The Ag eDispatch

Cheese Wiz

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:57:24 -0500

An SAES food scientist, Dr. Salam Ibrahim, has been notified of funding for a new research project that has its sites on a method for rapid detection of toxic contaminants in the cheese production process and recommendations for new quality control procedures for cheese processing that will address biosecurty concerns. The National Center for Food Protection and Defense (NCFPD) has awarded Ibrahim $141,000 to conduct research that will address a salient point in the nation’s food security system. The raw milk that is the starting point in cheese production is vulnerable to both intentional and accidental contamination with toxins. Ibrahim’s research will study the effects of contaminants on the coagulation process, to determine if there are neglected indicators that can be used to sound an alarm when milk has been adulterated with toxins.

Family matters

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:22:35 -0500

N.C. State University's Department of 4-H Youth Development and Family & Consumer Sciences will host the second annual North Carolina Summit on Youth and Families in Raleigh Nov. 19-20. With more than 50 speakers from education, government agencies and advocacy groups, the summit will give Extension and family and consumer science educators a two-day immersion into dozens of hot-button issues and current strategies for addressing them.

The early-bird registration free - for those received before by Friday, Sept. 26 _ is $175. After that cutoff the registration fee is $250 until Nov. 7, and from Nov. 7 on the walk-in registration fee of $325 will apply.

Conference organizers are also accepting nominations until 5 p.m. on Oct. 24, for the Annual North Carolina Awards for Excellence in Youth and Family Programming. Individuals, families and organizations that have contributing to programming activities benefitting youth or families in North Carolina in a substantial way are eligible.

SAES probiotic research gets Beijing premier

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:08:53 -0500

An SAES food scientist, Dr. Salam Ibrahim, was invited to present a seminar in August on recent developments in the use of bifidobacteria ("friendly" bacteria) for health benefits and food product safety at the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering at China Agricultural University in Beijing. Ibrahim’s lecture was in conjunction with a visit to the dairy food functional research group in the food science department, and while at China Agricultural University he also had opportunities to discuss current dairy food safety, such as the use of non-thermal processing procedures in yogurt, with faculty and students. The China Agricultural University is one of the country’s leading agricultural research organizations, and also a leader in international exchanges, with relationships with more than 60 universities in 25 countries.

Food change

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:06:23 -0500

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) has a scholarship program for college undergraduates with a noteworthy requirement. Applicants must “have completed at least one semester in a restaurant and/or food service-related program.” Students in SAES nutrition and dietetics programs qualify. Applicants must also have 750 hours of work experience in restaurant or food service industries, and minimum GPAs of 2.75 on the 4.0 scale. The application deadline for the next round of scholarship awards is Oct. 31. Details on this program, as well as scholarship programs for high school students, are available at the NRAEF website.

Sweet 16 teams

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:20:58 -0500

There were 16 presentations at the 2008 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo that included SAES scientists on the research teams. Dr. Salam Ibrahim was a member of 14 of the research teams, and his teamwork included presentations of research findings on the antimicrobial effects of pomegranates, persimmons and red bell peppers, and nutritional enhancements for yogurt, ice cream and ground beef. The roster of SAES research faculty working along with Ibrahim on these teams includes Drs. C. W. Seo, Chyer Kim and Danfeng “Tammy” Song of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, and Dr. Willie Willis of the Department of Animal Sciences.

The 2008 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo also had presentations from research teams that presented results from investigations of the use of pecan shells in well-water purification and peanut-based powdered milk Drs. Mohamed Ahmedna and Jianmei Yu of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences were on both of these research teams.

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting and Food Expo, in New Orleans June 28 to July 1, lived up to its billing as one of the 200 largest conventions in the United States. Estimates are that more than 20,000 food scientists and technologists attended, and that nearly 1,000 companies in food-related industries had exhibits.

Family and Consumer Sciences has new chair

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:45:46 -0500

Dr. Valerie Giddings has assumed responsibility as chair of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. Giddings comes to the SAES from Winston-Salem State University, where her administrative experience included the position of associate vice chancellor for lifelong learning. Giddings' resume also includes experience in administration at Virginia Tech., where she served as an associate dean in the College of Human Resources. Her background also includes experience as a member of the art department faculty at Winston-Salem State, and as an associate professor in clothing and textiles at Virginia Tech.

Giddings received her doctorate and master's degree from Virginia Tech., and her bachelor's degree from Bennett College. Her publications listing includes articles summarizing research into sociological and demographic implications of clothing and textile trends, and she is also the author of studies of initiatives for recruiting and retaining faculty from racial and ethnic groups that are traditionally under-represented on college and university faculties.

Family matter

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:23:35 -0500

Dr. Rosa Purcell of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences was part of a team of six educators invited to make a presentation on their research into “How Has Technology Affected the Life Cycle Stages of African-American Families” at the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) annual meeting in Milwaukee in mid-June. The research presentation was one of only 30 peer-reviewed educational sessions accepted for the conference, which this year drew almost 900 professionals from family and consumer sciences, and related fields. Purcell is also currently serving as the president of the Coalition for Black Development in Family and Consumer Sciences, which is working to establish and sustain cultural diversity in family and consumer sciences professions though recruitment efforts for the AAFCS and other activities.

With more than 10,000 members, the AAFCS is dedicated to improving family life by providing educational programs and influencing public policy. Current areas of emphasis for AAFCS research and educational initiatives include such life skills as financial literacy, child care and parenting, conflict resolution; consumer education, housing and environment, apparel and textiles, and dietetics and nutrition.

KY Poverty Research Center has funding for junior faculty research

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:20:51 -0500

The University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research is looking for proposals from junior faculty with full-time academic appointments who are untenured and have received their doctorates in the past seven years. The Center is looking for social science research regarding low-income populations — including child and family well being, and the economic status of disadvantaged and underrepresented populations. Preference will be given to proposals that address poverty in the South.

