Alumni/FIG Newsletter June 1999 Notes from the Department Head In late March I was one of the attendees at the Food Industry Conference in Harrisburg, PA, a conference hosted by the College of Agricultural Sciences and sponsored by the Department of Food Science, the Penn State Food Industry Group, and the Ben Franklin Partnership Program. This conference was a seminal event in the history of the Food Science Program in that it brought together individuals from industry, government, and academia on the theme of "The Pennsylvania Food Industry: Strengthening Partnerships for Growth". Both the planning and the program for this conference exemplified the theme of partnerships. The conference was in some ways a descendant of what had been the "Food Science Weekend" departmental program in the fall; while the social part of the weekend continued in the form of the Food Science Tailgate (which once again was a great success last fall), the recent conference built on the programmatic portion of our previous efforts. More and more the faculty and staff members in the department are recognizing that our core competencies are related to food science, and that although the needs of the food industry often include issues related to food science, these needs also extend to issues related to other areas of disciplinary strength at the University. So the partnership theme fits within the academic community at Penn State as well as among industry, government, and academia. The co-chairs of the conference - Steve Knabel (Penn State Food Science), Dan Azzara (Hershey Foods, and immediate past president of FIG), and Laurie Williams (PDA, and current president of FIG) - themselves represented academia, industry and government, respectively. They organized and conducted a marvelous program. It was significant that Sam Hayes, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and Sam McCullough, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Economic and Community Development, both helped kick off the program. It was also significant that Bob Steele, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, shared the podium with these other distinguished speakers and lent the support of the College to the idea of building partnerships for the benefit of the food industry. I encourage you to check out the program on the departmental Web site. Over the past year we hired new faculty members John Coupland (Food Chemistry) and Luke LaBorde (Processing/Manufacturing of Fruits and Vegetables). Arun Kilara left the department for a position in the food industry. We have three new staff members. Betty Sicks retired, and Cathy Murgas became the new secretary to the department head. (Betty still stops by occasionally to say "hi," and when she does she seems to have adapted a little too well to her retirement, as she is always smiling.) Amy Reese now works with Penny Irvin in the budget office. And Jennifer Caldana very recently joined the department as the receptionist and will be filling in for Rochelle Winn who left for a position in The Smeal College of Business Administration. Several other searches for new faculty members are in various stages. Catherine Cutter has accepted our offer (Processing/Manufacturing of Muscle Foods) and will join the faculty in July. We have completed the interviews for our search for a faculty member to specialize in Manufacturing of Cereal-based Foods. And interviews are imminent for a faculty member emphasizing Processing/Manufacturing of Dairy Foods. Two other positions are or will soon be requested of the Dean. As you can see, the past several months have been a very active period of transition. The plans for the new Food Science Building are in the formative stages (see artist's rendition below). A "building program committee" has been meeting to determine more precisely the characteristics that the new building will have. Once this task is complete, the plans will be ready to be turned over to the architects. The timing of that latter event will be dictated by our fund-raising success. The current project is to be a new building, to accommodate the entire Food Science department, including the Creamery manufacturing and sales area. Of the $22M cost, $4M needs to be raised privately, and this effort is under way. Any assistance, whether in the form of cash, promises of cash, or hot leads, would be much appreciated. There are opportunities to associate a name with components of the new building. For example, a contribution