Food Protection Trends - May 2011 - (Page 264)

“REFLECTIONS” OF YOuR president I t’s hard to believe that it is May already! What is it about age, that time seems to fly all the faster? For those of us in academics, May is about graduation; bittersweet endings and new beginnings for our students. I must admit, there are two aspects of my job as a professor that I especially like: (i) the fact that I get paid for learning; and (ii) the fact that I get to shape the future of our younger generation. This latter aspect is the subject of this month’s column. As many of you know, I have two daughters and two stepsons (as well as a son-in-law and another soon-tobe son-in-law). The girls are ages 27 and 25; the boys, 23 and 21. Being a mom and a step mom is the single most fulfilling (and challenging!) role I have had in my life. All four (or six!) kids are beginning to make their own individual ways in the world, and it is a joy to watch them become adults. I feel pretty much the same about my students. Each one comes to me with his/her own strengths and weaknesses, and I am given a relatively short period of time (a few years) to work with them to capitalize on those strengths, accommodate for their weaknesses, and perhaps most importantly, help them begin to make their way in the world. And that is not just from a professional standpoint, but from a personal standpoint as well. For those of us over the age of forty, remember the decade of our twenties? Tough, in a lot of ways. Certainly not one that I would want to revisit! So, what exactly have I learned from almost twenty years of working with the twenty-somethings? Well, plenty! First of all, despite perhaps bravado of maturity, they are “adults By LEE-ANN JAYKUS PRESIDENT “Personal development is a journey” in progress.” So much of growing up occurs in fits and starts, so some days are better than others, and some approaches work better than others. Despite a feeling that we all have “one true course in life,” more often than not, it takes several “practice” courses before we find that “true” course. And even that “true” course may take unexpected turns. Another thing that I have learned is that it is impossible to separate professional development from personal development.The two occur simultaneously, and are intimately linked, so that a setback in one can result in a setback in the other, and vice versa. When you serve as a mentor, you need to mentor the whole person, not just his/her professional growth. Yet another common theme is the need to recognize and respect the importance of what I call the “P” word (“P” stands for PATIENCE; my kids hate that word!). Personal development is a journey and no matter what the situation, we are pretty much guaranteed that it will be different two years from now. Heck, it may even be different two days from now! So, what does this all have to do with IAFP? Well, over the last decade, the students have organized to produce their own professional development group (PDG, now with over 130 members) and more recently, the “young professionals” (not really sure what constitutes a young professional, but I suspect it is the thirty-somethings) have done the same. These groups provide their members with a forum to share life-stage specific common experiences, and provide them their own networks. It also allows them to contribute, in their own unique ways, to the life of our association. For example, as part of our 100th year anniversary celebration, the Student PDG is putting together an electronic “time capsule.” So far, the submissions have been really impressive, in both content and presentation. Clearly, these 264 FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS | MAY 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - May 2011

Food Protection Trends - May 2011
Contents
Sustaining Members
Reflections of Your President
Commentary from the Executive Director
Lessons to be Learned from an Outbreak of Foodborne Listeriosis, Austria 2009–2010
Observations of Consumer Salad Preparation
IAFP Secretary Announcement
Highlights from the Dubai International Food Safety Conference
New Members
What’s Happening in Food Safety
Industry Products
Special Contributors and Sponsors
Preliminary Program
Ivan Parkin Lecture
John H. Silliker Lecture
Activities
General Information
Exhibitors
Workshops
Registration Rates
Coming Events
Advertising Index
Journal of Food Protection Table of Contents
Booklet Order Form
Membership Application
Celebrating 100 Years of IAFP: 1970s

Food Protection Trends - May 2011