Department of
Food Science & Human Nutrition APRIL 2009
Newsletter for Alumni and Friends
From the Department Chair... Greetings from the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition! I am pleased to have this opportunity to provide a brief update of some of our recent activities and accomplishments.
and health. Enrollments have more than doubled in all three majors in the past four years, with current numbers at 360 in dietetics, 351 in nutritional sciences, and 105 in food science. Graduate enrollments in food science and human nutrition are 20 and 18, respectively.
Gale Strasburg
One of the most significant transitions in our department’s history was the closure of the College of Human Ecology in 2005, which had a rich history of excellence in teaching, research, and outreach in dietetics and nutritional sciences. While acknowledging the organizational change, I am pleased to report that our programs have been welcomed and are thriving in their new collegiate homes: Dietetics is now in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR); Nutritional Sciences is in the College of Natural Science; and the Human Nutrition graduate programs are in both colleges. The undergraduate and graduate programs in Food Science remain in CANR. Our undergraduate programs have grown substantially in the past four years, mirroring national trends in programs related to food, nutrition,
Among our recent curricular accomplishments is a required capstone course in research methods in nutrition for the nutritional sciences majors where students conduct a research project and present their findings in a public research forum. Also, a study abroad class in Food, Nutrition, and Health in Tanzania is now in its fourth year. The class is offered by Professors Romsos and Bennink in coordination with alumnus Theo Mosha, a professor at Sokoine University in Tanzania. Another study abroad course, International Food Laws in Western Europe, continues in its 15th year under Rhonda Crackel. Finally, the popular Introduction to Human Nutrition course has grown to serve more than 2,000 students per year and is now offered online every summer. The department’s research and outreach thrusts in food safety and toxicology, food quality, and nutrition and chronic disease continue to make an impact on quality of life. The importance of our work to society
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is evidenced by recent outbreaks of salmonella in peanut butter and E. coli in spinach, the increasing incidence of food allergies, the continuing increase in obesity with attendant risk factors for chronic disease, and the growing recognition of nutrition in preventing infectious and chronic diseases. Our faculty continue to be leaders in these areas of research and their connection to our students provides educational opportunities that ensure lifelong success. We have been fortunate to hire several outstanding new faculty members in the past few years. They all complement our department strengths and have already begun shaping the future of our programs. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the many contributions to our departmental programs over the years. Support from alumni, faculty, staff and friends has allowed for our continued success, and future generations of Spartans will all be beneficiaries of the efforts. In an era of diminishing state funding for higher education, the private support of alumni and friends are critical to maintaining program excellence. Thank you. Please stay in touch and stay connected, and remember to stop by the Trout Building should you ever find yourself back on campus. Gale Strasburg, Ph.D. Chair, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
Faculty High-5’s and Transitions Maurice Bennink and Lorraine Weatherspoon recently presented findings on two nutrition intervention studies in HIV positive children in Africa. Both studies demonstrated the importance of nutrition in the treatment of HIV. In Tanaznia, they found that providing HIV positive children with inexpensive fortified food produced from locally grown crops reduced classical signs of malnutrition and slowly increased the number of immune cells which would normally be destroyed by virus. In Botswana, they found that eating a bean fortified supplement reduced the need to treat the children with second line anti-retroviral drugs. Jenifer Fenton recently had her research featured on the cover of the Journal Molecular Carcinogenesis. The article describes how she utilized microarray technology to identify the genes upregulated in colon epithelial cells exposed to a hormone called leptin that is elevated in obese individuals. These data establish a biologically plausible mechanistic link between the elevated levels of growth factors and the increased risk of colon cancer associated with obesity. Pamela Fraker was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2007 and was the first MSU woman elected to the academy. Fraker and Kate Claycombe led a research team that discovered that leptin, a hormone produced by fat cells, supports white blood cell production in the body, enhancing immune function. This marked the first time leptin’s effect on the immune system had been demonstrated and their findings were published last year in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Venu Gangur published a study in the International Archives of Allergy and Immunology that demonstrated four transdermal exposures to cashew nut protein