of $250,000 would be sufficient to name one of the two student teaching laboratories, or a research laboratory could be named for $50,000. In fact, a donation of $3M would allow naming of the Creamery! The schedule for work on the new building is to begin during the 2001/2002 year, but a rapidly successful fund-raising campaign would likely alter that schedule. As you will see by the announcement elsewhere in this newsletter, there is one more change as well. I will be rejoining the faculty to resume my duties in teaching and research. The search for a new department head is now under way, with Bob Beelman serving as chair of the search committee. I believe the department is in good shape, and it should be viewed as an excellent opportunity by prospective candidates for the position. Although I am relinquishing my formal role, I look forward to continuing to work with friends and supporters, once again as a faculty member in the department. Donald Thompson FIG President's Message The Food Industry Group has been very productive since you received last year's newsletter. Our goals included participating in the Fall Tailgate and Spring Conference, working toward increased membership, and supporting fund-raising for the new Food Science building. All of these goals were achieved and I would like to thank the membership of FIG, the department, and the Food Science Club for another successful year. In our effort to increase membership, the board approved the development of a FIG brochure describing the purpose of our organization and its activities. To help pay for this brochure, FIG submitted a proposal to the College of Agricultural Sciences Alumni Society (CAAS) who had put aside funds to support activities in the College. FIG was successful in receiving $900 toward the publication of a brochure to increase awareness of the group as well as increase our membership. In the next few months, you will receive a copy of the brochure that includes a membership/renewal form to send back with your dues. For the last two years, FIG has maintained 130 to 140 dues-paying members from a potential base of 1,800 alumni and friends. Our goal is to double our membership and add to the groupÉs income. Please renew your membership or become a new member as FIG continues to support various projects in the department. In the upcoming months, FIG income from dues will be used to subsidize travel and expenses of prospective new faculty and graduate students. FIG will also continue to support the new building fund-raising effort. This could involve presentations at prospective companies, mailings, and phone calls. Additional membership will increase awareness and provide a strong base for fund-raising activities over the next few years. I would like to take this opportunity to wish Don Thompson well as he steps down as department head this summer and returns to his position on the faculty. Don has always fully supported FIG and our activities and we look forward to working with him as a faculty member. At the FIG annual meeting, March 31, Laurie Williams took over as FIG President. For those of you who don't know Laurie, she is a sanitation specialist in the Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. The fall tailgate is set for the Pitt game, September 11, 1999. Please plan to come and enjoy the festivities with your family. The FIG fund-raising campaign for the new building is in full swing. We have raised $170,000 of FIG's initial $300,000 goal. The total cost of the project is now $22 million with $4 million to come from industry and private giving. As a result, I have stretched FIG's goal to at least $400,000. Please consider a personal contribution to the project and talk to the appropriate group in your company about an industry contribution. Again, I would like to thank everyone who participated in FIG's many activities over the last year. To stay up to date with FIG, check the Web page at www.cas.psu.edu/docs/CASDEPT/FOOD/fig.html. Go Lions! Dan Azzara 1999 - 2000 FIG Leadership As of the March 31, 1999, board meeting held at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg, Grantville, PA, the 1999 - 2000 FIG officiers are: President Laurie Williams (PA Dept. of Ag) Vice-Pres. To be determined Secretary Judy A. Williams (Hershey Foods Corp.) Treasurer Michelle Crawford (JP Foodservice, Inc.) Past Pres. Dan Azzara (Hershey Foods Corp.) Board members are: Richard Brandt (McNeil Specialty Products) Dave D'Zurilla (Lane, Aitken & McCann) Harry R. Howe (Mott's USA) Philip G. Keeney Jr. (Hershey Creamery Co.) Patrick Lawler (McCormick Flavors) Jim Newcomer (Betz Dearborn) Thomas Petka (Mitsubishi Int'l Corporation) John G. Rita (Hershey Foods Corporation) Marlene Stauffer (Blommer Chocolate Co.) David Staz (Brookwood Farms) Dennis Zak (M&M/Mars) Penn State Patricia E. Heuser (director, ag industry relations) Donald Thompson (associate professor and head) College Names Outstanding Alumni Dean B. Girton and Stuart Patton were among six graduates recently named 1999 College of Agricultural Sciences Outstanding Alumni. The award is designed to recognize outstanding graduates and to provide opportunities for interaction among the honorees, faculty, staff, and students. Dean B. Girton, president, Girton Manufacturing Company, Inc. After earning his bachelorÉs degree in dairy science from Penn State in 1960, Girton joined his familyÉs business, which is an internationally recognized manufacturer of dairy and food processing equipment. He has served the International Association of Food Industry Supply as president, chairman of the board, and a member of 14 committees. Girton has filled leadership roles in many Penn State organizations, including the Penn State Food Industry Group, the College of Agricultural Sciences Alumni Society, the Penn State Ag Council, and the Dairy Stakeholders. In addition, he is active in the community, serving on many local government, business, civic, and educational boards. Stuart Patton is adjunct professor in both the Department of Neurosciences at University of California-San Diego and in the foods and nutrition program at San Diego State University. Patton is known internationally for his research and teaching in the fields of milk chemistry and the biological processes that regulate milk synthesis in the mammary gland. He received his bachelorÉs degree in dairy husbandry from Penn State in 1943 and went on to earn his masterÉs and doctorate from Ohio State University. In 1949, he joined the dairy science faculty at Penn State, and in 1966 became the CollegeÉs first - and to date only - Evan Pugh Professor of Agriculture. Since retiring from Penn State in 1980, he has continued to publish actively in the scientific literature. Patton holds membership in numerous professional societies and has received several prestigious awards during his distinguished career. Fund Established to Support Food Science Club The family of Donald V. and Ada C. Josephson has established a fund of just over $10,000 to support Food Science Club activities over the next five years. Dr. Josephson served as head of the Dairy Science department for 27 years and played a critical role in the creation of the Food Science program and department. The 1999 Food Industry Conference "The Pennsylvania Food Industry: Strengthening Partnerships for Growth" The Department of Food Science, the Food Industry Group, and the Ben Franklin Partnership sponsored the 2nd Food Industry Conference on March 31 and April 1 at the Harrisburg/Hershey Holiday Inn in Grantville, PA. Hosted by the College of Agricultural Sciences, the conference attracted 84 participants from the food processing and manufacturing industry, state and federal government agencies, Penn State faculty, staff, and extension agents. The conference theme of strengthening partnerships between industry, government, and academia was reflected throughout the entire two-day program, starting with opening remarks given by speakers Bob Steele, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, Sam Hayes, PA secretary of agriculture, Samuel McCullough, secretary of community and economic development, and Wendie DiMatteo Holsinger, CEO of ASK Foods, Inc. (Left) Steve Knabel discusses the Pennsylvania Food Safety ans Quality Alliance with a participant during the conference The general sessions and the exhibit hall session provided great opportunities to learn about and discuss successful models of partnerships between Penn State, industry and government. The 2nd Food Industry Conference provided excellent information on issues related to food safety, technology access, workforce development, regulation of nutraceuticals, and international trade. Claudine Nuernberger New Endowed Fellowship in Microbial Food Safety Dr. and Mrs. L. E. Casida recently contributed $125,000 to endow a new graduate fellowship, to be called the Earl and Veronica Casida Graduate Fellowship in Microbial Food Safety. Dr. Casida is an emeritus Penn