CSA Lifeline, a publication devoted to Celiac disease and research being done in the field, recently published a feature story on Food Science and Technology’s Food Allergy Research and Resource Program.  The article focuses on the pioneering work done by FAARP and Dr. Taylor and also gives a preview of the broad services offered by the unit.

Our next webinar will air tomorrow at 11 CST as usual.

The first speaker will be Dr. Byron Brehm-Stecher and his topic is: "Testing for L. monocytogenes in the Environment and the Product".

Dr. Brehm-Stecher received his Ph.D. in Food Science in 2002 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied "Improved Methods for the Detection and Characterization of Listeria and Salmonella". After a postdoc in Prof. Eric Johnson's laboratory at UW-Madison, Dr. Brehm-Stecher became a Senior Scientist/Molecular Biologist in the Advanced Research and Technologies group at Applied Biosystems (ABI) in Boston, MA. At ABI, he helped develop new commercial applications for peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probe technology for use in microbial diagnostics. Dr. Brehm-Stecher returned to academia in 2004, joining ISU's Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition as an Assistant Professor. At ISU, Dr. Brehm-Stecher is developing a research program centered around both rapid detection of pathogens and on the development of novel antimicrobial compositions.

The second speaker will be Dr. Thippareddi and his presentation is titled "Developing a Valid Sampling Plan for Process Control".

Dr. Thippareddi is an Associate Professor of Food Science and an Extension Food Safety Specialist in the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. In this role, he assists food processors on food safety and microbial shelf life issues in Nebraska and throughout the U.S. He has several research projects to assist meat and poultry processors address food safety issues such as C. perfringens during cooling of cooked, ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, growth of foodborne pathogens on meat animal carcasses during chilling, Salmonella Enteritidis in shell eggs during cooling and Listeria monocytogenes control in RTE meat processing environment and products. He is currently developing several predictive models for foodborne pathogens in meat and poultry products, such as E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef, Salmonella spp. in beef, pork and poultry, Salmonella Enteritidis in eggs, Clostridium perfringens in cooked, RTE meat and poultry pr! oducts. He has been awarded the "Harry L. Rudnick Award" by North American Meat Processors Association (NAMP) for his service to the meat and poultry industry. He serves as a Science Advisor for the NAMP and its processors.

Remember: we will be broadcasting with audio, but if you still need to use the phone to listen in, the number is 1-866-433-4616, and the code is 664-819.

We're looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!

This weekend, ConAgra formally announced the promotion of Dr. Elizabeth Arndt, Adjunct Faculty at FDST, to Director, R&D for ConAgra Mills RQI.

Dr. Arndt has been employed by ConAgra since 1994.  She is currently responsible for directing internal and external research programs to develop new products, technologies and nutritional information to support the ConAgra Mills business; providing bakery applications support for external customers and the ConAgra innovation agenda, particularly with regard to whole grains; and managing the bake lab function which supports operations and customer activities.  In the past Beth has also worked to support RQI nutritional and regulatory projects.

Dr. Arndt holds a B.S. in Food Engineering Technology from Kansas State University; an M.S. in Food Science & Technology from University of Nebraska-Lincoln; and a Ph.D. in Grain Science & Industry from Kansas State. She also serves as an adjunct professor for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 

The Peter Kiewit Student Entrepreneurial Award is designed to recognize University of Nebraska students who have directed their energies, ideas, and talents toward community and business improvements with the creative and innovative use of information technology. This award, accompanied by a cash prize of $2,500, will be given annually by the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska to a University of Nebraska student or to a team of students enrolled in a degree program during the entrepreneurial activities.

The Walter Scott Entrepreneurial Business Award is designed to encourage existing businesses with a presence in Nebraska to create partnerships and links with the University of Nebraska in the area of technology. The award will be given annually by the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska. The award winner will receive $10,000 to be used for the promotion and/or creation of multiple student work experiences in the fields of information science, technology, and engineering.

Nominations must be received by November 21, 2008.
Applications must be submitted by January 9, 2009.
Application and nomination forms may be obtained from the University of Nebraska website www.nebraska.edu/news/news_awards.shtml or by contacting Jeanne Holdren, Office of the Provost, at the University of Nebraska at (402) 472-5242 or at awards@nebraska.edu.

The IFT Student Association (IFTSA) has launched “Developing Solutions for Developing Countries.” This new competition encourages food science and technology students from around the world to address critical issues in the development, safety, and distribution of food.
 
In the new challenge, student teams are asked to use scientific skills and innovative thinking to create products and processes that can improve quality of life for people in developing nations. Concepts proposed by all teams must be readily applicable to food or water and well-suited to conditions in a developing country or countries.

This year’s theme, “Using Food Science and Technology to Solve Health-Based Issues,” calls for ideas that leverage food science and technology to deliver safe, sustainable, and affordable solutions to health-related problems. It’s a goal that reflects IFT’s long-range vision: “to ensure a safe and abundant food supply contributing to healthier people everywhere.”
 
