IFT NEWS
Symposium proposals for next Annual Meeting due September 2
The IFT Committee on Divisions and the Technical Presentations Committee are now accepting proposals for symposia to be presented at IFT’s 2004 Annual Meeting.
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 “2004 Guidelines for Symposia Organizers” online.
The deadline is September 2, 2003. 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 Committee (TPC) 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 TPC Chair William Haines by September 2. The role of the TPC is to coordinate the review of proposals to avoid duplication of symposium topics among the Divisions. The TPC chair will notify the organizers of symposium proposals of acceptance, rejection, or suggested combination with another symposium by October 27.
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 TPC will consider and review symposia in excess of the two-point limit.
Contact William Haines with questions at Dairy Management Inc., 10255 W. Higgins Rd., Suite 900, Rosemont, Ill., 60018 (phone 847-803-2000 ext. 29, fax 847-803-2077, e-mail [email protected]).
May JFS in print
The May issue of the Journal of Food Science is now available.
It features a Concise Review entitled, “Caliciviruses: A Major Cause of Foodborne Illnesses,” by C.P. Gerba and D. Kayed, along with 68 other papers.
The table of contents for the issue, as well as the abstracts of the papers, can be viewed and searched electronically at www.ift.org/publications/jfs/index.shtml.
Hein joins IFT staff
Danielle Hein joined IFT’s Office of Science, Communications, and Government Relations in Washington, D.C., in May.
Hein will assist with various programs in the Washington office and will also serve as the Office Manager. She is a graduate of California State University, Fresno, with a degree in food science and nutrition.
SECTION & DIVISION NEWS
Chicago
David Lineback spoke at the Chicago Section’s April 14, 2003, dinner meeting at Prairie Rock Brewing Co. in Schaumburg, Ill.
Lineback, Director of the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the University of Maryland, spoke on “Acrylamide in Food—What’s Up?” The issue is one that affects a large portion of the food supply.
Lineback said that before any interventions are proposed, the scientific community needs to fully understand two things: (1) the nature of the low-dose hazard to humans, and (2) the impact of any proposed interventions. Possible unintended consequences to public health need also to be considered. The toxicological data that will be generated over the next couple of years will be critical to making a science-based conclusion concerning the issue, he said.
Acree presents 41st Tanner Lecture
Food flavor researcher Terry E. Acree gave the Chicago Section’s 41st Fred W. Tanner Lecture on “Flavor from Chemistry to Perception” in May.
The lectureship was established to advance the profession and practice of food technology by bringing to Chicago outstanding persons in this field or related sciences to speak on advances in their fields. It was named in honor of the late Tanner, who was a professor of bacteriology at the University of Illinois and a world-renowned authority on microbiology of food. Tanner was also a founding member of IFT and served as President in 1945–46.
Acree (right in photo), is a Professor in the Dept. of Food Science and Technology at Cornell University. He is a world-recognized authority on the perception of food flavor and its modulation by chemical composition and human diversity. His work involves techniques that deal with the isolation and characterization of semiochemicals in fruits and vegetables that contribute to the human smell response and the agricultural and industrial practices that moderate them. Over the years, Acree and his students have developed a selective and sensitive bio-assay for smell based on gas chromatography-olfactometry (GCO) called CharmAnalysis™. In addition to the development and application of GCO technologies, his laboratory uses chromatography, spectrometry, and sensory analysis to enhance food quality.
Some of Acree’s research has centered on systems in food that produce complex aromas that can add value and also cause defects. The balance between enhancement and degradation value is a combination of categorical shifts in perception and the suppression of aroma perceptions. These commercially important processes provide excellent models for the study of flavor in general.
Reminder to Councilors
Starting at the Council Meeting at this year’s IFT Annual Meeting in Chicago, Ill., July 12–16, elections will be held at the Council Meeting for Councilor Representatives to the IFT Executive Committee and two members to the Committee on Nominations and Elections, as well as nominations for President (two nominated from four candidates) and for Membership Representatives to the IFT Executive Committee (four nominated from eight candidates).
In Memoriam
John A. Schoenenberger, 64, Emeritus Member, died February 23, 2003, in Lowell, Ind.
Schoenenberger was a chef and former owner of Tri-States Specialties Inc., a Chicago-based manufacturer of spices and seasonings that was sold to NewlyWeds Foods in 1999.
Throughout his career, he wrote a number of articles for technical food magazines on better ways to farm and fight hunger in developing countries. In the 1980s and ‘90s, he testified several times before Congress and the Food and Drug Administration about food safety and product labeling. In recent years, he pursued efforts to improve worldwide distribution of American farm products to developing countries and was a leader in the movement toward truth in product labeling.
An active member of IFT, Schoenenberger was also active in the Chef of Cuisine Association of Chicago, American Culinary Federation, and American Spice Trade Association. He also served as a Past President, Director, and Committee Chairman of the National Seasoning Manufacturers Association.
by SARA LANGEN
Assistant Editor