Leadership election in progress; High honor for Singh; Wellness 14 high-profile speakers
IFT WORLD
Want to learn a lot about some of the latest food industry issues with only a modest investment of time? If so, then IFT’s schedule of short courses slated for the days just prior to the start of the 2014 Annual Meeting & Food Expo® in New Orleans, La., are a viable option.
Nine courses—each either one or two days in length—will be held at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, June 20–21, 2014. This year’s educational agenda includes three new offerings and six returning favorites. New for 2014 are “Globalized Food Protection: Prevention and Response to Intentional Contamination,” “Leveraging Consumer Research for Product Claims Substantiation,” and “Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods in Enhanced Sports Performance, Exercise, and Muscle Building.” Among the successful courses making a return engagement are “Certified Food Scientist Prep Course,” “Food Science for the Non-Food Scientist,” and “Flavor Interactions in Foods.”
Pre-meeting short courses always earn top marks from attendees. In 2013 more than 600 course participants collectively bestowed an average rating of nearly 4.4 on a 5-point scale—the highest attendance and satisfaction rating the courses have received in 12 years.
Course registration includes continental breakfast, lunch, afternoon beverages, a training binder, and advance online viewing of speaker presentations so that registrants can arrive prepared to maximize their learning experiences. Registration will open March 3, 2014. Contact [email protected] for more information.
Voting open for Leadership Election
The 2014 IFT Leadership Election, which is being conducted electronically, is taking place Feb. 12 to March 13, 2014. 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 website 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 direct any questions about the online elections to Kelly McGunnigal, staff coordinator to the Nominations and Elections Committee, at [email protected].
Singh receives top ASABE honor
The 2013 Massey-Ferguson Educational Gold Medal Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ASABE) has been presented to R. Paul Singh, Distinguished Professor, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of California, Davis. The award recognizes exceptional leadership and achievements as an educator and researcher.
At UC Davis, Singh has developed numerous undergraduate and graduate courses that address such cutting-edge advances as modeling food digestion in the human stomach. Through three highly competitive U.S. Dept. of Agriculture grants, Singh enhanced teaching materials with the establishment of online “labs” that allow students worldwide to investigate “what-if” scenarios for process variables that, because of time constraints, cannot be included in actual lab sessions.
A Professional Member of IFT, Singh has been recognized with many awards, including IFT’s highest honor, the Nicholas Appert Award.
--- PAGE BREAK ---
Alma mater honors FONA’s Joe Slawek
IFT Member Joe Slawek, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of flavor company FONA International, has been inducted into the Alumni Leadership Academy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, an honor that recognizes his business achievements.
The Alumni Leadership Academy celebrates those alumni who best exemplify the College of Business Administration’s commitment to leadership, teaching, research, and service. Members are inducted into the ALA based on the nomination of their peers.
Three Wixon staffers receive CFS credential
Seasonings and flavors company Wixon, St. Francis, Wis., has announced that three of its food scientists, all Professional Members of IFT, have achieved the designation of Certified Food Scientist (CFS) through the Institute of Food Technologists. Tim Sonntag, Vice President Quality & Technical Services, Jeanne Meeder, Industrial Ingredients and Consumer Products Director, and Jill Sonntag, Senior Food Technologist, fulfilled the requirements for educational and food science experience and completed a comprehensive exam that tested them on the core professional competencies of food scientists and their ability to put this knowledge and these skills into practice. The credential is a formal global certification program, administered by the International Food Science Certification Commission (IFSCC), an independent third-party certification body within IFT.
Pearce talks vanilla in TV spot
Flavor expert Steve Pearce, CEO of Omega Ingredients, Suffolk, the United Kingdom, appeared on a segment of the Food Unwrapped television program, which aired last month. Pearce, a Professional Member of IFT, was featured in a segment on vanilla. He has discussed flavors and aromas in numerous television appearances.
