EDUCATION NEWS

Dong named Dept. Head at University of Illinois
Faye M. Dong was named Professor and Head of the Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition in the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Dong holds a Ph.D. in nutrition from the University of California, Davis. Prior to joining the faculty at U of I, she was a Professor in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences and a member of the core faculty of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Group in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Washington.

“We are delighted to have Dr. Dong join the College administrative team,” Robert Easter, Dean of the College of ACES at U of I, said. “Her background in nutrition and history of extensive food industry engagements have prepared her well to lead the department in all of its dimensions.”

Dong’s career has included accomplishments in teaching, research, and service. Her research program in fish nutrition and the safety of aquatic foods at the University of Washington led to appointments on editorial boards for peer reviewed journals. She has a distinguished record in the area of teaching administration, developing assessment criteria for teaching at local and national levels.

An active member of IFT at the national and local levels, Dong received IFT’s William V. Cruess Teaching Award in 1997 and was elected a Fellow in 2001. Her orchestration of the IFT Education Division fostered a new appreciation of and emphasis on food science education.

UMass honors Manley
The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, bestowed the Chancellor’s Medal, its highest honor, on Charles Manley in October.

Manley, an alumnus of the university’s Dept. of Food Science, has been Vice President for Science and Technology at Takasago Corp. for 14 years. Throughout his career, he has made major contributions to food and flavor ingredient safety. He has also been active in educating students and food professionals and has given more than 100 lectures on various topics at meetings in more than 15 countries.

Manley is a strong supporter of the university and serves as a member of the Food Science Dept.’s Industrial Board of Advisors.

An active member of IFT, Manley is a Past President of IFT and has headed the IFT Foundation. He has also served on the Board of Governors of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association, where he also held the position of President.

Wisconsin honors Olson
Norm Olson, Professor Emeritus of Food Science, received the University of Wisconsin College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) Distinguished Service Award in October.

The award is given annually to a CALS faculty or staff member for exceptionally meritorious contributions to the college, university, and people of Wisconsin.

Olson was recognized for a six-decade career in which he has distinguished himself through his teaching, outreach, research, and administration efforts. He has published more than 130 scientific papers focusing on the chemistry, microbiology, and technology of cheese products. His research findings have helped cheese makers in Wisconsin and around the world.

In 1976, Olson organized the Walter V. Price Cheese Research Institute, where he served as Director until 1993. In 1986, he secured funding for UW-Madison’s Center for Dairy Research, starting with a budget of $100,000 and a staff of three. Today, the center has 30 researchers and staff backed by a $3.5-million budget.

Olson has also served as President of the American Dairy Science Association.

University of Maryland to run international acrylamide network
The United Nations organizations responsible for worldwide health and food announced in October that the University of Maryland will coordinate a new international network of research and information about acrylamide.

Acrylamide is a chemical known to be a neurotoxin and possibly carcinogen. It was recently found in several common food products that are fried and baked at high temperatures, including potato chips, cereal, and French fries.

The university, through its partnership with the Food and Drug Administration in the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN), has been asked to operate the Acrylamide in Food Network. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization created the network to serve as a global resource and inventory of research on acrylamide.

“We’ve been involved with this issue since the news about acrylamide broke in April,” said David R. Lineback, Director of JIFSAN and Past President of IFT. “We hope to have the first phase of the network in operation by next month.”

The network gives researchers more complete information concerning foods that contain acrylamide, the amounts present, how it is formed, and its toxicological properties. “With this information, the potential health risks of acrylamide in food can be assessed more completely,” Lineback said.