Spectrum - Volume 19 Issue 24 March 20, 1997 - ACHIEVERS

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ACHIEVERS

Spectrum Volume 19 Issue 24 - March 20, 1997

Paul Torgersen, university president, has been appointed to the Industrial, Manufacturing and Operational Systems Engineering Peer Committee of the National Academy of Engineering for a three-year term.

William G. Sullivan , professor of industrial and systems engineering (ISE), will co-chair the International Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing Conference (FAIM) in Middlesbrough, U.K., June 25-27. The Tech ISE Department, which was the original organizer of FAIM, will co-host this seventh conference.

Thomas E. Diller , professor of mechanical engineering, received the Major Charles Bassett III Outstanding Paper Award during the 42nd International Instrumentation Symposium.

Susan Sumner , associate professor of food science and technology, was recognized by the Institute of Food Technologists in November for outstanding performance as a food-science communicator. The institute is the primary organization for food scientists, having nearly 30,000 members. Also in November, Sumner presented a seminar titled "The Mega-Reg and What the Meat Industry is Doing to Protect Consumers" at the CASA meeting in Roanoke.

Susan Duncan , associate professor of food science and technology, and Donald Underwood, of Valley Rich Dairy, coordinated a program on dairy quality-control issues for the February meeting of the Virginia Dairy Technology Society. She also made a presentation, "Improving the Nutrition of Dairy Products," at the November meeting of the Southwest Virginia Dietetic Association.

James R. Claus and Joe Marcy , associate professors of food science and technology, recently were awarded a three-year grant funded by the Virginia poultry industry. The program for which they are co-investigators is "The Virginia Poultry Processing/Product Technology Research Program." The areas of research conducted under this program are jointly identified by the two participating poultry companies and the co-investigators. The program will initially focus on improving poultry meat quality and addressing various food-safety issues.

Bruce Zoecklein , assistant professor of food science and technology, presented a paper at the Unified Symposium, an annual meeting of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture in Sacramento, Calif. His presentation focused on his research using grape glycoconjuates as a quality index. He was also invited to be a keynote speaker at the winter meeting of the American Society of Enology and Viticulture. He will discuss his grape aroma and flavor research at a symposium titled "Farming for consumer taste and preference."

Merle Pierson , professor of food science and technology, gave a symposium paper on "HACCP and the Food Animal Practitioner," and presented a roundtable discussion paper on "Who is Responsible for Food Safety?" at the 1997 North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, Fla.

Norman G. Marriott , professor of food science and technology, recently spoke at the annual New England Turkey Growers Conference at Sturbridge, Mass., on "Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures and HACCP Plan Development." He also recently gave a similar presentation at a poultry-association meeting conducted in Raleigh, N.C. Marriott gave an invited presentation to the Virginia Cattle Industry Board about updated research results on beef tenderness that has been conducted jointly with James R. Claus .

Cindy Wood , professor of animal and poultry sciences, received the 1997 Pork Industry Service Award from the Virginia Pork Industry Association.

Jeffrey F. Derr , associate professor of plant pathology, physiology, and weed science, received the 1997 Outstanding Applied Research Award in Turf, Ornamentals, and Vegetation Management from the Northeastern Weed Science Association. Derr is an Extension weed scientist for horticultural crops and is based at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Virginia Beach. He is currently on leave, serving as a visiting professor at Rutgers University.

David Langston , a Ph.D. candidate in plant pathology, physiology, and weed science, received the 1996-97 Virginia Crop Production Association Scholarship. He is working with Pat Phipps at the Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Suffolk and with R.J. Stipes on the Blacksburg campus.

Chloe Vance , executive secretary with the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Virginia Beach, has been named the February 1997 recipient of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' Employee Recognition Award. Vance has served the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences for 11 years.

The award is part of CALS's ongoing program to recognize the contributions of classified staff employees to the college's success. It is presented to a college staff member who has made exceptional contributions to his/her department and to the college.

Vance is involved in a number of activities at the Hampton Roads AREC. In addition to performing secretarial, receptionist, and accounting duties, she helps to coordinate the annual field day, organizes evening graduate-school classes, assists with the Flower Trial Garden, and organizes seminars for the Master Gardeners program. During the hiring freezes of the early 1990s, Vance expanded her job responsibilities and performed her additional duties in the same professional manner as her previous duties.