Wellness 14 adds high-profile speakers
Organizers of IFT’s Wellness 14 conference have announced the addition of Michael Roizen, M.D., Chief Wellness Officer for the Cleveland Clinic and Chair of the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute, to the roster of speakers at the conference, which will take place March 20–21, 2014, in Chicago. Roizen’s credentials in the wellness arena are extensive; he is the author of four medical books, including a bestseller, writes a daily syndicated newspaper column with Mehmet Oz, M.D., and has served as Chief Medical Consultant for The Dr. Oz Show since its inception. He will deliver the conference’s closing address.
The conference’s recently announced opening session presenter is David Freedman, Contributing Editor of The Atlantic magazine, whose presentation is titled “The Loud, Confused Enemies of Processed Food.” In his address, Freedman will refute the assumption that all processed foods are unhealthy and share his insights into the role that scientists and the food industry can play in promoting better public understanding and clearing the way for new, healthier processed foods.
Wellness 14, which this year is focused on snacks, is organized around three tracks: protein enhancement, sugar reduction, and sodium reduction.
Detailed information on the conference content, plus hotel and travel information, is available at www.ift.org/wellness. The cost of attendance is discounted for those who sign up by Feb. 28, 2014.
--- PAGE BREAK ---
In Memoriam
Elizabeth A. “Betsy” Baird, former News Editor of Food Technology and Senior Editor of Journal of Food Science, passed away Dec. 6, 2013, at her home in Pullman, Ill., after a brief illness.
On Journal of Food Science, Baird oversaw article tracking and peer review and was instrumental in implementing a Web-based manuscript system. For Food Technology, she handled the News Analysis and IFT News sections and also edited feature articles and contributed columns in addition to other roles.
A graduate of Indiana University, she began her career as an executive secretary and worked for the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., during the Kennedy Administration. The youngest daughter of a Foreign Service career employee, she spent her high school years in Turkey and enjoyed traveling. Baird retired from IFT in 2003 after 15 years of service with the association. Active in many Pullman community organizations, she also performed with the Old-Time Radio Days group.
Sam Miller, a Professional Member of IFT, passed away Dec. 6, 2013. He worked in research and product development for Frito-Lay for 18 years, ultimately holding a position as Principal Engineer. He received two B.S. degrees from Texas Tech University, one in electrical engineering and the other in food technology. He received M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in food engineering from the University of California, Davis. An endowed scholarship has been established at Texas Tech University in his honor.
Section & Division meetings
Central New Jersey and New York
March 11: Dinner meeting. Dayton, N.J. Contact Gerri Cristantiello at 201-905-0090 or [email protected], or visit www.ift.org/sections/nyift.
Chicago
March 10: Dinner meeting. Rosemont, Ill. Contact Lynnda Nelson at 630-906-4960 or [email protected], or visit www.chicagoift.org/meetings/Mar102014_Rosewood.html.
Florida
Feb. 27: Suppliers Night. Orlando, Fla. Contact Yael Spektor at 407-324-1200, ext. 338, or [email protected], or Luis Martinez at 904-268-8999 or [email protected], or visit www.eventbrite.com/e/florida-section-ift-suppliers-night-2014-tickets-4286125918. See online ad in Classified Marketplace.
Intermountain
March 19–21: Symposium and Suppliers Night. Sun Valley, Idaho. Contact Shawn Harrison at 208-454-9549 or [email protected], or visit www.intermountainift.org.
Southeastern
March 13: Food Industry Expo. Atlanta, Ga. Contact Shirley Barber at 207-839-3064 or [email protected], or visit www.eventswithattitude.com.
Southern California
March 6: Suppliers Night. Anaheim, Calif. Contact Dan Rosson at 714-282-0919 or [email protected], or visit www.scifts.net/html/supplier_s_night.html.
Western New York
March 25: Food Industry Expo. Rochester, N.Y. Contact Shirley Barber at 207-839-3064 or [email protected], or visit www.eventswithattitude.com.
Visit www.ift.org to view the Events Calendar, including listings for Section and Division meetings, and for information on how to list an event.