Food Protection Trends - November/December 2017 - 475

Our Experiences (continued)
Thank you very much!
Excited and grateful: No other words could better describe what the IAFP
Foundation's support for the Student Travel Scholarship has meant to me! Attending
IAFP 2017 allowed me to participate in one of the biggest food safety meetings around
the world and to actually visit with researchers only known to me from their scientific
publications. The lectures were a very enriching opportunity to enhance my knowledge.
All of the speakers brought something new to the food safety research field and
provided topics to think about for my future research.
The poster sessions were wonderful and illustrative of the great breadth of activities
that take place globally to make food safe. In particular, I enjoyed the work of fellow
students, the interesting ideas from researchers, seeing the poster sessions, and taking
part in the Exhibit Hall lunches as great opportunities to meet my fellow students and
begin a networking relationship that for sure will foster future collaborations.
A unique addition to this meeting was the opportunity to explore the Exhibit Hall
and visit with the exhibitors, seeing their new technologies available all over the world,
and talking to the developers and sales staff.
Constanza Vergara
I can't imagine any other place and time where this collection of professionals
University of Chile
from academia, industry, and government are all present at the same time in a relaxed
Santiago, Chile
environment that allows for attendees to converse and share experiences.
I enjoyed Dr. Esteban's presentation at the Ivan Parkin Lecture. His insights on what food safety means in our
current world were very novel and from a very entertaining point of view to understand, along with his thoughts on how
we should get involved with the common public and the people who we are trying to protect with our new findings in food
safety, especially because they don´t understand food safety risks like we do.
I would like to extend my gratitude to the IAFP Executive Board and Staff, especially to Susan Smith, who was
always available with a kind answer to all my questions. Participating in IAFP 2017 has definitely changed the way
I view the world of food safety. I look forward to becoming a long-standing IAFP Member and being able to connect
with contacts for years to come. This meeting has been an invaluable experience for me, and I hope to continue my
participation at future IAFP Annual Meetings.

For me, IAFP 2017 was filled with many "firsts." It was not only a professional
experience to me but also an internal one.
I was previously a Biology major and, by default, didn't know much about the
branches and potentials in food science and food safety. As a first-timer at the IAFP
Annual Meeting, I was greatly impressed by the vitality of this discipline; the interesting
conversations among government, academia, agriculture, and industry; and the diverse
perspectives among different cultures.
Between being a Session Monitor and an audience participant, I attended several
presentations and visited with professionals and scholars from different backgrounds.
By the time I returned home, I could confidently say that I wanted to pursue global food
safety and public health as my career.
The map of the world displayed at the convention, which I checked daily, says so
much about not only the attendee diversity and regional condition, but also reveals the
gap and opportunity.
As we explore outwards, what is so internal? Frankly speaking, I got to know my
Sophie Tongyu Wu
fellow colleagues better - and myself! I'm not a talkative or eloquent person; "social
Purdue University
mingling" tends to make me nervous. However, IAFP 2017 has provided me one of
West Lafayette, Indiana
the brightest and warmest of memories. The familial bonds among the attendees,
the sincere support to everyone and all - this friendly environment attracts me, and it
should be the role model of any discipline. By working with kind people, I am becoming a better communicator, and I
shall also behold that kindness and understanding.
I would very much like to thank the IAFP Staff and various Committees for their hard work in providing this
opportunity. I would also like to recommend to other students and colleagues who have never attended this conference
to apply for this Student Travel Scholarship and - even if not awarded - to attend anyway.

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