The Center is planning to fund three proposals of up to $7,500 each. The application deadline is 5 p.m. on Friday, July 11.

No kidding

Wed, 14 May 2008 16:59:29 -0500

The theme for the May 1 Child Development Lab graduation ceremonies was “A New ‘Bee’ ginning,” (view slideshow) and all 24 of the children enrolled this past academic year made it through the processional and received their diplomas. Deborah Foster, interim director since January, heads a Child Development Lab staff that includes four teachers—all with their bachelor’s degrees in child development, and working towards Birth-Kindergarten teaching licensure.

The staff will get only a quick breather before a filled-to-capacity summer program begins. The Child Development Lab staff is also gearing up for a visit by a team from the N. C. Division of Child Development in July that will be evaluating the Lab’s program for the state’s star-rating system. An item that won’t be part of the workload at the Child Development Lab over the summer is recruiting children for fall; the program is already filled to capacity.

Milk gets acid test

Wed, 14 May 2008 16:52:20 -0500

Dr. Salam Ibrahim is part of a trio of research scientists which has recently published findings from research into supplementing the diets of dairy cows with fish and linseed oil in the Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Production Sciences (Vol. 21 No. 5 : 663).

Other research studies have demonstrated that milk from dairy cattle that is high in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) provides a number of health benefits to humans. Ibrahim is among the research scientists now working to identify feed supplements and dairy herd management practices that will coalesce into a practical delivery system for milk enriched with CLA.

Candidates for FCS chair to present seminars

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:35:52 -0500

The four finalists to fill the position of chair for the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences have been invited to present seminars to the SAES faculty and staff on their vision for learning, discovery and engagement in family and consumer sciences in the 21st century. All the candidates’ seminar presentations will be in Room 104 of Benbow Hall, and all will begin at 1 p.m.

TThe candidates presenting seminars are:
• Dr. Wendy L. Johnson-Taylor, Friday, April 18
• Dr. Valerie Giddings, Wednesday, April 23
• Dr. Thurman Guy, Thursday, April 24
• Dr. Paula Grubbs, Tuesday, April 29

Dr. Johnson-Taylor is currently public health nutrition and health policy advisor for the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Department of Health and Human Services; Dr. Giddings is currently an associate professor in the art department at Winston-Salem State University; Dr. Guy is an associate professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at A&T; and Dr. Grubbs is the director of teacher education at Salem College.

No fooling about end of registration discounts

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:22:00 -0500

The American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) annual conference and expo will be June 12-22 in Milwaukee. The discounted early bird registration fee for students is $99 for registrations received by April 1; $140 for those that arrive by May 15; and $160 thereafter. For AAFCS members, the registration fee is now $365, jumps to $475 after May 15, and then to $585.

Award winning food scientist to speak at A&T

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:19:00 -0500

Dr. Vijay K. Juneja, supervisory microbiologist and lead scientist at the Microbial Food Safety Research Unit at the Agricultural Research Service’s Eastern Regional Research Center, will be presenting a seminar on Wednesday, March 26, beginning at 2.p.m., in Room 268 of Carver Hall. The seminar is open to all interested faculty, staff and students. Juneja’s topic will be ”Predictive Models For Use In Thermally Processed Foods And The USDA Pathogen Modeling Program.” He will be discussing the use of heat as a critical control point in assuring the microbiological safety of processed foods, and also the relationship of heat to other variables influencing the presence of foodborne pathogens.

Dr. Juneja has developed an internationally recognized research program on foodborne pathogens—one which has generated more than 180 research articles, book chapters, and abstracts. He is a co editor of a book, Control of Foodborne Microorganisms, and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Food Protection and the Journal of Food Science. Juneja has received several major service awards for his work with the Agricultural Research Service.

March 21 is deadline day for restaurant industry scholarships

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:22:52 -0500

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) and the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA) offer five $2,000 scholarships for minority students, individuals with disabilities, and other historically underrepresented students. Applicants should have a GPA of at least 2.75, and be majoring in a field of study related to the food services industries. The application deadline for these five scholarships is March 21.

The NRAEF has a second scholarship program, also with a March 21 application deadline, that awards $2,000 to undergraduates with a stipulation that applicants “have completed at least one semester in a restaurant and/or foodservice-related program.” Students in SAES nutrition and dietetics programs qualify. Another requirement for scholarship eligibility is 750 hours of work experience in restaurant or food service industries. Applicants for this scholarships program also must also have a GPA of at least 2.75.

SAES’s Ahmedna named A&T’s most distinguished

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:20:03 -0500

Dr. Mohamed Ahmedna, an SAES food scientist, was selected as N.C. A&T’s Distinguished Faculty Member for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s 2008 Member Universities Professional Institute and Exhibition. He was invited to join with faculty members singled out by the other 46 Thurgood Marshall HBCUs for an awards program in Charlotte on March 2. In summing up Ahmedna’s credentials for the distinction, the University selection committee noted that, “Dr. Ahmedna has established a strong interdisciplinary research program in food science, bioactive compounds and functional foods. Dr. Ahmedna has secured more than $5 million in research grants and contracts. In addition, he has authored more than 25 articles in referred journals, has published more than 100 abstracts and proceedings, and has coauthored two book chapters and one book.” Ahmedna was also cited as a, “dedicated instructor who has the enviable ability of translating technical constructs to students in a clear and concise manner.”

The Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s annual four-day Member Universities Professional Institute and Exhibition brings leadership from 47 member-HBCUs together for updates, forums and workshops devoted to emerging issues in higher education and partner agencies in government and the private sector. Another of the Thurgood Marshall Fund’s major functions is merit-based scholarships for students attending public HBCUs.