IFT NEWS

KAREN BANASIAK

December 1, 2004

Mermelstein named executive editor, Swientek editor-in-chief
Neil H. Mermelstein, Editor of Food Technology since 2001, is taking on new responsibilities as Executive Editor, and Bob Swientek has joined the staff as Editor-in-Chief, announced IFT Vice President of Communications Roy G. Hlavacek.

Mermelstein joined the IFT staff as Associate Editor in 1971, subsequently becoming Senior Associate Editor, Senior Editor, and Editor. In his newly established position as Executive Editor, Mermelstein, who has a master of science degree in chemical engineering with a minor in technical journalism, will continue to provide substantive editing of the magazine’s contents and undertake special projects and writing assignments.

“It is noted with great appreciation,” Hlavacek said, “that Neil stands alone in his contributions to Food Technology—no one has contributed more in both years and efforts than he has since joining the publication in 1971. As Executive Editor, he will support the editing and transition work that are vital to Food Technology’s continued evolution and success.”

“As Editor-in-Chief, Swientek will focus his energies on Food Technology’s presentation, readability, and content,” Hlavacek continued, “overseeing all aspects of Food Technology’s editorial mission and working in collaboration with staff, reporters, and contributing editors to enhance and advance IFT’s flagship publication.”

Swientek, who joined the IFT staff in October, brings to IFT more than 20 years of experience with food publications, including chief editor responsibilities at Food Processing, Prepared Foods, and BrandPackaging magazines. He has worked with and visited food organizations all over the world, as well as handled all aspects of writing, editing, and editorial/publication management. He has been responsible for conducting numerous conference programs involving new food products and food packaging, as well as the publication of a book on innovative packaging. He has served as a judge on numerous industry competitions and as a member of several advisory councils. He holds a bachelor of science degree in journalism from Northern Illinois University.

Swientek becomes the ninth chief editor of Food Technology in its 58-year history, preceded by C. Olin Ball (January 1947–June 1950), Zoltan I. Kertesz (July 1950–July 1952), Martin S. Peterson (August 1952–December 1960), George F. Stewart (January 1961–July 1966), Karl O. Herz (July 1966–March 1970), John B. Klis (April 1970–March 1996), Frances R. Katz (September 1996–March 2001), and Neil H. Mermelstein (March 2001–October 2004).

“It is with great enthusiasm that everyone involved with Food Technology looks to the future,” Hlavacek said, “while building on the incomparable foundation of the past.”

IFT Food Expo^® moves to 3-day format
In keeping with the evolving corporate demands to do more and be more effective in less time at lower costs, IFT is modifying its Food Expo from the usual 3 1/2 days to 3 days, beginning with the 2005 IFT Food Expo at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, La., Sunday through Tuesday, July 17–19. The final, fourth-day morning-only exhibit hours have been eliminated from this show’s schedule.

“Having regularly tracked floor attendance, listened intently to exhibitor experiences, and interpreted the business trends affecting our exhibiting partners, IFT fully expects to supply enhanced business opportunities on the show floor this year,” said Barbara Byrd Keenan, IFT Executive Vice President. “By every indication the reduction of the IFT Food Expo by one-half day will increase the favorable flurry of activity that’s already experienced during days one through three.”

“We anticipate that exhibitors will enjoy even greater productivity and profitability,” she said, “and we understand that they expect to benefit from greater savings associated with travel and time spent away from their headquarters.”

Exhibitors already planning to attend the 2005 exposition have been notified of this change, which has received overwhelming approval.

The IFT Annual Meeting + Food Expo regularly hosts approximately 20,000 registered attendees and 800 or more exhibiting companies. Rated among the largest conventions in the United States, the scientific conference and exposition delivers comprehensive, cutting-edge research and opinion from leaders in food science, technology, marketing, and business. The 65th IFT Annual Meeting will be held at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans on Saturday, July 16, through Wednesday, July 20, 2005. The Food Expo exhibits will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday through Tuesday.

This is the second significant modification to the Food Expo exhibition schedule in three years. In 2002, IFT adjusted the technical presentations schedule of its coinciding Annual Meeting to provide a larger and longer period of exchange between exhibitors, attendees, buyers, and sellers. This evolution of the IFT Annual Meeting + Food Expo ensures its ability to dependably deliver to exhibitors and attendees alike the world’s single largest annual technical meeting and exhibition of its kind.

