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Alumni/FIG Newsletter
July 2000
Floros has made substantial contributions in the application of chemical engineering, applied mathematics and industrial statistics to understand the many phenomena that drive food process engineering and packaging systems. His work has generated significant innovations in efficient food processing and packaging systems, while improving the value, quality, safety and shelf life of food products. His accomplishments include developing effective peeling processes
for fruits and vegetables, optimizing a calcification process
for diced tomatoes and establishing new, environmentally friendly
techniques to commercially ferment vegetables using low-salt brines.
He also designed "active" packaging films with antimicrobial
properties that improve food safety and extend the shelf life
of some packaged foods. A native of Greece, Floros received his bachelor's and master's degrees in food science and technology from the Agricultural University of Athens, Greece, and his doctorate in food science and technology from the University of Georgia in 1988. Beginning as a technician and production supervisor at a fruit processing plant in Andravida, Greece, he advanced to plant manager. Later, he served as a research assistant first at the University of Athens, then at the University of Georgia, before coming to Purdue University, where he rose to the rank of full professor. He is a member of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, the American Society for Quality Control and the Institute of Food Technologists. He also belongs to Phi Tau Sigma, Sigma Xi and the Society of Plastic Engineers. Floros has published more than 36 refereed articles, 19 book chapters, 12 other publications and 70 research abstracts. He has presented more than 55 invited lectures and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Food Quality and the trade publication, Food, Cosmetics and Drug Packaging. Floros' wife, Patricia, holds a master's degree in food science from the University of Georgia and worked in the beverage development division of Lipton's. They have two sons: Dimitri, 9, and Nikolas, 7. The Department of Food Science integrates the disciplines of chemistry, microbiology, engineering and nutrition to solve problems relevant to the processing and manufacturing of value-added foods from agricultural commodities. Housed in Borland Laboratory, facilities include instructional classrooms and laboratories, research facilities, food processing pilot plants, extension offices, the University Creamery (the largest of its kind in the world) and the Sensory Evaluation Laboratory. The department offers graduate study leading to master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees. Other facilities available to food science faculty include the Meats Lab, Materials Research Lab, Biotechnology Institute, Bioprocessing Resource Center Inc., and the Breazeale Nuclear Reactor. The department also houses the Center for Food Manufacturing, a partnership between the university and corporate members to meet the challenges of productivity, competitiveness and safety in food processing and manufacturing. Gary Abdullah
Notes from the Department Head One thing that has become quite clear to me during my tenure as department head is how little the person in this position can take credit or blame for the things that occur. The people associated with the department are the ones who jointly deserve credit. I say this with no intent to proclaim false modesty, as the department head is simply one of the many people whose work moves the group forward. Credit goes to the faculty (the corporate body), to the faculty members (the individuals), to the staff members, to the graduate students, to the undergraduate students, and to the friends and supporters of the department. It has been a priviledge to serve as head of the Penn State Department of Food Science. Although I sincerely look forward to defining myself solely as a faculty member once again, I doubt that I will be able to see that role in the same light as I did seven years ago. During this period I have read and reflected on the elusive idea of leadership, and I have come to believe even more firmly that all of us must be willing to lead at times and to follow at times, as our judgment of the situation dictates. So I do not see my imminent change in responsibilities as a fundamental change, but more of an adjustment in the balance of my activities. In his recent book Certain Trumpets, the Call of Leaders, Garry Wills drily observed that "We have thousands of books on leadership, none on followership... I have never heard anyone profess to train followers." I suggest that our departmental efforts at strategic planning over the years have contributed to our collective abilities to lead individually in the context of following our collective vision. In this Alumni/FIG Newsletter I want to emphasize the importance of the support of the Food Industry Group to the well-being of the department. Prior to starting as department head on January 1, 1994, I was on sabbatical leave in England. While there I received a call from then-FIG President Bob Harkins, wondering whether on the Thursday of my first week on the job I would have time to meet with FIG members who were concerned with the quality of the physical facilities