FIC logo 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT 

July 2012 

Greetings!   

 

Steven Schwartz

Our third annual Food Innovation Center meeting promises to be the best yet. The half-day meeting on September 6 is designed to make the best use of your time based on your feedback from prior events.  As Ohio State sharpens its focus on the three discovery themes of food, health, and sustainability, the FIC provides the seeds for excellence in this critical global need. Food Innovation seed packets are the literal and symbolic item in President Gee's gift basket as he visits dozens of Ohio counties in his 2012 summer tour.  With your active participation in FIC, you can advance food ideas that grow the Ohio, national and global economy and improve life quality everywhere. 

 

Mary Wagner
Image source:
.
Perhaps a meeting highlight will be a keynote address from the Global Senior Vice President of Research and Development at Starbucks Coffee Company, Dr. Mary Wagner. She leads food and beverage development for global markets for a brand that  is trusted worldwide. Before Starbucks, Wagner was the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Mars Botanical, developing healthy flavanols from cocoa. Prior to joining Mars, Mary was CTO for E&J Gallo Winery, and before that was CTO for Taco Bell Corporation, leading all aspects of menu development, QC, packaging and engineering. She was a respected scientist at Gorton's, General Mills Inc., and at UW Madison. Most of Wagner's professional accomplishments are directly relevant to the strategies within our Food Innovation Center. She was President of the professional society of food, the Institute of Food Technologists, bringing a great global perspective and leadership ideas to our meeting.

 

You may have noticed a lot of chatter on the [email protected] email in July. The reply-all conversation shows the passion and commitment of many FIC members toward scholarly outcomes of benefit to humanity. I am pleased that 26 FIC members kept the conversation alive over lunch on July 19 and plan to follow through on actionable ideas in the coming months. There will be another opportunity for all to sharpen this conversation on September 6. So watch this newsletter for the meeting agenda and bring your best ideas to the Ohio Union to bring out the best in Ohio State.

 

-Ken Lee, Director, Food Innovation Center  

What Food Courses Do You Teach? Help Us Inventory

If you teach an undergraduate or graduate course related to food, please email Carolee at [email protected] with as much of the following info as you have handy by Aug. 10. We realize some details may be in flux with the semester conversion. 

  • Course name and number, units (credits), home department and any cross listings, your role, when the course is offered, and please attach the syllabus when emailing

FIC is compiling an inventory of all food courses to inform future educational efforts and as a tool for students seeking cross-college training. 

Congratulations to 2012 FIC Seed Grant Teams 

Eleven teams were awarded 2012 seed grants, one-year awards of up to $25,000 for cross-college projects. Across the teams, 39 FIC members from nine colleges and one school are addressing food challenges through transdisciplinary work that links experts across campus and beyond. Thank you to all who participated in the competition, including the 20 FIC members who reviewed proposals. View the list of awardees.   

FIC Welcomes New Grants and Contracts Specialist         

We are very pleased to welcome Alice Duncanson, grants and contracts specialist, to the Food Innovation Center team.  Alice brings us prior successful experience at COSI and at Ohio State in grants and development. In her new role, Alice will start or expedite multidisciplinary grants in support of FIC priorities. If you have transdisciplinary project ideas, please contact Alice at [email protected]


In This Issue
WHAT FOOD COURSES DO YOU TEACH? HELP US INVENTORY
CONGRATULATIONS TO 2012 FIC SEED GRANT TEAMS
FIC WELCOMES NEW GRANTS AND CONTRACTS SPECIALIST
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
FIC JOINTLY FUNDS SPECIAL INITIATIVE
UPCOMING EVENTS
FIC MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
FIC STUDENTS HONORED AT CONFERENCE

Save the Date

Thursday, September 6

Third Annual FIC Meeting

12 noon to 5:30 PM @
The Union

Watch your inbox in early August for registration info

E-Newsletter Archive 

Click here to view past editions of our e-newsletter! 

Member Spotlight
Matha Belury

Coming from a long family history of giving back, Food Innovation Center member Carolyn Gunther feels right at home directing the second year pilot test of her successful Simple Suppers (a project which benefits from FIC funding) at Ohio State University's Schoenbaum Family Center.
Annual Report Posted
You are invited to review FIC's second annual report for a broad view of center activities. Thanks to the FIC teams who provided such compelling evidence of cross-college success. Feedback and ideas are always welcome at [email protected].

JOIN OUR
MAILING LIST

FIC Jointly Funds Special Initiative in Urban Ag
The Food Innovation Center recently co-sponsored a special joint initiative with the International Poverty Solutions Collaborative. The project, led by Principal Investigator Katherine Bennett (Assistant Professor, Knowlton School of Architecture, Engineering) and Co-Principal Investigator Parwinder Grewal (Distinguished Professor of Entomology, FAES) seeks to design, build, assess and demonstrate an entrepreneurial urban agriculture model in the community of Weinland Park in Columbus, Ohio. As more than 90% of Weinland Park residents rent their homes, and most tend to relocate regularly, the project addresses issues of food access and land tenure by emphasizing adaptable, portable, and  affordable systems for year-round food production. The team will be partnering with the community agencies Local Matters and the Godman Guild Association for on-the-ground implementation.

 

Additional faculty members on the cross-college team include: Joseph Kovach, FAES; Peter Ling, FAES; Margaret McMahon, FAES; Judith Tansky, Fisher College of Business; Bernadette Hanlon, Architecture, Engineering; Gail Kaye, CPH.

 

Upcoming Events                                          
Ohio Grown: Local Food Creating Local Opportunities
Time: Aug. 9, 2012 @ 9 AM to 5 PM
Location: Ohio State University
Come learn about changing policies to support local food economies, local food financing, scaling up, and more. Read more.

