IFT News

Labuza Named Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer
Science and engineering honor society Sigma Xi in February selected Theodore P. Labuza as one of its Distinguished Lecturers for 2004–05. Labuza, Past President of IFT, is a Morse Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor of Food Science at the University of Minnesota, as well as a member of the university’s Academy of Distinguished Teachers and recipient of the McFarland Teaching Award for the College of Human Ecology.

After earning his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in food science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he taught food engineering courses at that university. Currently, he teaches a variety of food-related courses and conducts research on the properties of water and the influence of temperature on the processing, packaging, and storage stability of foods and drugs; the physical chemistry and kinetics involved in processing and shelf-life testing of foods and drugs; and the evaluation of time–temperature integrators for food distribution.

In addition to his academic and research responsibilities, Labuza is the author of 215 scientific research articles, 16 textbooks, 70 book chapters, seven patents, and approximately 100 other semi-technical articles and has given more than 800 lectures.

Azzara receives Outstanding Alumni Award
C. Daniel Azzara recently received the 2003 Outstanding Alumni Award from Penn State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences. He is Vice President of Research and Development at Hershey Foods Corp., Hershey, Pa., where he began working as a Senior Staff Scientist in 1986. He also held positions as Manager of Ingredients Research and Director of Confectionery/ Reduced Fat and Calorie Product Development at Hershey. He is joint author of a patent for reduced-fat confectionery products. In addition to being a member of the Institute of Food Technologists and the Chocolate Manufacturers Association, Azzara serves on the boards of the Pennsylvania Manufacturing Confectioners’ Association, National Food Processors Association, International Life Sciences Institute, and Penn State Food Industry Group. He earned his B.S. degree in science education from Virginia Tech in 1978 and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Penn State in 1984 and 1986, respectively.

Clydesdale named National Associate
The National Academies recently named IFT award winner and Fellow Fergus M. Clydesdale as National Associate in honor of his service to the organization. He is a Distinguished Professor and, since 1999, Head of the Dept. of Food Science at the University of Massachusetts. He received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Toronto and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Massachusetts. The National Academies brings together experts in science and technology who work pro bono advising the federal government and the public.

Marth receives NCI Laureate Award
The National Cheese Institute recently presented its highest honor, the NCI Laureate Award, to Elmer Marth, Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin–Madison, during the 2004 Dairy Forum. NCI gives the award to individuals who have contributed to the growth of the cheese industry.

Marth earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in bacteriology with a specialization in food and dairy science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he also taught food science, bacteriology, food microbiology, and food toxicology courses. He has worked primarily in the field of dairy microbiology, including conducting studies on Salmonella in cheese, the behavior of aflatoxin M1 during the manufacture and storage of cheese, and the behavior of Listeria monocytogenes during various types of cheesemaking.

In addition to being a leading dairy industry researcher, Marth is the co-inventor of a cottage cheese–making process that helps extend the product’s shelf life and improves the yields of whey proteins, lactoglobulin, and lactoalbumin recovered. The author or coauthor of more than 660 scientific publications, he is an Emeritus Member of IFT and a member of various other food industry associations.