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is sufficient to clinically sensitize mice for systemic anaphylaxis upon oral exposure to cashew nut. The research also explored the mechanism of sensitization and found that cashew nut is a potent activator of type-2 cytokines—the molecular immune mediators that facilitate establishment of food allergy. The research may be useful for further studies on cashew nut allergy. Sharon Hoerr recently published “Nutrient Quality of Fast Food Kids Meals” in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This was the first study to examine the nutrient quality of such meals in a major U.S. metropolitan market and the findings indicated that only 3 percent of kids’ meals served at fast-food restaurants met federal dietary guidelines. The small percentage of meals that did meet dietary guidelines included fruit as a side dish and milk, and nearly all were deli-sandwich meals. They also had about onethird the fat, one-sixth the added sugars, twice the iron and three times the amount of vitamin A and calcium as did meals not meeting the criteria. Beth Olson presented “Breastfeeding Support for Low-Income Families: What Works?” at the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine’s Annual International Meeting. She also co-authored several publications, including “The Development of an Instrument to Measure Female Employees’ Perceptions of Workplace Breastfeeding Support” in Breastfeed Med. and “Parental Influences on Calcium Intake in Children, and their Role in Child Calcium-Fortified Food Use” in the Journal of Nutritional Ed. Behavior. Lorraine Weatherspoon was selected as a 2007-08 Outstanding Faculty Award Winner selected by the MSU Senior Class Council. She also was named Outstanding Dietetics Educator for Michigan Didactic Programs in 2007.
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
RETIREMENTS Mark Uebersax retired in 2008. He served as department chair from 1997 to 2004 and helped focus on improving access to programs, experiential learning and outplacement. His initiatives included a graduate degree program for employees within W.K. Kellogg Institute facilities, PepsiCo minority scholarship and internship program, undergraduate teaching assistant program and the Student Career Center. Nancy Johnson recently retired as an instructor in food science where she taught Management of Foodservice Operations, Computerized Foodservice Management, and Foodservice Management Practicum. She also led Quantity Cooking - a certificate program for providers of quantity meals. OBITUARIES J. Robert Brunner died in February 2008. He retired from MSU in 1987. Among his many awards and accomplishments was the Borden Award by the American Chemical Society for distinguished research in the chemistry of milk. Dena Cederquist died in November 2008. She joined MSU in 1944, served as chair from 1956 to 1970, and retired in 1977. Cederquist pioneered a television show on WKAR called “Food for Life,” which was later made into a series. Sylvia Gartung died in December 2008. She joined the MSU faculty in 1959 and retired in 1989. Jean McFadden died in May 2008. McFadden joined the faculty in 1956 and retired in 1989. Thomas Whittam died in December 2008. He was a renowned expert on bacterial evolution with a focus on pathogens that cause food-borne diseases.
CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT
Developing Real-World Products in the Classroom
During their senior year, food science students use all of the skills they have learned and put them to use creating a real product prototype for FSC 470: Food product development. MSU students’ prototypes have won the national competition organized by the Institute of Food Technologists Student Association two years in a row and illustrate the success and hard work of students and faculty in the department.
“Product development is the lifeblood of the industry,” Janice Harte, associate professor of food science, said. “The capstone class teaches students important skills they will need for future work in the food industry and while connecting much of the knowledge that they gained while at MSU.” In the class, students learn the entire process of product development. They start with consumer research to determine demand. Then they brainstorm for new ideas and formulate a product in the lab. Students create a prototype complete with nutritional labels, packaging, and even do sensory evaluation of the product, Harte explained. “The capstone class takes all aspects of what students have been learning, whether it is food chemistry, food engineering or food microbiology, and the class puts it all together,” Harte said. “On top of it, we add in some work related to consumer research. It is a little different for our students because they are science based, but it is very important.” The class is held in the fall and promising prototypes are entered in the Institute of Food Technologists Student Association competition. In 2007 and 2008, ideas that started in the classroom won first place in the national competition.
Last year, a team of students developed wheat-free peanut butter cookie mix in the capstone class. The idea grew into ready-to-bake chocolate chip cookie dough that was absent of eight major allergens. Called Ready-To-Dough, the product crossed many hurdles in formulation and required extensive taste tests in order to create a solid business plan and marketable cookies. “Ready-To-Dough was a great success because there is a growing market for allergen free foods, and importantly because the cookies tasted great,” Harte said. “The students in the group talked to people with gluten intolerance who impressed upon them the high cost and lack of good flavor in many exiting allergy-free products. This provided them an opportunity to create a competitive and functional product.”
