Food Protection Trends - October 2012 - (Page 609)

OuR ExPERIENCEs By the IaFP 2012 Student Travel Scholarship award recipients Frederick adzitey eva danira Borjas O. Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado I feel honored to have attended the IAFP 2012 as a recipient of the Student Travel Scholarship. I am grateful for the opportunity and thank the IAFP Foundation and supporters for raising funds to offer this scholarship. This was my first time attending an IAFP meeting and I enjoyed the welcoming environment of the event, starting with the first E-mail from Susan Smith. I want to thank my mentor, Dr. Craig Henry, and his wife Debbie, who kindly volunteered to guide me and helped me get the most out of the meeting. The diverse set of topics presented gave me the opportunity to expand my interest in food safety as well as a better understanding of the multiple interactions that take place internationally in this field. During the symposia, I was able to gain insights of the joint efforts for a safer international food supply and food safety policies, including the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act. I enjoyed the roundtables, particularly those with interactive devices to get the opinion of the public in debates of controversial food safety topics. The technical and poster sessions were great opportunities to learn from different research groups dedicated to pathogen detection, prevalence, survival or inactivation, and food safety education programs, among many topics. On the other hand, in a more ‘casual’ fashion, the Exhibit Hall was a great place to learn more about well-established and emerging technologies and the implementation by professionals in the food protection business. The interaction with participants from around the world was the most valuable experience. The Opening Session, Student Luncheon and Mixer, and the Awards Banquet offered great atmospheres for networking. As a student, it was wonderful to interact with potential employers and recognized researchers and to gain their insights about future opportunities in the field. It was an honor for me to meet members of the Executive Board and PDGs, officials from regulatory agencies, prominent OCTOBER 2012 | FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS University Science of Malaysia Penang, Malaysia The opportunities available for me to learn and exchange ideas with other professionals boosted my interest to join IAFP as a student member. When I learned of the IAFP Student Travel Scholarship, I applied with the hope that it would present me with the much awaited opportunity to have face-to-face interaction with professionals in the field of food safety and related topics. Words cannot describe my happiness when I received an E-mail that I had been selected as one of the recipients for IAFP Student Travel Scholarship. It was a pathway and an eye-opener to the realisation of part of my dream come true. The symposia and roundtable discussions, poster and technical presentations, professional development groups, and many more programmes I attended during the IAFP Annual Meeting enabled me to learn new things in and around food safety, express my thoughts and network with researchers from different parts of the world. It also gave me a splendid opportunity to make new friends and interact with experts and renowned scientists in my field of study. As a person very eager to promote food safety, especially in my country and the world at large, the meeting indeed empowered and energized me to do that. It was a memorable experience to share my career and interests with my mentor, to receive her advice and support, and to learn some of the paths to her success. The receptive and welcoming nature of people I encountered in the U.S. and at the conference is something to write home about. It was also amazing to witness the WaterFire ceremony and to visit places of interest in Providence, Rhode Island. Most importantly, I would like to thank God for giving me the opportunity to be part of IAFP 2012’s Annual Meeting. I am also indebted to the IAFP Foundation, its donors and the Selection Committee members for making part of my dream come true. Finally, I am most grateful to David Tharp, Susan Smith and Terri Huffman for their excellent correspondence before, during and after the meeting. God bless you all. 609

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - October 2012

Food Protection Trends - October 2012
Contents
Sustaining Members
From Your President
Commentary from the Executive Director
The CHEF Project
Characteristics of Food Contact Surface Materials
IAFP 2012 In Review
Award Winners
Black Pearl Award Winner
Ivan Parkin Lecture
John H. Silliker Lecture
Travel Award for State or Local Health or State Agricultural Department Employees
Student Travel Scholarships
Minutes of the 2012 Annual Business Meeting
Committee Minutes
Executive Board Response to Committee Recommendations
Silent Auction Results
Exhibitors of IAFP 2012
New Members
What’s Happening in Food Safety
Industry Products
Coming Events
Advertising Index
Journal of Food Protection Table of Contents
Membership Application

Food Protection Trends - October 2012