in Borland Lab. Building on discussions with Gerry Kuhn, these FIG members hoped to continue to push for improvement. These early and continuing efforts, combined with subequent strong support from Karl Girton in leading a group of food industry executives who were also committed to improving the facilities, were absolutely critical in getting us to our current position. We now have an approved $22M project, with over $1.3M raised toward the private fund-raising goal of $4M. Support for the new building project is only one example of the many contributions by FIG over the years. While this building project is important for what it is, it is even more important for what it represents. The strong support for the food science department within the College of Agricultural Sciences and also at the University level is unambiguously manifest with respect to the building fund-raising efforts. College of Agricultural Sciences Dean Bob Steele has traveled the country to describe the importance of the project. Penn State President Graham Spanier has featured this project in his communications about the Capital Campaign. And many of you, friends and supporters of the department, have seen fit to support us through gifts and your time. FIG members have contributed to numerous other activities as well. In fact, as an organization, FIG has developed to the point where it is a recognized leader among Alumni Affiliate Groups in the College of Agricultural Sciences. This recognition is itself important for the food science department. The face of the department continues to change as new faculty members have joined. To begin with, we conducted a successful national search for new department head John Floros. John brings an impressive resume, and we are exceptionally pleased that he will join us. In addition, within the past year we were fortunate to attract Katherine Cason (food and nutrition education), who began in January of 2000, and Catherine (Cathy) Cutter (muscle foods processing/food safety), who joined us in July of 1999. Both brought with them extensive experience, and both are making an immediate impact. In August 2000, Koushik Seetharaman will be joining us as the new faculty member in Manufacturing of Cereal-Based Foods. A search for a Flavor Chemist is reaching the interview stage, and the advertisements initiating our search for a Protein Chemist have been submitted but have not yet appeared (The advertisement is on the departmental Web page. Please provide leads to Bob Roberts, chair of the search committee). Other new faculty member positions are under consideration, as noted in our current Strategic Plan (available on the Web). All this activity demonstrates the vitality of the food science department. The future is bright for Penn State Food Science. A major contributing reason is the good will of friends and supporters of the department. As I reflect on the past several years, a benefit to me of serving as department head has been the opportunity to get to know many people better, the opportunity to meet many new people, and the opportunity to work with so many great people. I look forward to continuing these associations. Thanks for your help and support. Donald Thompson
I'm very pleased to announce that the PSFIG has been chosen to
receive the 1999 APG Achievement Award from the Penn State
Alumni Association. This award recognizes an outstanding Affiliate
Program Group that has distinguished itself through exceptional
program offerings. In addition to the recognition of achievement,
FIG has been awarded a $500 program grant and certificate. FIG
is being recognized for its efforts in reorganizing the Fall Food
Science Weekend. The social part of the weekend remains as the
Annual Food Science Tailgate, which continues to attract more
alumni, friends and families to Borland Lab each fall. Additionally,
the FIG annual meeting was moved to coincide with a Spring Technical
Conference. These changes have proven to be very successful for
the department as well as for FIG.
Judy Williams The PSFIG has a site
on the Department of Food Science Web page.
2000 - 2001 FIG Leadership As of the February 8, 2000, board meeting held at the Hershey Foods Corporate Headquarters, Hershey, PA, the 2000-2001 FIG officiers are: President Judy Williams (Hershey Foods Corp.) Vice-Pres. Rich Brandt (McNeil Specialty Prod. Co.) Secretary Lance Taylor (Auntie Anne's) Treasurer Bruce Keifer (Hershey Foods Corp.) Board members are: Dan Azzara (Hershey Foods Corp.) Renee Breen Michelle Crawford (U.S. Food Service) Gina Gidaro (Hershey Foods Corp.) Patrick Lawler (McCormick & Company, Inc.) Francois Maniere (Cosmair Cosmetics Corp.) Jim Newcomer (International Home Foods) Thomas Petka (Mitsubishi Int'l Corporation) John G. Rita (Hershey Foods Corporation) Michael Rossman (Governor"s Action Team) Mary Scheffey Marlene Stauffer (Blommer Chocolate Co.) Aimee Taylor (Hershey Foods Corp.) Laurie Williams (Food Marketing Institute) Penn State John Floros (professor and Head) Donald Thompson* (professor) Thomas Dimick (outreach coordinator) Ann Panko (Food Science Club president) CAAS Delegate Dan Azzara (Hershey Foods Corp.) * Faculty member appointed by the department head Duncan Named Penn State Honorary Alumnus  Charles Duncan, vice president of research and development at
Hershey Foods Corporation has been named a Penn State Honorary Alumnus.