State faculty member from the Eberly College of Science, specializing in Soil Microbiology. The Class of '91. Where They Are; What They Are Last year we took a glance at the 1990 graduates. Well, it's a year later now, and we wondered what happened to the group that followed them. Angela Darrohn is in QA with National Packaging Systems in Allentown, PA, and is married to Penn State alumnus Michael J. Darrohn. Donald Carlson lives in Lancaster and is production supervisor with Sweet Street Desserts in Reading, PA. Christine Bartley (M.S. '91) went all the way to California where she is product development manager with Fresh Express in Salinas. Julie Bischoff (M.S. '91) is employed at McCormick & Co., Hunt Valley, MD, as a sensory analyst. Brian Anthony is now married and holds the position of microbiologist at M&M Mars. James (J./Jay) Amelang (M.S. '91) is director of purchasing for Plumrose Packing USA in Booneville, MS, and lives in Tupelo with wife Debra. Said Ajlouni (Ph.D. '91) joined the Atomic Energy Commission in Damascus, Syria, after graduation and is still there. Christine Kunetz originally had her mind set on a career with Hershey, her father's employer; she is currently a research associate in the Department of Soil and Crop Science, Texas A&M University. Stephen Krushinskie moved to Harrisonburg, VA, where he is QA manager with Wampler Foods. Sherri Hittner is now with IFF (International Flavors and Fragrances) in New York on 38th Street (not the R&D facility in Union, NY). She is a perfumerÉs assistant. Paul HartmanÉs latest affiliation is with Scattered Acres, Inc., Hartman Road, Reading, PA. It looks like he joined the family firm. Paul is married now. Nicholas Full (B.S. '91, M.S. '95) is now working for M&M Mars in Elizabethtown, PA. Joe Filippini went back to his family business where he is manager with Monterey Mushrooms, in Temple, PA, and he lives in Lancaster. John McKeehen does attend IFT meetings regularly. He should be done soon with his graduate work in Food Science at the University of Minnesota. Alan McConnell (M.S. '91) lives in Camp Hill and has a position with an analytical laboratory on Front Street in Harrisburg, PA. Lisa Marlin is married now and a market administrator for Miller, Anderson & Sherrerd in West Conshohocken. She lives in Devon, PA, with husband, Robert. Colin Manley was last seen as a management trainee at Hanover Foods Corp. in Hanover, PA. Yah-Hwa Lin (Ph.D. '91) is a food scientist with Uncle BenÉs in Houston, TX. Renee Leonetti is one of several of our FD SC graduates at North Side Food Corporation in Arnold, PA. She is the human resources manager there and lives in Monroeville, PA. Audra Landon was last employed at Kraft Food, Inc., in Glenview, IL. Looking at Our Alumni There was a heartening and warmhearted response to the request in last year's Alumni/FIG Newsletter for input, feedback, and newsworthy tidbits. Here's a rundown on the letters received. Overall, let's state first and up front: It was a pretty good year. The economy is healthy and stable, there were no major mishaps and no calamities we know of during 1998 or from then till now. Henry Donald Clemens III (B.S. '80) moved out of the food industry and into the environmental laboratory business as president/ owner/ laboratory director of BSC Laboratories in Kennett Square, PA. But food products are also looked into there, along with soils, water, and wastewater. H. D. points out that he is still single. Frederic S. Faulkner (B.S. '90) is general manager at Philadelphia Cooked Steak Co. in Philadelphia. He is married to another FD SC graduate, Juliann Struna (B.S. '90), and they have two sons, Freddy (b. 6/96) and Colman (b. 4/98). Juliann was director of QC/R&D at Reisman and is a licensed New Jersey State Waste Treatment Plant Operator. She is currently taking a break from paid employment to pursue a higher calling, 'motherhood.' Carol A. Barton (Ackerman) (B.S. '93) lives in Pittsburgh, PA, with her husband, Michael Barton, another Penn Stater, and their daughter Emily (b. 1/23/97). Carol does a little consulting work for her former employer, FMC Food Ingredients Division, and is a full-time mom. Dana Tucker (Siniscalchi) (B.S. '89) has been working in R&D/ Product Development for Campbell Soup Company for 3 years now. She lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband, Thad, who is a pilot for USAir. Thomas Davis (M.S. '85, Ph.D. '88) works for SKW Biosystems in Langhorne, PA, as a fruit product development