Food Protection Trends - January/February 2021 - 119

Our Experiences (continued)

I am so lucky to have received the IAFP Student Travel Scholarship to take part in IAFP 2020, despite travel
looking quite different this year. IAFP's Annual Meeting is always one of the highlights of my year, and I was honored to
be recognized by the Association. Though the Annual Meeting was virtual this year, I still found it to be a valuable time to
pause, reflect, and reconnect with the food safety community. I enjoyed being able to peruse the posters at my leisure,
and it was great to be able to take my time looking through each one. I also was able to visit the Exhibit Hall and had
some fun browsing the list and checking in to booths of interest.
In addition, I was also able to present a technical talk, which was an adjustment but ultimately a great experience.
I learned a new way to deliver results and was able to take time and really craft my presentation that communicated
what I wanted. The IAFP virtual meeting also inspired multiple social and networking events which I was able to attend.
I reconnected with the food safety community virtually, and this social interaction provided some normalcy during this
chaotic year.
I am excited to hopefully see everyone in person at IAFP 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona!

Katie Overbey

Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland

I was lucky to be one of the students selected as a recipient of the 2020 IAFP Student Travel Scholarship Award.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year, the Annual Meeting was held virtually. However, this new modality was interesting to attend lectures, symposia, roundtables, technical expositions, posters, and Zoom meetings with the Student
Professional Development Group.
During the event, I had the opportunity to interact in the chat room and by email with various attendees and exhibitors.
Also, I was put in touch with different friends and colleagues who always go to the IAFP Annual Meeting, which was a
very different experience in comparison with the previous years but was very enriching. This pandemic has helped me
learn that, despite not being physically together, we can still feel close.
A great advantage was the recorded symposia and technical sessions because I was able to watch different
sessions at different times, and I learned about a variety of topics.
I want to thank the IAFP Foundation, all those who donate, and the IAFP Staff for working so hard to give students
like me the opportunity to receive this recognition. See you soon in Phoenix, Arizona!

Angélica Godinez Oviedo
Universidad Autónoma
de Quéretaro
Quéretaro, Mexico

I am very pleased to have been able to attend IAFP 2020, A Virtual Annual Meeting. The IAFP Student Travel
Scholarship has been a great incentive for my new career. I would like to acknowledge the work of IAFP in organizing
this meeting and creating the videos of each of the award recipients, considering the current situation of the coronavirus
pandemic.
My experience during this Annual Meeting was very good. I was especially interested in the pre-harvest safety
presentations, organized by Dr. Kali Kniel. I believe this area of study has a great future for development, especially
considering the need for FSMA application and the demands that it will imply for countries like Chile.
I look forward to participating at IAFP 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. And I hope this meeting will provide the opportunity
for me to share information with Dr. Kniel and other food safety professionals and exploring the possibility of establishing
scientific collaboration, which would be of great importance for my country.

Dácil Rivera

Andres Bello University
Santiago, Chile

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Food Protection Trends - January/February 2021

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