For more information, contact Stan V. Butler, IFT Director of Meetings & Expositions, at [email protected].

Elections to be held on-line
Beginning next year, IFT elections will be conducted electronically. Members will vote on-line at a Web site accessible from any Internet-connected computer anywhere in the world.

At its October 25, 2004, business meeting, the Executive Committee approved a plan to institute on-line voting for IFT elections, including the 2005 contest for President-Elect and Membership Representatives to the Executive Committee. The move to e-voting responds to member needs for timely decision making and will reduce costs by thousands of dollars in postage alone.

Using the new process, voters will visit a secured Web site customized to meet election requirements and provide information on candidates. Access will be restricted by a required login, and usernames and passwords will be verified to ensure single, unique votes. Votes cast are tabulated automatically within the system, and a report of results is issued at the close of each election.

With additional advantages like better voter turnout and fast results, electronic elections are a popular choice for nonprofit associations like IFT. Several IFT Sections and Divisions voted on-line already this year, but no mechanism to manage e-balloting for general membership elections was in place. At its July meeting, the Executive Committee recommended that staff assess requirements and research available products and services.

Then at its October meeting, the Executive Committee heard Marc Bernstein, IFT’s Director of Information Technology, report on Web-based election methods. On-line balloting, he said, can shorten the time between the nomination and election of leaders, enhance convenience, and lower costs, while ensuring the security and accuracy that members expect. The motion to implement the process in time for the 2005 membership election was approved unanimously.

A variety of IFT communication vehicles will be used to get the word out. In the coming months, group listservs, the IFT Web site and member portal, newsletters, Food Technology

magazine, and e-mail will be used to notify members of election Web addresses and opening and closing dates.

IFT holds obesity briefing for Congress
IFT continued its mission of being a provider of sound scientific knowledge when, on September 20, it held a briefing on obesity for U.S. Senate and House of Representatives Agriculture and Health Oversight Committee Staff. The briefing accorded congressional staff an opportunity to learn the latest on the battle to reverse the obesity trend.

Donald Layman, Professor of Nutrition, Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, and Eileen Kennedy, Dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, presented and discussed information about diet, nutrition, and obesity. Layman reviewed recent research relevant to popular dietary practices, while Kennedy provided an overview of the outcomes from IFT’s Research Summit, The Obesity Conundrum—Is there a Food Solution?, which is available in the June 2004 issue of Food Technology. The summit, which was held February 15–17 in New Orleans, La., brought together world-renowned scientists to identify the means by which to solve the problem of obesity.

Latest issue of Journal of Food Science Education available
The latest issue of IFT’s specialized on-line journal for food science educators, Journal of Food Science Education, is now posted at www.ift.org/cms/?pid=1000358.

The issue features the winning entry of the IFT Education Div.’s Undergraduate Writing Competition submitted by Marie-Claire Hurteau of the University of Guelph. Last year, the Education Div. sponsored a competition among food science undergraduate students to write about a technical food science topic using non-technical language, and arranged to have the winning entry published in JFSE. Hurteau’s entry discusses omega-3 fatty acids in novel foods.

SECTION & DIVISION NEWS
Education Division announces writing competition
The IFT Education Division is sponsoring a writing competition for undergraduate students to bring attention to and promote the development of students’ communication skills.

Students can write about any technical subject or latest development in the food science field that may be important to the consumer. The article must be written in non-technical language and be no longer than 800 words long. At least three technical or scientific references should be cited in the submissions. The citations, which will be exclusive of the 800-word maximum, should follow the Journal of Food Science format.

Entries will be judged by members of the IFT Education Division and will be announced at the IFT Annual Meeting held in New Orleans, La., July 16–20. Monetary prizes will be awarded, and the winning entries will be published in the fall 2005 issue of IFT’s on-line journal, Journal of Food Science Education. The deadline for receipt of entries is June 12, 2005.

For more information, contact Denise Skonberg at 207-581-1539 or [email protected].

Philadelphia section offers scholarships
The Philadelphia Section of IFT, through its Scholarship Program, is offering six financial scholarships for students in food science/technology or closely related fields of study. The $1,500 scholarships will be offered to high school seniors, college undergraduates, and college graduate students who meet the eligibility requirements. Students must be Philadelphia Section members and must use the official Philadelphia Regional Section IFT Scholarship Application Form. The application deadline is February 15, 2005. Scholarship forms are available at www.philadelphiaift.org/scholarship. For more information, contact Mark A. Cullison at 215-652-8028.

