IFT WORLD
Join the IFT Leadership Team—Run for Office
IFT invites you to make a difference in your professional organization and profession. By becoming a member of the IFT leadership team, you have the opportunity to use your professional expertise and experience, and share your vision for shaping the future of IFT. The Nominations & Elections Committee seeks candidates like you for key national-level positions.
"This provides a key opportunity for new leaders who want to give back to IFT and to their profession," said Allison Yates, chair of the Nominations & Elections Committee. "Candidates for these offices must be Professional Members who are passionate about furthering the mission and vision of IFT, have previous IFT volunteer experience, possess exemplary leadership qualities, and have a professional background in food science and technology."
Now is the time to take your IFT volunteer involvement to the next level. Self-nominations and nominations of colleagues are encouraged and are now being accepted for President-Elect and Membership Representatives to the Executive Committee for 2007–08.
The Leadership Positions. The Executive Committee, IFT’s primary governing board, sets the future direction of IFT and ensures the availability of resources to direct IFT programs and services. As the chief elected officer and chair of the Executive Committee, the IFT President is the primary steward of the strategic vision and plan leading IFT forward.
The President, President-Elect, Past President, and 12 elected representatives constitute the Executive Committee. Each of IFT’s elected leaders serve three-year terms to ensure continuity and oversight, and to provide for measurable progress in his or her important volunteer work. The Executive Committee meets three times a year: in March, at the IFT Annual Meeting, and in October. Ongoing communication continues throughout the year as policies and programs are implemented.
The Nominations Process. It is quite easy to submit a nomination online. Visit www.ift.org and login to "Member Center" to complete the Volunteer Leadership Nomination Form. A form can also be requested by contacting Heather Lang in the IFT Executive Office at [email protected].
Completed forms for nominees to the offices of President-Elect and Representatives to the Executive Committee for the term beginning September 1, 2007, are due October 2, 2006. All completed nomination forms are confidential and reviewed by only the Nominations & Elections Committee to develop a final slate of nominees for election.
We encourage you to complete the nomination form today. In doing so, you demonstrate your commitment to IFT and the dynamic food science and technology profession.
IFT cosponsors Nano4Food conference
IFT and several other organizations, including Cientifca, Wageningen Bionanotechnology Centre for Food and Health Innovations, Georgia Tech Research Institute, and Economic Department Consulate General of the Netherlands, are sponsoring the 2006 Nano4Food Conference on October 12–13, 2006, in Atalnta, Ga.
The conference will provide a business perspective on the entire value chain of nanotechnology’s commercial development as it relates to the current and future needs and opportunities for the food industry. The potential of nanotechnologies to offer more productive, economically feasible, fast-response and simple-to-use solutions to the industry will be examined in detail, with a specific focus on issues of return on investment and commercial viability.
More than 20 presentations given by industry leaders are scheduled for the two-day conference. Among the speakers are Ann Hollingsworth, President of Better Built Foods and IFT Past President, who will examine how the food industry is beginning to incorporate nanoscience and nanotechnology into products and their development; Frank Behnam, Officer of Corporate Development for Aquanova, who will explain how nanotechnology is improving the delivery of bioactive ingredients in food products; and Ronald Korstanje, Vice President of Business Development at TNO Life Sciences Inc., who will reveal how nanotechnologies are advancing nutraceuticals and food supplements.
IFT members can take advantage of a 20% discount on registration rates. Register at www.nanofood.info/register/php and enter code 25741 in the "Discount Code" field.
The conference will be held at the Georgia Tech Research Institute Conference Center in Atlanta. For more information, visit www.nanofood.info.
IFT and U. of Mass. hold symposium
IFT and the University of Massachusetts’ Dept. of Food Science are sponsoring a policy symposium The Path Forward for Functional Foods: Exploring Scientific and Legal Solutions for Defining Efficacy on October 24–25, in Amherst, Mass. The symposium’s purpose is to raise the awareness of GRAE determination, which was first highlighted in the IFT Expert Report on Functional Foods: Opportunities and Challenges.
Visit www.umass.edu/foodsci/foodpolicy.html for more information.
IFT and CIFST to host event
IFT and the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology are hosting Food Summit in China 2006. The theme is "The Globalization and Innovation of Traditional Food." This is the third such conference that the organizations are producing.
The conference will consist of plenary sessions; a China–Japan–Korea forum planned to strengthen the cooperation of the food industry and local science and technology in Asia; and technical sessions. Several hundred scientists and senior leaders from large domestic and multinational companies will participate.
The event will be held on November 5–8, 2006, in Xiamen, China. Visit www.foodsummit.cn for more information.
Section & Division meetings
Visit www.ift.org to view the Events Calendar, including listings for Section and Division meetings, and for information on how to list your event.