A team of MSU students developed Ready-To-Dough in the classroom and won first prize in the Institute of Food Technologists’ national competition. MSU has applied for a patent for the allergy-free cookies. Team members included: (back, l-r) Shantanu Kelkar, Eric Birmingham, Raghav Sundar, (front) Megan Schwannecke, Aileen Tanojo, Nicole Goldman, and Ashley Walters. Not pictured is Charles Pountney.
Students leave the class with a new understanding for the entire process of food development, but even more importantly they learn about independent learning and teamwork. “The most valuable part of the class is how they learn together and how they get through this process,” Harte said. “When students go out into the world, they have better skills and experience that can be directly applied to positions in the food industry.”
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NEW FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Feed A Cold, Feed A Fever Dieters or those who consume fewer calories during flu season could have a harder time fighting off the flu virus, according to research by nutritional immunology professor Elizabeth Gardner. In a study published in the November issue of the Journal of Nutrition, Gardner showed that mice with a calorie-restricted diet were more likely to die during the first few days of infection than mice with a normal diet.
Elizabeth Gardner is a nutritional immunologist and joined the MSU faculty in 2008. She received a B.S. from Chestnut Hill College and a Ph.D. from The Medical College of Pennsylvania.
“If you are exposed to a new strain of influenza, to which your body has not made adequate antibodies to protect you from infection, your body must rely on cells that will kill the virus,” Gardner said. “The natural killer cells are important in controlling the early stages of virus infection, because they act quickly once they encounter virus-infected cells. Our studies show that calorically restricted mice have increased susceptibility to influenza, and their bodies are not prepared to produce the amount of natural killer cells needed to combat the stress of fighting an infection.” Caloric restriction is the practice of reducing the intake of calories to 40 percent of a normal diet, while maintaining adequate vitamins and minerals. In Gardner’s research, both regularly fed mice and calorically restricted mice exposed to the virus exhibited decreased food intake as they tried to fight off the infection. Yet the mice on calorically restricted diets took longer to recover and exhibited increased mortality, weight loss and other negative effects. Even though both sets of mice had a diet fortified with appropriate vitamins, the mice consuming normal amounts of food had their appetites back sooner and recovered faster.
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Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
“Our research shows that having a body ready to fight a virus will lead to a faster recovery and less-severe effects than if it is calorically restricted,” Gardner said. “Adults can calorically restrict their diet eight months out of the year, but during the four months of flu season they need to bump it up to be ready. You need the reserves so your body is ready for any additional stress, including fighting a virus.” Calorically restricted diets in general have been shown to increase lifespan in everything from yeast to primates, according to Gardner. But the model used in Gardner’s research can be extended to more vulnerable groups including children and the elderly, who don’t eat as much but often take vitamin supplements. Gardner, an associate professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, now is investigating the mechanisms responsible for decreased immune function during caloric restriction. Her research in nutritional immunology will lead to a better understanding of how a diet affects the immune system and the best conditions for a body to quickly and successfully fight infections. For more information on Gardner’s research or other faculty research, go to http://fshn.msu.edu.
RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT
Examining Risk to Improve Food Safety Contaminated spinach in 21 states caused 205 confirmed cases of illness and three deaths in 2006. Understanding how contamination occurs and ways to improve food safety are critical in preventing future outbreaks of foodborne illness. Professor Elliot Ryser leads a research program that examines the way foods are contaminated and collaborates with several others who develop models to understand the mathematical risks of infection.
Ryser is studying the risks associated with bacterial contamination of deli meats with Listeria monocytogenes. For more than five years, he has examined how Listeria is transferred between equipment and delicatessen meat during retail slicing. The USDA is now using his models for their risk assessment in deli meats. As a result of the 2006 spinach outbreak, Ryser began investigating the way leafy greens, like lettuce and spinach, can become contaminated with bacteria and how this contamination can spread in processing facilities. His work is now focusing on how E. coli O157:H7 (a strain of E. coli that makes people sick) is transferred between leafy greens and processing equipment. His work is part of a national effort by the USDA to better understand contamination at all levels - from the fields and farms to the forks of consumers. In order to test how bacteria are transferred during processing, Ryser assembled a fully functioning processing line on the second floor of the G.M Trout Building. This line chops, conveys, washes and dries leafy greens in the same manner as much larger commercial facilities. In his tests, Ryser contaminated lettuce and spinach with a non-harmful version of E. coli and then ran it through the line. By sampling the
machinery, he was able to determine where E. coli accumulated on specific pieces of the processing line by using a special strain of E. coli that was modified to glow green under ultraviolet light.
