The Ag e-Dispatch

Research mentoring helps students up the Hill and across the ocean

Wed, 08 May 2013 15:30:37 -0500

Drs. Paula Faulkner of the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education and Patricia Lynch of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences were the faculty mentors for a poster Jasmine Scott, a sophomore majoring in agricultural education, was invited to present at Posters on the Hill, an annual event established by the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) to give members of Congress personal insights into the importance of undergraduate research. Scott's poster topic was "Lessons Learned from 4-H Rural Youth Concerning Living Healthier Lifestyles." The project was a comparison of attitudes toward nutrition and physical activity among rural youth participating in Cooperative Extension afterschool programs and those who aren't, and it was one of only 60 projects selected from more than 800 submissions (from undergraduates across the nation) for this year's Posters on the Hill competition.

Faulkner's talents as a mentor for student research were also lauded in email from Minnie Battle Mayes, director of International Programs at A&T, announcing A&T's first-ever student Fulbright Scholar, Emmanuel Johnson. Johnson is a senior, majoring in computer engineering, whose Fulbright award will be used to pursue a master's in robotics at the University of Birmingham in England. The email from Mayes announcing Johnson's Fulbright noted that "Special recognition and appreciation must go to Dr. Paula Faulkner who specifically worked with Emmanuel throughout the entire summer of 2011 and into the fall semester to help him prepare his research proposal."

Gold Skillet, Silver Spatulas and Bronze Butter Knives for cheesy inspirations

Wed, 08 May 2013 15:27:26 -0500

Midnight on the twelfth of May is the entry deadline for the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board's "2013 Grilled Cheese Academy Recipe Showdown." The prizes for the "tastiest and most unique grilled cheese masterpieces" this year include a $4,000 gourmet cookware set and a $1,000 MasterCard Gift Card for the first-place "Gold Skillet Award"; $500 Williams-Sonoma gift cards for the two second-place "Silver Spatula" winners; and $100 Williams-Sonoma gift cards for the eight Bronze Butter Knife Award winners who come in third. There will be Wisconsin cheese basket for all prize winners. Last year's top prize went to a South Carolinian whose gouda-and-provolone-grill was spiced up with arugula, spinach, fresh blackberries and bacon. Second place, which came from upstate New York, was for a grilled sandwich that complemented sharp cheddar with a Granny Smith apple and barbecued pulled pork. Third place went to another South Carolinian, for a recipe that congeals shrimp, smoked sausage and other "Low Country Boil" ingredients with Gruyère and cream cheese.

Funding for cream dreams

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:27:24 -0500

The National Dairy Shrine (NDS) has set April 15 as the application deadline for an annual scholarship program that awards more than $40,000 to students at U.S. colleges and universities majoring in agricultural fields relevant to the human resources needs of dairy industries. The National Dairy Shrine’s support for higher education includes scholarships of $2,500 and $1,000 for high school seniors who will begin work on a major in dairy or animal science with a communications emphasis next fall; a $1,500 scholarship and five-to-eight $1,000 scholarships for sophomores and juniors majoring in animal sciences, ag. economics or ag. education who are planning to pursue careers in marketing dairy products; a $1,000 grant for a current freshman with a major related to dairy or animal sciences and an interest in working in the dairy industry in the future; and seven scholarships of $1,500 for students now completing their first, second or third year at a college or university who have been involved in showing dairy cattle.

April 12 is Kitt Scholarship application deadline

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:24:01 -0500

The American Association of Candy Technologists' (AACT) John Kitt Memorial Scholarship is a $5,000 annual award to a sophomore, junior or senior majoring in a food, chemical or biological science who has a demonstrated interest in confectionary technology. For the AACT, evidence of interest in confectionary tech. includes research projects and work experience. Applicants should also have an overall GPA of at least 3.0. Applications for the 2013-14 John Kitt Memorial Scholarship must be submitted by April 12.

Food science crews making news

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 17:34:46 -0500

With newspapers across the state providing such unsettling reports as "A new strain of norovirus could make this a busy year for the nasty intestinal disease [norovirus] (Raleigh News & Observer) and that "State health officials say a new strain of norovirus is making North Carolinians sick," (Asheville Citizen-Times) media inquiries to the N.C. Research Campus reached critical mass for a Web page and a news release devoted to recurring questions regarding norovirus. The authority on foodborne pathogens selected for guidance is Dr. Leonard Williams, director of the SAES's Center for Excellence in Post Harvest Technologies at the N.C. Research Campus. Williams' advisories for avoiding norovirus are to wash produce thoroughly in warm water, and that "Vegetables like lettuce that have multiple folds need to be scrubbed meticulously." He's also an advocate of frequent and conscientious hand washing when the hands will be handling food.