IFT Scholarship and Fellowship Recipients 2004–05
The following 142 undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships administered by IFT were awarded for the 2004–05 school year totaling more than $200,000.

Applications and instructions for the 2005–06 school year can be obtained at www.ift.org, under Continuing Education and Professional Development. For more information, contact Patti Pagliuco, IFT Scholarship Manager, 525 W. Van Buren St., Ste. 1000, Chicago, IL 60607 (phone 312-782-8424, e-mail [email protected]).

Graduate Fellowship Recipients
Frito-Lay, Inc. ($2,500)
Jennifer L. Huebner, U. of Nebraska

General Mills, Inc.—James Ford Bell ($5,000)
Kari D. Shoaf, U. of Nebraska

Gerber Endowment in Pediatric Nutrition ($3,000)
Robert E. Ward, U. of California-Davis

Grocery Manufacturers of America, Inc. ($2,500)
David Del Pozo-Insfran, U. of Florida

IFT ($5,000)
Lisa M. Barrangou, North Carolina State U.
Kendra K. Nightingale, Cornell U.

IFT ($2,500)
Dharmendra V. Bangalore, Oklahoma State U.
Jennie M. James, U. of Nebraska
Jennifer Beth Mei, U. of Minnesota

IFT ($2,000)
Erika A. Bible, North Carolina State U.
Bolivar A. Cevallos, Texas A&M U.
Jeremy S. Higley, U. of Idaho
Didem Z. Icoz, Rutgers U.
Wendy M. Iwanyshyn, Rutgers U.
Julie K. Jenkins, Ohio State U.
Sarah S. Kellerby, U. of Massachusetts
Karen M. Mandl, U. of Wisconsin-Madison
Norman J. Matella, Michigan State U.
Melinda M. Moss, Utah State U.
Thomas J. Nack, Rutgers U.
Holly T. Petty, U. of Florida
Mindi D. Russell, Kansas State U.
David L. Schroeder, Purdue U.
Jaruk Srikiatden, Cornell U.
I-Min Tsa, Oregon State U.
Pradeep Vasudevan, U. of Connecticut
Benjamin R. Warren, U. of Florida

IFT Carbohydrate Division ($1,000)
Didem A. Icoz, Rutgers U.

IFT Food Packaging Division ($1,000)
Joris Gerald Niilane Amissah, Cornell U.

IFT New York Section ($1,500)
Yvonne C. Chan, Cornell U.

IFT Sensory Evaluation Division Silver Celebration ($5,000)
Juyun Lim, Cornell U.

Procter & Gamble Co. ($2,500)
Nancy R. DeTrana, U. of Tennessee

Society of Flavor Chemists Memorial ($2,000)
Andriana V. Schirack, North Carolina State U.

Junior/Senior Scholarship Recipients Givaudan Flavors Corp. ($1,000)
Emily A. Curtis, U. of Tennessee
Owen G. Jones, Ohio State U.
Margaret A. Smith, Iowa State U.

IFT ($2,000)
Kristin K. Ahrens, U. of Nebraska
Jacob D. Briggs, Brigham Young U.
Jennifer Miner, U. of Guelph
Karina A. Polar-Cabrera, U. of Idaho
Clarisse C. Vaury, U. of Idaho

IFT ($1,500)
Catherine N. Conway, North Carolina State U.
Adrienne M. Stucky, Kansas State U.

