IFT NEWS

Hollingsworth voted next President-Elect, Gravani and Perchonok elected to Executive Committee
IFT members have chosen C. Ann Hollingsworth to be their next President-Elect.

Hollingsworth is President of Better Built Foods, Carrollton, Ga. She holds a Ph.D. in animal science/meat science from the University of Nebraska. She began her career as a research scientist at Armour Food Co. From there, she moved to a Research and Development Manager position at Bil Mar Foods, where she was promoted to Director of Research and Development. She also served as Vice President, Food Safety at Keystone Foods before moving to her current position.

Her IFT activities have included Council Representative to the Executive Committee and Chair of the Task Force on Enhancing Publication Efforts, Carl R. Fellers Award Jury, Education Committee, and Freshman/Sophomore Scholarship Awards Jury. She has also served on a number of other committees and task forces, including the Finance Committee, Continuing Education Committee, Task Force on Fellows’ Awards, Task Force on Food Safety Initiatives, Basic Symposium Committee, ad hoc Committee on Professional Identity, Calvert L. Willey Award Jury, Awards Committee, and Committee on Membership and Professional Affairs.

She has also been active in the Great Lakes and the Cactus Sections, as well as the Muscle Foods, Food Laws & Regulations, and Student Divisions, where she served in various leadership roles.

Robert B. Gravani and Michele H. Perchonok were also elected Membership Representatives to the IFT Executive Committee for three-year terms starting September 1, 2002. The Council previously elected Bruce M. Chassy and Robert J. Price to three-year terms as Councilor Representatives to the Executive Committee. John C. Bruhn, Gilbert A. Leveille, and Herbert Stone were also previously elected as Members of the Committee on Nominations and Elections.

Members ratified five Constitutional Amendments: Professional Member Requirements; Eligibility for the Executive Committee; Councilors-at-Large; Council Chair; and Student Chapter Qualifications.

Double issue of JFS published
The January–February 2002 issue of IFT’s Journal of Food Science runs more than a whopping 465 pages!

The issue features a concise review on biosynthesis of strawberry flavor; 27 papers on food chemistry and toxicology; 17 on food engineering and physical properties; 11 on food microbiology and safety; and 25 on sensory and nutritive qualities of food.

JFS subscribers can access the full text of the articles online; nonsubscribers can access the table of contents and abstracts free of charge. The address is www.ift.org/publications/jfs/index.shtml.

International Division announces 2002 Roundtable
The International Division is hosting the 2002 ID Roundtable. The topic of this year’s event is, “Food Science Communication and Networking: How Can They Help You? How Can You Help Them to Help You?” The major focus is on international communication addressing the needs of division members, particularly outside the U.S.

The roundtable begins March 4 with an online discussion via a dedicated listserv and continues until June 10, culminating in a face-to-face roundtable on Monday, June 17 at the IFT Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif.

The division decided to conduct the event as a result of feedback from previous years’ roundtables and discussions on the division’s listserv.

The virtual discussion feature allows participants to initiate the roundtable well in advance of the face-to-face meeting and allows experts to offer more-detailed opening statements than time would otherwise permit. Participants online can also respond to the experts and each other in a more considered and detailed way. It also gives those who can’t attend the IFT Annual Meeting the chance to participate.

The dedicated IFT-IDRTNet listserv is open for subscribing at no charge. Those interested in participating should send a blank e-mail message (no subject, no message, no signature) to [email protected].

For further instructions on participating in the roundtable, contact Bob Bates at 352-392-1991 ext 208 or e-mail [email protected], Ralph Blanchfield at +44-20-85241800 or e-mail [email protected], or visit www.ift.org/meetings/amfe/2002roundtable.shtml.

“Pizza Explorer” CD-ROM introduces students to food science
A new CD-ROM called the “Pizza Explorer” is being used to spark students’ interest in food science careers.

The interactive CD-ROM, produced by IFT with creative assistance by Purdue University, teaches interested middle and high school students the basics of food science and food chemistry by utilizing pizza and its eight common ingredients as a model. Students learn about food chemistry, food processing, nutrition, and the health benefits of the cyber-pizza’s ingredients.

The program includes a unique “configuration” design which allows users to determine whether they are most comfortable using analytical left-brain teaching techniques, or artistic right-brain approaches. It also offers friendly yet comprehensive 12-question quizzes to test the students’ knowledge of the ingredients.

Science teachers interested in obtaining discs should contact IFT’s Career Guidance and Continuing Education Dept. at 312-782-8424. Online access is also currently under construction at the National Health Museum at www.accessexcellence.org.

IFT goes to China
IFT helped organize a joint program on food safety in the People’s Republic of China in November.

The event was held in Xiamen in Fujian Province and was jointly organized by the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology (CIFST), the Lychee Consulting Co., and the Chinese Commodity Import/Export Inspection Corp. The five-day program was developed and presented by IFT member Richard F. Stier, Director of Technical Services for a USAID-funded project known as the Competitiveness Initiative based in Ulaanbataar, Mongolia.

The topics covered various issues related to HACCP, including an introduction, prerequisites, concepts, and implementation.

The program was a result of a visit Past President Mary Schmidl made to China during her tenure. While there, she was asked by members of CIFST if IFT could collaborate with them on a joint program. The Continuing Education Committee took up the task of developing and organizing the event.

by SARA LANGEN
Assistant Editor