Dr. Jianmei Yu, an SAES assistant research professor, is the co-author of an article that appeared in a late fall issue of the International Journal of Food Science and Technology that provides an extensive review of research into the "Functional components of grape pomace: their composition, biological properties and potential applications." Yu's co-author for the article is Dr. Mohamed Ahmedna, a former SAES food science professor and director of the Center for Excellence in Post-Harvest Technologies who is now at Qatar University. Yu and Ahmedna's review of research work with the wine industry by-product includes grape pomace's health and nutritional benefits (it increase the fiber and antioxidant when added to other foods) and its untapped potential as a food preservative.

The current issue of The Open Mycology Journal has an article on the potential medicinal mushrooms hold for providing poultry producers a non-chemical method for "keeping birds healthy and free of disease in an intensive, confined rearing environment." The team of authors for "Open Access Effect of Level and Type of Mushroom on Performance, Blood Parameters and Natural Coccidiosis Infection in Floor-Reared Broilers" is led by Dr. Willie Willis of the Department of Animal Sciences, and includes Dr. Omon Isikhuemhen of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design, Dr. Salam Ibrahim of Family and Consumer Sciences, SAES Research Associates Felicia Anike and Steven Hurley, and two SAES graduate students, Joi Nicole Jackson and Dannica Wall.

General idea

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 19:15:10 -0500

Feeding Tomorrow, a foundation that partners with General Mills and the Institute of Food Technologists, has a Feb. 4 application deadline for a program that awards two graduate students $5,000 scholarships and also 12-week paid internships for this coming summer. Applicants must be full-time graduate students enrolled in a master’s or doctoral food science program, have a GPA of at least 3.0, and have coursework and extracurricular activities that reflect lab experience and an interest in food processing R&D.

Food flight

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 18:25:07 -0500

Working in cooperation with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, a not-for-profit association of U.S. Italian restaurateurs has established a scholarship program that will send six culinary and food sciences students to Tuscany for a week of classes and tours of the Italian province's food and restaurant industries. To be eligible, applicants must be undergraduates enrolled full time and not on schedule to graduate before May of 2013. Among other requirements, applicants must also have at least two years of culinary experience or viticulture training. In keeping with the commitment of the funding agency — Gruppo Ristoratori Italiani — to increasing public appreciation of authentic Italian cuisine, applicants are also asked to submit essays that touch on both their personal knowledge of Italian cuisine, and what their plans will be for disseminating what they’ve learned about authentic Italian cuisine following their visit to Tuscany.

Complete details on scholarship program stipulations are available along with the application at the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation website. The application deadline is Wednesday, Feb. 6.

American Chemical Society Regional gets good helping of SAES research

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:04:59 -0500

SAES research groups headed up by two scientists whose specialties include foods and nutrition, Drs. Jianmei Yu and Salam Ibrahim, had a total of 10 posters reflecting research project results on display at the 64th Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Raleigh Nov. 14-17. Both Yu and Ibrahim had poster presentations covering one of their own research projects, and Yu was the advisor for two student poster presentations and Ibrahim the advisor for six. Yu's project, research into the "Fatty Acid Composition of Grape Seed Oils from Some Grape Cultivars in North Carolina," is getting assistance from Bryce Holmes and John Carver of the SAES's Analytical Service Lab, and a graduate student, Ivy Smith. Ibrahim's Raleigh poster presentation, "Survival and changes in cell morphology of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in the presence of caffeine," received contributions from Rabin Gyawali, an SAES research assistant), Dr. Radiah Minor of the Department of Animal Sciences and an SAES undergraduate.

Dr. Abolghasem Shahbazi of the SAES's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Design was on Ibrahim's team for student research into cultivation of lactic acid bacteria, the growth of Lactobacillus reuteri in laboratory medium and use of shiitake mushroom extract in production of skim milk. Dr. Omon Isikhuemhen, the SAES mushroom specialist, contributed to the latter project also.

Now they know the way from San Jose

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:29:06 -0500

Three FCS students will soon know their way to — and from — San Jose, as they were invited to California for the 2012 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) to present overviews of their research. The students who were in San Jose Nov. 7 to 12 to put the SAES's undergraduate research into a national spotlight were:

• Kayla Brooks, a master’s student majoring in food and nutritional sciences, who presented, “Lessons Learned from Rural Youth Concerning Healthier Lifestyles.”
• Alani Adkins, a senior majoring in food and nutritional sciences with an emphasis on dietetics, whose presentation covered “Antimicrobial Activity of Caffeine Alone or in Combination with Cinnamon against Escherichia Coli O157:h7 in Laboratory Medium.”
• Marcella Cheek, a senior majoring in food and nutritional sciences with an emphasis on food sciences, who presented her research into “Developing a Food Protection and Defense Educational Curriculum for Students.”

This year's ABRCMS included scientific sessions led by researchers from Cornell, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, the University of Kansas, the University of Texas, UCLA and other major research institutions. Among the topics that were covered at scientific sessions were biomapping, cell biology, traumatic brain injury, plant biomass-based fuels and programs sponsored by the American Society for Cell Biology and the American Society for Microbiology. The research faculty guest list at the 2012 ABRCMS also included Dr. Paula Faulkner of the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education, and Dr. Radiah Minor of the Dept. of Animal Sciences, who were invited to serve as judges for the student competition.