IFT ($1,000)
Andrea K. Andrason, North Carolina State U.
Emily R. Bennett, U. of Arkansas
Sarah A. Bickerstaff, Pennsylvania State U.
Amanda H. Brandon, Clemson U.
Sarah M. Bunch, U. of Kentucky
Melissa A. Colgan, Kansas State U.
Effie M. Epke, U. of Nebraska
Ida M. Everett, Brigham Young U.
Alice Ming Ming Chai, U. of British Columbia
Marie-Claude Gentès, Universite of Laval
Jennifer M. Ham, U. of Tennessee
Carol M. Hegler, Clemson U.
Drew D. Huebsch, Oregon State U.
Elizabeth A. Keson, Michigan State U.
Mary Edith King, Mississippi State U.
Frederic Lemay-Brault, McGill U.
Brandy M. Martin, Auburn U.
Michael B. McEwan, Brigham Young U.
Sara E. Morrissey, U. of Nebraska
Rosemary W. Mwangi, U. of Missouri-Columbia
Sze Wey Ngea, U. of Manitoba
Winnie Octavia, Purdue U.
Bradley F. Olson, U. of California-Davis
Monica Purnama, U. of Manitoba
Kerri D. Schneider, Texas A&M U.
Emily C. Seewoester, U. of Missouri-Columbia
Heidi E. Shields, Utah State U.
Alexander M. Siegwein, U. of Idaho
Emily Smith, U. of Georgia
Jennifer M. Smith, Washington State U.
Young Soo Song, U. of Illinois
Angela L. Spears, U. of Idaho
Clint D. Stevenson, U. of Idaho
Julianne Sun, U. of British Columbia
Nathan M. Taulman, Purdue U.
Aubrey A. Vifquain, U. of Nebraska
Toni A. Walk, U. of Illinois
Carol L. White, U. of Tennessee
Diana C. White, Iowa State U.
Lihe Yeo, Pennsylvania State U.
Matthew J. Yurgec, Pennsylvania State U.
Richard G. Zbasnik, U. of Nebraska
Sarah E. Zevchak, Ohio State U.

IFT 50th Anniversary “Inspiration for Tomorrow” ($2,000)
Karen S. Campbell, Oregon State U.

IFT New York Section ($1,000)
Morgan W. Chase, Cornell U.
Ashley N. Hiatt, Cornell U.

IFT Past Presidents ($1,000)
Laura A. Pillsbury, Purdue U.

IFT Quality Assurance Division—Louis J. Bianco Memorial ($2,000)
Clint Stevenson, U. of Idaho

IFT Quality Assurance Division—Abe Mittler Memorial ($2,000)
Mary Edith King, Mississippi State U.

McCormick & Co. ($1,500)
Katherine R. Nufer, U. of Illinois

John J. & Irene T. Powers ($1,500)
Robert S. Vogt, Kansas State U.

Arthur T. Schramm Memorial ($2,250)
Jacob L. Thompson, North Carolina State U.

Julie Vande Velde Leadership ($1,000)
Tracy A. Sinnott, Cornell U.

Sophomore Scholarship Recipients IFT ($1,000)
Brittany L. Adams, U. of Arkansas
Michelle S. Badger, U. of Idaho
Tendai Chihwai, Alabama A&M U.
Rebecca A. Creasy, U. of Georgia
Denise M. Gardner, Pennsylvania State U.
Carrie L. Grummer, U. of Minnesota
Beth Ann Helregel, U. of Illinois
Sarah M. Herringshaw, Ohio State U.
Clifford L. Hoye, Jr., U. of Idaho
Heather C. Hutcheson, Pennsylvania State U.
Lenni Kimawati, Cornell U.
Gregory A. Knudsen, U. of Nebraska
Iris Wen-Yun Liaw, U. of Georgia
Melinda Beth Murray, U. of Georgia
Bridget L. Schigoda, U. of Wisconsin-Madison
Laura Beth Shumow, U. of Wisconsin-Madison
Mary Katherine Sonnen, U. of Idaho
Maggie R. Springstun, Purdue U.
Ryan J. Talley, U. of Nebraska
Jennifer E. Thurgood, Utah State U.
Judith A. Trevino, Clemson U.
Rachel M. Yost, Clemson U.

Freshman Scholarship Recipients IFT ($1,500)
Renee P. Lalonde, Cornell U.

IFT ($1,000)
Kipp D. Bingham, Purdue U.
Nathan V. Bunn, Brigham Young U.
Brendan G. Byrne, Cornell U.
Michelle C. Colban, Cornell U.
Staci L. DeGeer, Kansas State U.
Mary S. Ellsworth, Brigham Young U.
Laura A. Fleege, Colorado State U.
Emily J. Frederick, Kansas State U.
Jessica A. Galvin, Pennsylvania State U.
Olivia Catherine Klose, Purdue U.
Dawn C. Hicks, Brigham Young U.
Julia C. Langer, Cornell U.
Rebecca A. Lipasek, Purdue U.
Kalisa M. Martin, Cornell U.
Mandy N. Mayeaux, Louisiana State U.
Melissa J. Miller, U. of Minnesota
Emily C. Ogden, U. of Nebraska
Whitney A. Peters, Purdue U.
Maurice A. Petroccione, Cornell U.
Lydia J. Rice, U. of Arkansas
Chelsey A. Warfield, U. of Tennessee
Trisha K. Wolf, North Dakota State U.