January/February 2023 - 25

WWW.CENTERFORPRODUCESAFETY.ORG
CPS
food safety professionals and executives
make decisions.
University of Arizona's Channah Rock,
is working on an agricultural
Ph.D.,
water-specific modeling project. Ag water
safety is a persistent hot-button topic
for produce safety. Like the Stasiewicz
project, industry will be able to use Rock's
model for decision making.
Spain's Pilar Truchado, Ph.D., is
testing whether bacteriophages can
control listeria monocytogenes on fresh
produce. (Bacteriophages are viruses that
selectively target bacteria.) This work
is performed in a production facility,
under real-world conditions, which
is especially important when testing
control measures.
Cultivating next-generation
scientists
I was introduced to CPS while a Ph.D.
student at Cornell University, studying
under Dr. Wiedmann and working on
his CPS-funded research. I attended a
Research Symposium on a CPS travel
grant. That experience played a big role
in my studies' direction, and ultimately
my career choice.
We utilize on-farm visits
and autonomous data
collection to verify our
growers are following
our standards.
For over a decade, CPS has been
cultivating produce safety science talent,
rounding out undergraduate university
students' STEM skills with leadership,
communication and business etiquette
training. Now a new CPS program is
developing promising Master's-level
students, by awarding them funds to
conduct needed produce-safety research.
You can help cultivate the next
generation of scientists by hosting produce
safety internships (post them to CPS's new
Careers web page), mentoring students at
CPS's symposium or donating to support
CPS's student development programs.
These future leaders can help guide
our companies - and ultimately influence
produce safety change.
To learn more about these and other
CPS research projects, visit www.
centerforproducesafety.org/fundedresearch-projects.php.
Alexandra
Belias, Ph.D., is food safety
manager-agricultural operations for South
Carolina-based fresh produce processor
McEntire Produce Inc. Belias was introduced
to fresh produce food safety and CPS while
a graduate student studying with and
assisting research by Cornell University's
Martin Wiedmann, Ph.D., a CPS-funded
researcher. She joined Center for Produce
Safety's Technical Committee in 2021.
We Specialize in Design, Engineering, and Custom
Equipment Fabrication for the Produce Processing Industry
Successfully serving the
fresh-cut industry
since 1982
* New Facility Design
* Repack and Splits Lines
* 2oz. Pack Lines for Schools
* Continuous Improvement Programs
* Custom Equipment Fabrication
* Conveyors, tote carts
* Grab and Go Lines
Brian Hill
(847) 922-8671
bhill@palconsystems.com
www.palconsystems.com
PRODUCE PROCESS ING
25
http://WWW.CENTERFORPRODUCESAFETY.ORG http://www.centerforproducesafety.org/funded http://www.palconsystems.com
January/February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January/February 2023