Chuck, an ardent supporter of Penn State, the College of Agricultural
Sciences, and the Food Science Program, has taken a leadership role
at the University for two decades. Chuck brings an impressive educational
background and business experience to his work at Penn State. After
he received a bachelor of science degree in secondary education
from the University of Tennessee, he continued on completing a M.S.
in bacteriology from Louisiana State University, and a Ph.D. in
bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin. He has published
more than 70 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals. His
leadership helped establish a multimillion-dollar endowment of the
cocoa research program through the American Cocoa Research Institute.Chuck lent considerable guidance in developing and funding the much-needed Food Science Building campaign. Serving on the Food Industry Executive Committee in support of improvements of facilities in food science, and as chairman of the Government Liaison Subcommittee, he traveled frequently in support of the project. "His efforts are such that people assume he is a Penn State alumnus," and they have far-reaching effects on the opportunities for students and faculty members at Penn State.
Creamery News This past February the Creamery hired Judy Zerby as laboratory director. Judy's duties and responsibilities are to perform microbiological and chemical anaylsis of all dairy products produced by the Creamery. She will oversee the official certification of the facility as an approved testing laboratory for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Judy"s other responsibilities will include outreach assistance in the dairy food safety area as well as assisting with short courses and workshops in the Department of Food Science. Judy is a Penn State Food Science graduate, class of 1991. Prior to working for Penn State, Judy was a plant supervisor for the Safeway Ice Cream plant in Capitol Heights, MD. Additionally, Judy has worked in milk plants owned by Safeway in Denver, CO and Tempe, AZ. Judy enjoys gardening and really enjoys her family time spent on her parent's farm in Knoxville, PA. Tom Palchak
Food Science Club News The Food Science Club had an extremely successful and eventful year thanks to the leadership of our former president Krissy Bluff. The first big event was the annual Food Science Tailgate on September 11. One hundred fifty-three FIG members and their families attended the event. One hundred fifty football tickets were sold for the Penn State versus Pittsburgh rivalry game. The tailgate was a big success thanks to the volunteer set-up, food preparation and cleanup from members of the Food Science Club. The weather was beautiful that day, so the University Creamery ice cream was a perfect treat before the football game. Another major event in the fall was the annual Harvest Fest held at Bland's Park in Tipton, PA. The club was successful with the ice cream sale and had fun while scooping (and taste-testing!) University Creamery ice cream. During the course of the past year, the club was invited to listen to many speakers and representatives from several corporations. Some of these speakers included Kellogg's, Kraft, Nabisco and National Starch. The club concluded its successful year with a tailgate for the last football game of the year, the Blue and White Game on April 15. Students, faculty, families and even their pets enjoyed a relaxed and sunny morning before heading out to the game. The newly inducted officers are looking forward to having a fun and interactive year. The annual FIG tailgate is planned for September 30 for the Penn State versus Purdue game. We hope to have an excellent turnout and sunny weather! Many of our graduate and undergraduate students are excited to be working on the Product Development project with the expertise of Aimee Taylor, from Hershey Foods, and Matt Rita, a recent food science graduate. The club's long-term project for next year is to renovate the Undergraduate Study Lounge with new furniture and a microwave. The club is ready to put on their overalls and gather their paint brushes to fix up the lounge into a relaxed and cheery place for students to study. Ann Panko
Food Science Building Benefactors Congratulations and thank you to the following
individuals and corporations who have
This newsletter is a service of: The Food Industry Group and The Department of Food Science The Pennsylvania State University 111 Borland Laboratory University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 If you have any comments about this issue of the Alumni/FIG Newsletter, or suggestions for future issues, please call Thomas S. Dimick at (814) 865-3360 or send e-mail to tsd3@psu.edu. Editor and Technical designer: Thomas S. Dimick This publication is available in alternative media on request. The Pennsylvania State University is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and employment without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualifications as determined by University policy or by state or federal authorities. The Pennsylvania State University does not discriminate against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Direct all inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy to the Affirmative Action Director, The Pennsylvania State University, 201 Willard Building, University Park PA 16802-2801; Tel. (814) 863-4700/V; (814) 863-1150/TTY. U.Ed. AGR00-133 |
John Floros, professor of food process engineering
and packaging at Purdue University, has been appointed head of
the Department of Food Science in Penn State's College of Agricultural
Sciences, effective June 28.
For more information contact:
Tom Dimick, Outreach Coordinator and Computer Support
204 Borland Laboratory
University Park, PA 16802
Ph: (814) 865-3360
Email: tsd3@psu.edu
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and the diversity of its workforce
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Last Update was July 17, 2002