John C. Bruhn, FST Cooperative Extension Specialist Emeritus, is celebrating his 50-year anniversary as an IFT member. As related by IFT's Margaret Malochleb in the June, 2020 issue of Food Technology magazine, "For John Bruhn, extension specialist emeritus at the University of California, Davis, IFT has been a part of his life since his university days. “IFT captured my attention first when I was awarded the IFT Gerber Scholarship as a junior (1957) and senior (1958) at Michigan State University,” he says.
FST's Selina Wang Says Standards Needed to Protect Consumers and Industry
Consumer demand is rising for all things avocado, including oil made from the fruit. Avocado oil is a great source of vitamins, minerals and the type of fats associated with reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. But according to new research from food science experts at the University of California, Davis, the vast majority of avocado oil sold in the U.S. is of poor quality, mislabeled or adulterated with other oils.
UC Davis received nearly $1 million (of $8 million awarded nationally) for two grants from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in the subject area Food Safety and Defense. The overall grant program is to develop tools to detect and eliminate allergens, infections, or other contaminants in foods. NIFA support enables scientists to develop new and innovative technologies for food processing, manufacturing, and packaging that ensure a safe and abundant food supply. The grants are part of NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI).
Congratulations to recent 2020 Food Science & Technology graduate, Kat Fernandez, for being selected as one of three finalists for the Institute of Food Technologists Student Association's (IFTSA) Excellence in Leadership Award for the Undergraduate Category. The award recognizes those who have demonstrated exemplary leadership in their execution of student activities that furthers the mission of IFT. Great achievement, Kat!
Job Announcement - Postdoctoral Scholar
Ahmad Hakim
May 22, 2020
A postdoctoral research scholar position is available in Dr. Luxin Wang’s microbial food safety lab in the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of California Davis. The primary responsibility of this position will be to conduct studies that will increase our knowledge on the effects of antibiotic treatments on the microbiota present in aquaculture systems and the stress responses of common foodborne pathogens using next generation sequencing technologies. The responsibility of the candidate will be to perform and participate in all aspects of research projects: ordering equipment and supplies, designing sampling protocols, conducting field sampling and data collection, performing DNA extraction and library preparation, delivering data analysis using novel bioinformatics tools, writing reports, and preparing manuscripts for refereed journal publication. Projects will incorporate a range of experimental (cellular and molecular), informatics, and theoretical/computational approaches. Supervision and interaction with graduate and undergraduate students working on the project is also expected.
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Last week, Erika Estrada, a Ph.D. student in Harris Lab, received the exciting news that she was elected as the 2020-2021 Vice-Chair for the Student Professional Development Group (SPDG) for the International Association of Food Protection (IAFP). In 2021, Erika will step up and serve as the Chair of the SPDG.
Congratulations to Linda J. Harris, FST Chair and Cooperative Extension Specialist in Microbial Food Safety, for being awarded the UC Davis Academic Federation’s highest honor, the James H. Meyer Distinguished Achievement Award, named after the late chancellor. From the announcement: "She has developed an internationally recognized outreach program and is one of the most successful and important food safety microbiologists in the world today.
The Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT’s) Achievement Awards recognize an individual or team for remarkable contributions in research, applications, and service in the food science and technology industry. Congratulations to our five UC Davis Food Science and Technology-affiliated awardees for 2020!
