EDUCATION NEWS

Keener wins food engineering award
Kevin M. Keener, Associate Professor in the North Carolina State University Dept. of Food Science, recently received the 2004 International Association of Food Industry Suppliers Foundation/ Food and Process Engineering Institute Award for his contributions in research and development of food safety programs.

Keener provides technical support to the food industry through his extension, research, and teaching programs at the university, where he has developed a food safety training laboratory used to train more than 230 health inspectors. His food engineering program has trained more than 1,000 professionals in food safety and Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Dept. of Agriculture processing requirements, and he has worked with various food processors on efforts to save money and jobs and prevent plant closings. Additionally, he consults with a number of international food companies and the U.S. government on HACCP, food safety, and food process development.

A Professional Member of IFT, Keener earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in agricultural engineering from Ohio State University and his Ph.D. in food process engineering from Purdue University.

Cincinnati universities to start culinary program
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College and the University of Cincinnati will offer a new culinary program beginning this fall. It will be held at Cincinnati State’s Midwest Culinary Institute in the school’s Advanced Technology and Learning Center, which is currently under construction. Students will earn an Associate degree from Cincinnati State after completing two years in the program and will subsequently earn a Bachelor’s degree in culinary arts and science from the University of Cincinnati.

One of the highlights of the program is its emphasis on providing students with real-life work experience opportunities. Students studying for their associate’s degree will work in local and regional restaurants and foodservice operations. Those pursuing their Bachelor’s degree will have the chance to gain national and international restaurant and foodservice experience. Students will receive hands-on experience in the instructional kitchens, laboratories, a 90-seat restaurant, and a retail bakery outlet.