Six teams, three from the U.S. or Canada and three from other countries, will be selected to participate in the competition finals at the IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo in Anaheim, California, June 6-10, 2009. Team members will receive travel funding.
 
Preliminary proposals are being accepted through February 15, 2009.
For complete details, visit: http://www.iftsa.org/competitions/dsdc/, or contact iftsadevelopingsolutions@gmail.com.

PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDERS FOR COFE'09
Conference of Food Engineering (CoFE 09)
April 5-8, 2009
Columbus, OH, USA

3 PLENARY SESSIONS, 21 TECHNICAL SESSIONS, AND POSTER SESSIONS

IMPORTANT DATES

SUBMIT AN ABSTRACT: DEADLINE NOVEMBER 1ST 2008

REGISTER FOR CONFERENCE:       Early Registration benefits before February 1, 2009
BE AN EXHIBITOR AT CoFE'09:    Visit website for information
BE A SPONSOR OF CoFE'09:          Contact Prof. Gonul Kaletunc (kaletunc.1@osu.edu)

VISIT WEBSITE  WWW.cofe09.ORG   FOR MORE INFORMATION

CONTACT Prof. GONUL KALETUNC (kaletunc.1@osu.edu) FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT COFE'09

Dr. Andrew Benson has been selected for the 2008 Gamma Sigma Delta Research Award. This award is being given by the Nebraska Chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta for his outstanding professional record .   Dr. Benson will receive the award at the 2008 Gamma Sigma Delta Initiation and Awards Banquet held on Sunday, November 2, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. at the Nebraska East Campus Union.  Congratulations!

The next webinar in our Listeria Monocytogenes series will air on Wednesday, October 22, at 11CST.
Our speakers are:

L. monocytogenes Control Strategies: Interventions for Small and Very Small RTE Meat and Poultry Processors
                Dr. Margaret Hardin, Texas A&M University (11:00-11:15)

Validation and Verification of Intervention Strategies
                Dr. Harshavardhan Thippareddi, University of Nebraska (11:30-11:45)

Hope to see you again next week, and stay tuned to updates on our web status!

The next webinar from our "Control of Listeria monocytogenes on RTE
meats and poultry" series will air on Wednesday, October 15,
beginning at 11am CST. Remember: the seminar series will continue for 3 more weeks, and your registration is good for the entire series.
 
 
This session will feature:
 Dr. Dennis Burson, University of Nebraska
 
L. monocytogenes Control Strategies: Quality Effects on RTE Meat Products
(Lecture 11:00-11:15; Q&A 11:15 to 11:30)
Dr. Dennis Burson is a Professor of meat science in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He also serves as the Extension meat specialist for the state of Nebraska and assists the meat, poultry and egg industry with outreach activities. He received his B.S. degree from University of Nebraska and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Kansas State University.  His outreach focus is on improving quality, consistency and value of market animals, value addition and processing of meat products and food safety for meat and poultry processors. Dr. Burson has conducted numerous meat processing, harvesting and quality workshops in addition to food safety workshops including HACCP for the meat and poultry industry over the years and still is very active in the food safety outreach programs. He coordinates the four state consortium of Universities (UNL, KSU, SDSU, and Missouri) and holds several HACCP workshops within each of the states every year. He has taught several courses, including animal and carcass evaluation, principles of meat evaluation, grading and judging and advanced meat grading and evaluation. Dr. Burson is active in several professional organizations, including American Meat Science Association, Institute of Food Technologists and International Association for Food Protection among others.
 
 Dr. Kendra Nightingale, Colorado State University
(Lecture 11:30-11:45; Q&A 11:45 to 12:00)

Tracking Listeria in the RTE Meat and Poultry Processing Environment: DNA Based Methods
Kendra Nightingale is originally from a small farming community in western Kansas.  Kendra received a B.S. degree in Agriculture from Kansas State University, where she participated in the undergraduate honors program.  Kendra also holds a M.S. degree from Kansas State University in Food Science, where her research evaluated the use of lactoferrin, a milk-derived protein, to decontaminate and extend the shelf-life of beef products.  Kendra Nightingale completed her PhD at Cornell University in Food Science with a concentration in Food Microbiology and minors in Epidemiology and Microbiology.  Her PhD work probed the molecular epidemiology, ecology, and evolution of the human foodborne and animal pathogen Listeria monocytogenes.  Kendra also completed her postdoctoral training in the Department of Food Science at Cornell University. Kendra joined the Department of Animal Sciences at Colorado State University as an Assistant Professor in 2006.

If you joined us late in the series, or if you just would like to review past sessions on Listeria Monocytogenes, you can now do it online.  Just visit a link from below (listed by date) and you can play the webinar like a movie.
09/03 http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/p91184298/
09/10 http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/p62936206/
09/17 http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/p93184964/
09/24 http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/p76278006/
10/01 http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/p88224934/