technical director. His wife, Joanne Hoffa Davis, is a Penn State Marketing graduate, and they have three children: Nolan Thomas (b. 5/13/94), Brandon Joseph (b. 3/15/96), and Madeline Julia (b. 3/21/98). Cathy Papalia (M.S. '96) works at Warner-Lambert as a sensory scientist - Global Consumer Research for Confectionery (Bubblicious, Trident) and OTC (Benadryl, Sudafed) products. She recently traveled to Brazil to conduct consumer research with children. Cathy married a Penn State graduate, Ted Boyle, on July 11. They reside in Morristown, NJ. William Rosenhoover (B.S. '87) joined KenÉs Foods, Inc. in 1998 as plant manager of a factory located near Atlanta that produces mayonnaise, salad dressings, and barbecue products. Prior to working at Ken's, he spent 10 years with Lipton. Bill and his wife Donna have two daughters, Sarah (2 years) and Katie (4 months). Bill invites the class of '87 alumni to drop him an e-mail at WMJRR@aol.com. John Adams (B.S. '64, M.S. '66) is the director of Animal Health and Farm Services for the National Milk Producers Federation. He has received numerous honors and awards for his past service to the dairy industry. John and his wife, Mary Lee, live with their twin sons, John and Andrew, in Leesburg, VA, where he raises cattle and enjoys gardening and antiques. Cydney Whitmoyer (Flaharty) (B.S. '89) is the president of her own company called Parkside Beverage located in Wyomissing, PA, which does consulting in beverage product development and training. Cydney had her first child on May 28, 1998, Evan Alexander. Kathryn Carnarius (M.S. '84) is a senior food technologist in Product Optimization at Carl Kareker Enterprises, which runs CarlÉs Jr., Hardees, and other franchises. Kathryn tells us that she recently "came out of retirement" after spending 10 years at home raising her children. She says she plans to eventually specialize in food safety. Anthony Aches (B.S. '93) currently resides in West Homestead, PA. He resigned from his job as a food inspector for the Allegheny County Health Department when he became a police officer for the county. Earlier on, he was a corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps. Anthony has maintained ties with other Food Science Graduates: Shawn Niziol (B.S. '93), Leo Meier (B.S. '93), and Kevin Lilly (B.S. '93). John Wilson (B.S. '48) owns a business called "C" John Wilson Consulting & Associates, Inc. This business attempts to solve the most common problem of water dilution of products caused by running small batches of mixes through HTST. Tiziana Mazzarella (B.S. '90) owns an Auntie Anne's Soft Pretzel franchise in Wilkes-Barre with her husband, Joe, who is also a Penn State alumnus. They had their first daughter, Alexia, in December 1997. Gary Langer (B.S. '89) works for Kraft Foods as a senior research scientist responsible for the development of all dry mix Jell-O® puddings. He lives in New York City with his wife of two years. Bruce Artman (B.S. '90) is a manager of Process Flavors for McCormick & Co., Inc. where he is responsible for process flavor development, spice alternatives development, and spray dry technology. He resides in Maryland with his wife, Tammy, and their two children, Christine and Chad. Bradley Caplan (B.S. '87) currently oversees the warehousing and distribution of Frito-Lay products as distribution manager for this region of the country. Brad and his wife, Sheryl, who is also a Penn State graduate, live in Texas with their daughter, Madelyn (b. 9/15/95). BillieJo Brink (Hoover) (B.S. '96) works in the QA Department at DominoÉs World Headquarters in Ann Arbor, MI. She tells us her job responsibilities include analysis of pizza toppings and ingredients, general lab supervision, and eating lots of pizza. She married another graduate of Penn State, Ian Brink, in June of 1996. Clifford Lang (B.S. '71) works for the American Casein Company in Burlington, NJ, as a general sales manager. He is responsible for customer service, non-food industrial sales, industrial food ingredient sales, and food service and retail sales. Carolyn Thomas (Wallace) (Ph.D. '64) is a product development scientist in retort products for Pillsbury where she works with several other Penn State Food Science graduates. She and her husband, Drew, have five children: Ben, Andrew, Ellen, Janet, and John. Carolyn remains active in IFT. Staci Goyette (Smith) (B.S. '89) works as a nutritionist supporting the Desserts Division for Kraft Foods. She received her