Professor Elliot Ryser is a food safety microbiologist who examines how contamination occurs and ways to improve food safety.
Ryser found that almost 90 percent of the E. coli ended up in the water that is used to wash the lettuce. The other major area was in the last water removal step in a dryer. “The dryer is a critical control point for potentially identifying hazardous bacteria,” Ryser said. “We’re working with a company that has developed a real-time test for E. coli O157:H7 in wash water, so we will be adapting that as part of our work.” Ryser has done testing on clean lettuce processed on contaminated equipment and found that the lettuce becomes contaminated all the way through processing. E. coli is spread to previously uncontaminated product as a result of coming into contact with dirty equipment. Ryser’s findings are being combined with those from other groups studying various stages of the growing process for leafy greens. Combined, they will be able to analyze the risk at different production steps and create new food safety guidelines for the growing and handing of leafy greens.
Currently, Ryser notes that there is no way to wash off all the E. coli on leafy greens. He and his colleagues are testing new ways to reduce bacterial numbers and are working with industry to develop machines that can eliminate E. coli from leafy greens using x-rays. “In terms of food safety, the magic bullet may be x-ray technology,” Ryser said. “It is very promising and has been shown to reduce bacteria numbers by 99.999 percent, which is the industry standard for microbial reduction processes.” Ryser’s research is funded by the USDA, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Bolthouse Farms and Fresh Express in California. Ryser earned a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin and joined the MSU faculty in 1998.
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ALUMNI CLASS NOTES Clara Louise Augustine, BS ‘57, MA ‘66, celebrated 50 years of ADA membership at the 2008 FNCE. Jean Hull, BS ‘58, is retired as associate professor of food service at the Univ. of Hawaii Community Colleges. She serves on the board of the American Culinary Federation’s Chef and Child Foundation. Timothy Beard III, MS ‘60, retired from the military and is the owner and operator of the Gray Wolf Plantation near New Oxford, PA, where he is one of the largest pumpkin growers in Pennsylvania, and grows and distributes heirloom apples in 48 states. John Bruhn, BS ‘62, retired from the Univ. of California, Davis, after a 37-year career with the Dept. of Food Science and Technology. He received the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award by the California Cheese and Butter Assoc. He is serving on the Executive Committee of the Council of Agricultural and Science Technology. Lewie Dodge, MS ‘63, retired to Wyoming where he operates a water disposal facility in natural gas fields near Rawlins. Simin Vaghefi, MS ‘63, PhD ‘67, is retired from the Dept. of Human Nutrition and Dietetics at the Univ. of North Florida. She created the program in Nutrition and Dietetics in 1984 and currently serves as the chair of the advisory board. Charles Elson, PhD ‘64, is a fellow of the American Society for Nutrition and professor
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emeritus in the Dept. of Nutritional Sciences at the Univ.of Wisconsin where he serves on the department’s development committee. Constance Hagelshaw, BS ‘67, MS ‘70, recently celebrated 10 years of volunteer work with the MSU Alumni Association and is currently on the CANR Alumni Association Board representing the department. Jim Kirk, MS ‘67, PhD ‘71, is retired from Groupe Danone where he served as senior vice president of R&D and returned to the US to enjoy retirement in the Hilton Head area. Jean Lavie, MS ‘69, recently retired and is spending time painting, gardening organic food and helping young adults in mental and social despair to be fit for jobs. Yen Hsieh, BS ‘72, MS ‘75, PhD ‘78, is retiring from Procter and Gamble Company in April after 27 years of service. He spent 21 years in food product development and the last five in pet care. He is also teaching in the culinary science department at the Univ. of Cincinnati. Holly Adams, BS ‘74, is treasurer of the Florida Dietetic Association. Joan Trute, BS ‘74, is a diabetes educator and fitness consultant with the Division of Endocrinology in the Dept. of Internal Medicine at University Health Center, Detroit, MI. Shahram Dokhani, MS ‘75, PhD ‘78, received the award of Hedayat in Tehran, Iran, for the
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
best food science & technology professor in 2007. An author of more than 80 articles and two books, Shahram recently retired from Isfahan University of Technology and is living in Canada.
