Wednesdays on the web     11am-12pm CST

Control of Listeria monocytogenes on Ready-to-Eat Meat and Poultry Products

This web seminar series is funded through a grant from the National Integrated Food Safety Initiative (Special Emphasis Grant No. 2005-511110-03278) of the CSREES, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

* The USDA-FSIS requires processors the Ready-to-Eat (RTE) meat and poultry products to control Listeria monocytogenes in the environment and their products.

* The web-seminar is designed to help small and very small RTE meat and poultry businesses to address Listeria in their RTE environment and ways to reduce the Listeria risk in their products.

* The web-seminar is designed to update you and provide you an opportunity to ask questions and get answers from the experts.

* The web-seminar is scheduled for every Wednesday, beginning September 3rd at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (central). Each session includes 30 minutes of discussion with the speakers.

* Pre-Register soon. The Seminar is FREE. Only the first 100 logins will be allowed.Send an e-mail to Nina Murray at nmurray2@unl.edu with your name and e-mail by Monday, Sept. 1st, 12pm CST.

Expert Speakers:

Dr. Dan Engeljohn, USDA-FSIS 

Dr. Jay Wenther, AAMP

Dr. Martin Weidmann, Cornell University

Dr. Pat Kendall, Colorado State University

Dr. John Sofos, Colorado State University

Dr. Harshavardhan Thippareddi, University of Nebraska

Dr. Liz Boyle, Kansas State University

Dr. Dennis Burson, University of Nebraska

Dr. John Butts, Land O'Frost

Mr. John Weisgerber, Consultant

Mr. Carl Custer, Consultant & Retired, USDA-FSIS

. L. monocytogenes in RTE Meats - Regulatory Update

. Implications for Small Processors, State Inspected Meat Processors and Retail/Custom Exempt Processors

. The Organism and its Implications to RTE Meat and Poultry Processor

. Consumer Issues and Perceptions

. Control Strategies: Chemical Treatments

. Control Strategies: Physical and Combination Treatments

. Control Strategies for Small and Very Small Meat Processing Operations

. Control Strategies: Quality Effects on RTE Meat Products

. Sanitary Equipment, Facility Design and Sanitation Best Practices

. Lot and Line Segregation to Minimize the Risk Data Analysis,

. Root Cause Identification and Corrective Actions

. Developing a Valid Sampling Plan for Process Control

. Validation and Verification of Intervention Strategies

Presented by:

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Kansas State University Colorado State University Cornell University The Ohio State University

Check out this new video in our YouTube collection: Dr. Benson reveals what the secret technology in his lab is, and how it will change the world! At least the world of microbiological testing.

Dr. Andrew Benson explains...

454 Technology and its Applications

Today's issue of USA Today contains the article " Health Officials Aim to Clear Up Food Allergy Warnings." The article is a portrait of current attempts to provide more accurate and safe allergy warnings on food products.  A small mention is given to the University of Nebraska for a study on contamination in products packaged in the same facility as peanuts.

The Gilman International Scholarship Program provides awards of up to $5,000 for U.S. undergraduate students to study abroad for up to one academic year.  The program aims to diversify the kinds of student who study abroad and the countries and regions where they go.  The program serves students who have been under-represented in study abroad which includes but is not limited to: students with high financial need, community college students, students in under-represented fields such as the sciences and engineering, students from diverse ethnic backgrounds, students attending minority-serving institutions, and students with disabilities. The Gilman Program seeks to assist students from a diverse range and type of two-year and four-year public and private institutions from all 50 states.

The Gilman Program is pleased to announce an increase in the amount of awards to be given this academic year.  Over 1200 scholarships will be granted during the Academic Year 2008-2009.  Additionally, an increased number of $3000 Critical Need Language Supplements are available for students studying a critical need language for a total possible award of $8000.  A list of eligible languages can be found on the Gilman website at http://www.iie.org/gilman.  There has never been a better time to apply for a Gilman Scholarship!

Eligibility: Students must be receiving a Federal Pell Grant at the time of application or during the time they are studying abroad and cannot be studying abroad in a country currently under a U.S. Department of State Travel Warning or in Cuba.

The Gilman International Scholarship Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the Institute of International Education,

For more information, full eligibility criteria and the online application visit: http://www.iie.org/gilman

Dr. Rolando Flores has been selected as the recipient of the 2008 'Stanley Watson Award' by the American Association of Cereal Chemists. This award, established in 2001, is named in honor of an early corn wet-milling pioneer who started his research at the USDA during the early 1940s. Watson made substantial contributions in the improvement of the wet-milling process. The award recognizes outstanding AACC International members who, through the application of engineering principles, have made significant contributions in the area of cereal/grain processing. The award is presented biannually.

Dr. Flores will formally receive the award at the AACC International Meeting on September 22, 2008.

Congratulations!

Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), in partnership with the Office of Research & Graduate Studies, is sponsoring a campus-wide Laboratory Safety Series to provide safety information for Principal Investigators (PI), staff, and students who work in laboratories. The next seminar, "Centrifuges: Research or Rockets?", will be held on Tuesday, September 30 and Wednesday, October 1, 2008. Five sessions are scheduled for your convenience. Choose one that fits into your schedule:
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
East Campus Union (room TBA): 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Beadle Center, N177: 9:30-10:30 a.m.
East Campus Union (room TBA): 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.  
Othmer Hall, Room 105: 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Hamilton Hall, Room 104: 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Career Services has announced interviews for internships and post-graduation jobs. The CASNR Career Fair is October 9 so many of the interviews coincide with that event. Weekly, a current announcement of internships, jobs and interviews are posted on the bulletin board outside Dr. Cuppett's office.  See the application procedures and company listing below:

Application Procedures
- Activate a Husker Hire Link account
- Upload a current resume
- Search the Husker Hire Link online database for current openings and follow the instructions given for each job

To get started, contact Jill Brown, CASNR Career Specialist in the East Campus Union (room 301) or at jbrown14@unl.edu or at 402.472.8273.

Current Schedule
NOTE: Application materials, i.e. resumes, are usually due two weeks prior to the interview date. Check Husker Hire Link for details.

Cargill Meat Solutions - 10/8, 10/9, 10/10
Kerry Ingredients & Flavours - 10/9
Leprino Foods - 10/10
ConAgra Foods - 10/15
Hormel Foods - 10/29, 10/30p>

Dr. Jeyam Subbiah has won one of two awards for "Recognition of Junior Faculty for Excellence in Research" from the Agricultural Research Division. This award will include a donation of $3000 towards his research program. Congratulations!

Earlier today, the sister of May 2008 Food Science graduate Nuttawat Jiewchaloemmit, Sutiya, placed fifth in the Olympic Women's Trap Shooting final in Beijing.  Congratulations!

The Food Science Club is ready to start scooping ice cream again at this year's Nebraska State Fair!  We would love to have your help to make the event a success.  Workers are needed to staff the booths daily from August 22 through September 1.  It is suggested that you work a three-hour shift at a time.  You may sign-up at Joey Best's desk in Room 143.  When you sign-up, you will be given one admission pass to the fair per day you sign up to work.

Besides getting into the fair for free for the day (parking included), working a shift is a great way to support the club's annual activities, meet other food scientists, earn food science club points and more.  I haven't heard the specific requirements yet, but usually, working a certain number of hours earns you free club dues for the year and a few more gets you the club's t-shirt.

We'll plan on seeing you at the fair!

Dr. Walter has recently published a review article. "Ecological role of lactobacilli in the gastrointestinal tract: Implications for fundamental and biomedical research" is in the current issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology The article can be found here: http://aem.asm.org/current.dtl