Joyner Foundation selects SAES food sciences major as one of four in the country

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:26:41 -0500

An SAES food science major's academic achievements have been rewarded with a $2,500 scholarship by the Denny’s Corporation-Tom Joyner Foundation Food Science-Hospitality Management Scholarship Program. Four new $2,500 scholarships for students attending HBCUs and majoring in a hospitality-related field were announced Oct. 24, and one of the recipients is Britteny Junious, a junior from Rochester, N.Y. Junious has a 4.0 in her major, and she is one of the SGA senators for the SAES and also the food science delegate for the Food and Nutritional Sciences Club.

Innovations invited

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:02:53 -0500

Entries will be accepted through Oct. 15 for a contest that could be a catalyst for North Carolina entrepreneurs with new food products they want to start marketing. Small-scale producers who have been experimenting with value-added products will have a home field advantage in a competition for a grand prize of $2,500 and 100 hours of the commercial kitchen and equipment at Blue Ridge Food Ventures food and natural product business incubator near Asheville. Contestants, who must be North Carolina residents, are required to pay a $10 entry fee and submit an application package that explains, illustrates and introduces their product or service by Oct. 15. In addition to the grand prize, the contest may award $1,000 each and 50 hours of incubator time to two runners-up.

New ideas for utile legume shall be rewarded

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 15:29:21 -0500

The deadline for the North Carolina Peanut Growers Association’s annual Pea-nutty Vegetarian Recipe Contest is Friday, Oct. 5. Recipes entered in the competition should contain at least 1/2 cup of peanuts or peanut butter; include no meat, fish nor poultry; be postmarked no later that Oct. 5, or hand-delivered to contest headquarters at the State Fairgrounds by that date. The next step for contestants will be to bring enough of a sampler for six to eight judges to the Education Building at the Fairgrounds on Thursday, Oct. 12. First place prize money is $200, second place is good for $150; third place garners $100; and $50 will be awarded for honorable mention. Contestant must be must be non-professional cooks and at least18 years of age.

Younger peanut recipe formulators — between the ages of 6 and 12 — have until Oct. 11 to submit their entries in this year’s Jif® Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest™, and the next day, Oct 12, is the deadline day for the That’s Why I Choose Jif® Essay Contest. The grand prize for the recipe contest is a $25,000 scholarship and $10,000 for educational products. Four runners-up will receive $2,500 college funds and five additional finalists will receive Jif® Peanut Butter gift baskets worth $50.

Essays entered in the That's Why I Choose Jif® Contest will be judged on creativity, originality and style in answering two questions: How do you make the best choices for your family? And, why do you choose Jif® Peanut Butter? This year's grand prize is a four-day, three-night trip for the winner and one guest to the 10th Annual Jif® Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest™ final judging, which will take place in New York City in late March. The essay contest is open to legal residents of the United States, 18 years or older who are not employed by the J.M. Smucker Company, or its subsidiaries or affiliates. Entrants who are personally acquainted with finalists in Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest™ will be disqualified.

Periodic table setting

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 16:51:26 -0500

Each year the American Chemical Society Scholars Program awards renewable scholarships of up to $5,000 to underrepresented minority students with plans to pursue careers in fields related to chemistry, and the 2012-13 application window will open Nov. 1 and close the first day of March 2013. The "acceptable major" list includes food science, nutrition and veterinary medicine. High school seniors, and college freshmen, sophomores and juniors are eligible to apply. Individual awards depend on the availability of funding and applicants' financial needs, but typical scholarship awards are $2,500 to freshmen; $3,000 to sophomores; and $5,000 to juniors and seniors.

To be eligible for a scholarship from the ACS Scholars Program, applicants must be full-time students who are African American, Latino or American Indian; have a GPA of 3.0 or better; and meet standards for financial need established in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form (FAFSA) and the Student Aid Report (SAR) form. Career objectives, financial need, leadership ability, participation in school activities and community service also are taken into consideration by the Scholars Program selection.

Innovators invited to infuse food supply

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:49:00 -0500

The entry deadline is Oct. 15 for a contest that will help North Carolina entrepreneurs introduce new food products, and small-scale producers who have experimented with value-added products will have a home field advantage in a competition for a grand prize of $2,500 and 100 hours of the commercial kitchen and equipment at Blue Ridge Food Ventures food and natural product business incubator near Asheville. Contestants, who must be North Carolina residents, are asked to pay a $10 entry fee and submit an application package that explains, illustrates and introduces their product or service by Oct. 15. In addition to the grand prize, the contest may award $1,000 each and 50 hours of incubator time to two runners-up.

Tip to pass along to forthcoming SAES frosh

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:29:07 -0500

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) has a scholarship program for students who will be first-time college freshmen next fall. (GED and ProStart students graduates are eligible along with high school seniors enrolling in college for the first time.) The program awards up to $2,500 to students selected, and the only requirement is "Applicants must be pursuing studies in a restaurant and foodservice-related program." The final application deadline before the start of the 2012-13 academic year is Wednesday, July 25