck Sizer, Director of the National Center for Food Safety and Technology, received the Chairman’s Achievement Award in honor of his research into the use of ultra-high pressure for the preservation of foods. He was previously Manager, R&D, at Tetra Pak Inc., Buffalo Grove, Ill. He holds five U.S. patents and one European patent on food processing and packaging technology. Sizer also designed the research trials that supported FDA acceptance of a standardized method of aseptic processing of low-acid foods.
Southern California
The Southern California Section presented its Distinguished Achievement Award this year to Kathleen Nelson Feicht.
Feicht was honored for her contributions to the advancement of food technology and new product development, as well as her commitment to professional organizations, including IFT and the Southern California Section.
Since 1986, Feicht has headed Asta Food Research, a company providing product development and quality control consulting to the food industry. She holds a B.S. degree in food science from the University of California–Davis, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University.
Feicht is an active member of IFT, having served the Section in many capacities, including as Chair. She is also a member of the American Society of Baking, Sigma Delta Epsilon, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and the Retail Bakers of America.
Central Valley and Northern California
The Northern California Section and the Central Valley Sub-Section sponsored a dinner cruise in March aboard the Spirit of Sacramento Riverboat in Old Sacramento.
IFT Distinguished Lecturer Sue Hefle spoke about concerns facing individuals with food allergies, as well as food allergen issues facing the food industry.
The evening included a raffle to benefit students of the University of California–Davis Food Science Dept.. The proceeds were used to send students to the IFT Annual Meeting in June.
by SARA LANGEN
Assistant Editor