Pel
Pelotoniaotonia 12

Time: Aug 10, 2012 @ 3 PM to Aug 12, 2012 @ 6 PM
Location: Columbus Commons, 160 S. High Street, Columbus, OH 43215

Join over 5,000 bike riders already committed to the noble cause of ending cancer in Pelotonia 12. Read more. 


 

 

Excellence in Reporting Science: A Writing Workshop for Public Health Professionals

Time: Aug. 15, 2012 @ 8:15 AM to Aug. 16, 2012 @ 5 PM

Location: The Blackwell Hotel and Conference Center, 2110 Tuttle Park Place, Columbus, OH 43210

Join the Center for Public Health Practice for a two day workshop designed to convey the principles and practice of designing and creating effective written and oral reports for diverse audiences. Read more   

   

Matha Belury

 

FIC Annual Meeting - Save The Date!

Time: Sept. 6, 2012 @ 12 PM to 5:30 PM

Location: Ohio Union 

FIC members, please save the date for the Third Annual Meeting of the Food Innovation Center!

 

First Annual Food Safety Midwest Workshop 

Time: Sept. 13, 2012 @ 8 AM to 4 PM   

Location: Walb Student Union Ballroom IPFW, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Food Safety Midwest is a collaborative effort of three states (MI, OH, IN) and three universities (Michigan State University, the Ohio State University, Purdue University) that focuses on developing better research and outreach efforts in an effort to maximize resources, expertise, and service to food safety stakeholder groups. Read more.

 

 View more FIC events 

 

FIC News
V.M. Balasubramaniam Named Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologist

Congratulations to our Food Innovation Center Member V.M. (Bala) Balasubramaniam on becoming a Institute of Food Technologists Fellow.  

 

Balasubramaniam, professor of food safety engineering at Ohio State University, will be named a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists at its annual meeting in Las Vegas on June 25.

 

"This is the largest national and international organization that surrounds the food science discipline, and being named a Fellow is the highest distinction a professional member can receive," said Richard Linton, chair of Ohio State's Department of Food Science and Technology. "Bala was recognized for his national and international contributions and reputation in the area of food engineering, food processing, and, in particular, nonthermal processing techniques. The food science and technology department here at Ohio State is both excited and proud of his accomplishments." Read the full article. 

 

 

Secretary of Agriculture: Ohio State's Ag Research Plays 'Essential Role' in Health Issue

The story of American agriculture is much broader than the crops grown in farm fields, said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

 

Pictured (from left to right): Steven Schwartz, Bill Hirzel, Steven Clinton, and Sec. Tom Vilsack
Photo by: Ken Chamberlain 
Agricultural research is helping make safer eggs and creating products with the potential to reduce the risk of cancer. But not enough people are getting that message, he told a group at Ohio State University last week. And that has far-reaching implications.

 

Vilsack visited Ohio State's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences on June 28, touring facilities in the Department of Food Science and Technology.

 

"Many people do not understand the contributions to human health that agricultural research makes," Vilsack said. "But here at Ohio State, there are many vivid examples showcasing the essential role agricultural research plays in solving some of the world's most pressing health problems, all while building and revitalizing rural America." Read the full article. 

 

 

Members Roe, Rosol, and Sen Honored with Awards

 

 

Brian Roe, McCormick professor of Agricultural Policy and Marketing in the department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics, recently won an award for "Outstanding Committment to Student Education" presented by the Ohio State Pan-Hellenic Association.

 

 

  

 

Tom Rosol, professor of Veterinary Pathobiology in the Department of Veterinary Biosciences, was presented with the Charles C. Capen Teaching Excellence Award for Graduate Education during the College of Veterinary Medicine's Oath and Hooding ceremony for the Class of 2012. The award is given to a faculty member who displays excellence as an advisor or mentor for students who are master's and doctoral degree candidates.  

 

  

 
Chandan K. Sen, professor and associate dean for the College of Medicine, won the "Building for the College of Enginering. The annual award, which is only given to a faculty member outside of the College of Engineering, is awarded based on excellence in successful collaborative efforts with the College of Engineering.  

 

 

 

 

FIC Students Honored at Conferences

The following students and associate members of FIC recently received awards and accolades at conferences of national significance:

Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting and Food Expo  IFT logo
  • Andrew Barry* and Greg Bricker were recognized at the DD Williamson Booth for their 1st place poster in the DD Williamson color competition 
  • Junnan Gu's poster placed 2nd in the Nutraceutical & Functional Food Division
  • Kom Kamonpatana's poster placed 2nd in the Nutrition Division*
  • Fangfei Lou's poster placed 1st in the Nonthermal Processing Division*

Experimental Biology   

  • Rumana Yasmeen's posters placed 2nd in the Obesity RIS Graduate Studen& Post-Doc Poster Competition, and 3rd in the Nutrient-Gene Interactions RIS Graduate Student & Post-Doc Poster Competition* 
 
 

 

* indicates support from an FIC Graduate Student Travel Award 

 

What do you want to see here?
This is your e-newsletter, so please let us know what you'd like it to contain. Want more or less of a particular type of content? Have an idea for a new segment? Email [email protected] or call Carolee at
 614-292-0229.

Food Innovation Center | The Ohio State University  

203 Bricker Hall | 190 North Oval Mall

Columbus, OH 43210-1358

p: 614-292-0229 | f: 614-292-3658 | e: [email protected] | w: http://fic.osu.edu 

Director: Ken Lee; Associate directors: Steven Clinton, Mark Failla, Michael Leiblein, and Steven Schwartz 

 

The Food Innovation Center is on Twitter!  Follow us @Food_Center. 
Follow us on Twitter