M.S. in Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport in 1995, and married her husband, Jean-Paul, in 1994. Wendy Lessin (Disario) (B.S. '92) is a quality engineer in the Quality and Regulatory Operations Division for General Mills in Covington, GA. She received her master's in Food Science from North Carolina State University in December 1995, and married her husband, Jerry, in May 1997. Bob Dull (M.S. '81) has held the position of vice-president of R&D/QA for Bunge Foods Group since January 1997. Previously, he was the director of R&D/New Business Development at Con Agra. David D'Zurilla (B.S. '82) is an intellectual property attorney and recently changed firms from Lane, Aitken & McCann, where he was a partner, to Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Newstadt in Arlington, VA. David tells us the Food Science Tailgate in the fall was a complete success! Analee Johnson-Rubio (B.S. '90) works part-time as a quality supervisor for Kraft Foods serving as the HACCP coordinator and supervisor in the Natural Cuts Department. She lives with Daniel Rubio and daughter Sophia (b. 7/31/96) in Emmaus, PA. Samuel Seltzer (B.S. '80) is a sales associate for the northern NJ area for Physician Sales and Service. Samuel remarried in 1994 to Laurie Sobel, and they have three children, two dogs, a rabbit, and several fish. Jessica Schumacher (B.S. '95) has been working for Kraft Foods for about 1 1/2 years now and is currently the plant quality supervisor. Jessica lives in Whitehall and was married to Scott J. Kara, a fellow PSU alumnus, in September. Valerie Barlage (Garber) (B.S. '89) works as a quality assurance manager at Gilardi Food in Sidney, OH, which makes pizza and is owned by Con Agra. She was awarded an M.B.A. from Wright State in spring 1998 and is married with two stepchildren. Jeff Maiatico (B.S. '83) is the director of Quality Assurance at Farmers' Cheese, which is the largest eastern US plant making Italian cheese. Their cheese received recognition last year at a National Milk Producers Association evaluation. Sharon Mhilarski (B.S. '95) is planning on pursuing a master's degree. She lives in Kentucky and is getting married in June. William Coleman (M.S. '75), who was our Creamery manager for several years in the 1970s, established an office in Fargo to provide consulting, advising, and education to the dairy industry. Previously, William worked for fifteen years for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. In 1996, he spent time in Lithuania to implement a dairy industry regulatory program to improve the overall quality of their raw milk and finished dairy product. J. R. Brunner (B.S. '40), retired from being a Food Science professor at Michigan State, is again being honored in May with the J. R. Brunner Protein Symposium. Susan Amurrio (B.S. '90) wrote to Dr. John Ziegler from her home in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Her bakery is doing very well (after all, she learned the business in FD SC and The Bakery on College Avenue in downtown State College). Last year, she took a well-deserved vacation traveling in Europe. She also teaches English to university students and enjoys it immensely. Michael C. Beliasov (B.S. '92) and Jill B. Moore exchanged vows on December 12, 1998, in York, ME. Mike, after starting his food science career in QC with AquaPenn in State College, is now an account manager for LTV Steel Company in Cleveland, OH. Creamery News There was a lot of activity in the Creamery during the past year. The dairy laboratory renovation project was completed and the laboratory director was hired. Lab equipment is starting to arrive and we are pleased that the laboratory is once again operational. We welcome laboratory director, Lynn LaBorde, who started in January. Two new ice cream freezers and an ingredient feeder were recently installed in the dairy plant. The GramTM ice cream freezers are fully automated, using the latest in programmable logic and touch-screen technology. Additionally, we have installed a screw compressor to improve the refrigeration system for the dairy operation. Discussions are ongoing pertaining to the eventual construction of the new Creamery dairy plant and salesroom. It is an exciting time in Food Science. Tom Palchak 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, PA 16802 (814) 865-5444 Thomas S. Dimick, Editor Manfred Kroger, Associate Editor 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; TDD ; (814) 863-1150/TTY; U.Ed. AGR99-111;