Register now for IFT in Anaheim
Registration for the 2009 IFT Annual Meeting and Food Expo®. opens this month—on the 16th—and this year’s event promises to bring professionals together like no other food industry event.

How? By offering programs that allow you to meet old friends, make new ones, and nurture your professional relationships while you continue to expand your knowledge of the latest developments in food science and technology. Whether you are a chemist new to the industry, a consultant with decades of experience, an award-winning academic researcher, a technical sales executive, or a member of the IFT Student Association, you will find the people you want to know at the IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo in Anaheim, Calif., on June 6–9.

For more information about the event as well as exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.ift.org/IFT09.

IFT holds Leadership Elections
The 2009 IFT Leadership Election, which is being conducted electronically, will be held Feb. 12–March 13, 2009.

During the election, IFT members can cast their ballots electronically from any Internet-accessible computer worldwide. To vote using the online process, members will visit a secure Web site that contains background information on all of the candidates.

Access will be restricted by a required login, username, and password. Confidential votes will be tabulated automatically by an outside consultant and a report of the results will be issued by IFT shortly after the close of the election.

Election information, bios for the candidates, and tips for voting are available at www.ift.org/election.

Please forward any questions about the slate of candidates, petition process, or the online elections to Erin Carter, staff coordinator to the Nominations and Elections Committee, at [email protected].

IFT online courses available
Seeking education that’s available when you are? Then consider learning more about IFT’s online education courses. These courses offer you the in-depth education that you need, combined with the flexibility and cost savings you want. From critical food science topics to help you expand your expertise, to the fundamental business skill areas that are critical to enhancing your career, IFT online courses are always available to fit your schedule.

One of IFT’s most consistently popular education courses, "Food Science for the Non-Food Scientist," is now available as an online course. If your professional role within the food industry focuses primarily on packaging, marketing, regulatory compliance, or any other non-scientific area, then consider registering for this course to gain a deeper understanding of food science.

Both this IFT online course and the professional development courses powered by LearnSomething enable you to enhance and expand your skills, without the high cost of travel or time away from the office.

The IFT Knowledge & Learning Center also offers Webcasts that cover specific and applicable information on a wide variety of topics that affect the food industry. Participate "real time" and interact with course faculty or view "on demand" at a later date.

To learn more about IFT’s online education courses or to register for a course, go to www.ift.org/knowledge or call 312-782-8424.

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IFT members elected to IUFoST
During the 14th World Congress of Food Science and Technology, held Oct. 19–23, 2008, in Shanghai, China, the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) inducted IFT Professional Member Luis Fernandez as President-Elect. Fernandez has extensive industry experience with companies including Danisco, Rhodia Food, DuPont Protein Technologies, and Sanofi Bio Industries. Currently, he works for Cargill as Applications Technology Leader for Europe-Middle East-Africa.

In addition, IUFoST inducted 25 new Fellows to the International Academy of Food Science and Technology—a group of elected food scientists and technologists, who collectively form a pool of scientific expertise in food science and technology from which IUFoST may draw non-aligned expert advice on scientific matters. The following 13 members of IFT were inducted Fellows of IUFoST: Charles Bamforth, Solke Bruin, Rui Hai Liu, Albert McGill, Laurence Melton, James H. Moy, Bonnie Sun Pan, Kwan-Hwa Park, Glaucia Pastore, Mohan Rao, Peter Raspor, Fidel Toldra, and Gow-Chin Yen.

Keane earns new title at Bell
Cristalle Keane of Bell Flavors and Fragrances, Northbrook, Ill., was recently accepted as a Certified Member of the Flavor Chemist Society.

Keane began her career as a Flavorist-in-Training at Bell immediately following her graduation from Elmhurst College in 1999. She was mentored under Senior Flavor Chemists for five years, educating herself through the process of compounding flavors, identifying raw materials by odor and taste, replicating flavors through the use of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, and general chemistry education.

In May 2005, she was accepted as an apprentice member of the society, and she continued creating and replicating flavors on her own for three more years in this apprentice position. She became a Certified Member after passing a written exam and oral interview by a group of the society’s members. She is following in the footsteps of her father, Vern Murawski, who has been a Perfumer for more than 30 years.

Keane is a Professional Member of IFT.

Kreder joins D.D. Williamson
D.D. Williamson, Louisville, Ky., has hired Greg Kreder as Product Development Scientist for the Support Center in Louisville.

Kreder brings to the company 18 years of experience in the brewing industry, where he worked in product development and research projects. Kreder earned a B.S. degree in chemistry from Southern Illinois University. He is a Member of IFT.

Sonntag chosen NSMA President
The National Seasonings Manufacturers Association has named Tim Sonntag as President for a two-year term.

Sonntag is Vice President of Quality and Technical Services for Wixon Inc., St. Francis, Wis., where he has worked for more than 22 years. In this position, he is responsible for Wixon’s quality, sanitation, food safety, and regulatory compliance functions. He is a Professional Member of IFT.


Profiling achievement: Scholarship recipient update
This occasional article will provide an update on former IFT scholarship recipients.

Melvany Kasih observed that a career in food science gives her the chance to affect society. "Food science combines business, science, and creativity, and food is a universal language that connects people all over the world," she said.

An undergraduate student at Cornell University, this future food scientist is developing her scientific and leadership skills through performing independent research on the application of fluid extrusion as yeast replacement in bread production and serving as Director of the 2009 IFT Student Association Fun Run and as Vice President of Ho-Nun-De-Kah honor society at her university. Kasih also interned at PepsiCo.

A two-time recipient of IFT scholarships, Kasih is honored to have been recognized with these national-level scholarships. "Now I want to contribute back to the organization that has supported me," she said.