CNBC, CNN, NPR and others.
Gregory Miller, BS ‘78, is executive vice president, research, regulatory and scientific affairs for the National Dairy Council and is an adjunct associate professor in the Dept. of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Illinois. He co-authored the Handbook of Dairy Foods and Nutrition and has appeared on national media including the NBC Today Show,
Laurel Eppstein, BS ‘80, was recently promoted to associate scientist at the National Council for Air & Stream Improvement.
Mary Jo Morrissey, MS ‘78, manages the Food and Nutrition Services and Diabetes Education departments at Kittitas Valley Community Hospital, Eunshil Shim-McKenna, BS ‘75, Ellensburg WA. She is a Certiis president-elect of the Florida fied Diabetes Educator and preDietetic Association and chair of sented “Effectiveness of Using a the ADA Diversity Committee. Touch Screen Kiosk for Point of Sale in a Hospital Foodservice Diane Fischer, BS ‘76, MS ‘83, Operation” at the 2008 FNCE. is a specialist at the MSU Dept. of Food Science and Human Patricia Saunders Reddicks, BS Nutrition. She teaches HNF ‘78, is a renal dietitian for two 444: Computer Foodservice Fresenius Medical Care Dialysis Management Lab and HNF Clinics in Arizona and a consul445: Foodservice Management tant dietitian for LaPaz Regional Experience. Previously, she was Hospital and Havasu Regional the chief clinical dietitian at Medical Center. She also serves Sparrow Health System. as a Consultant Dietitian for Hospice of Havasu. Gabriele Kende, BS ‘77, MS ‘79, graduated from two yoga Jane Reagan, BS ‘79, works in teacher trainings of 500 hours the Office of Special Education each and is training to become and Early Intervention Services a yoga therapist. She is teaching at the Michigan Dept. of Educayoga classes at the Center for tion where she assists school Yoga in East Lansing. districts in working with the Medicaid Program. Lynn Klees, BS ‘78, joined the faculty of Penn State Univ. as a Garret White, BS ‘79, is the nutrition instructor for introMarket Development Manager ductory nutrition courses and for Neogen Corporation where was also was elected to serve on he is responsible for the extenthe Executive Leadership Team sive line of food safety assays of the Pennsylvania Diabetes for rapid detection of veterinary Action Plan. drug residuals in milk.
Sandra Frieswyk Bouma, BS ‘80, works as the clinical nutrition specialist for the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Team at the University of Michigan. Ronald Cichy, PhD ‘81, was
named as one of the top innovators for 2009 by Lodging Magazine. He also was recently honored by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute. Since 1988, he has served as the director and a professor in The School of Hospitality Business at MSU. Cecelia Vincent, BS ‘82, is a consumer safety officer with the United States Food & Drug Administration.
evaluation, implementation and upgrades to Electronic Medical Record systems at the Univ. of Michigan Health System’s Information Technology Dept. Roger Wenk, BS ‘95, MS ‘02, has been appointed Lead Product Development Scientist for Morning Foods Emerging Brands with focus on Kashi and Bear Naked.
Christie Achenbach, BS ‘01, is a public health nutrition consultant at Hillsborough County Health Dept. for the Steps to a Healthier Hillsborough County program. In addition to blogging, Coach Christie is a resource for media and the Tampa Bay community where she discusses nutrition, exercise and healthy living.
Danielle Garabedian, BS ‘02, is Sandy Larson, BS ‘96, is a food a clinical nutrition manager at scientist in the R&D departHenry Ford Macomb Hospital Sharri Margraves, BS ‘86, has ment at Elan Nutrition in Grand and she is working on an MBA. been named director of campus Rapids, MI. living services, a new departMeredith Barnes, BS ‘03, ment at MSU that will include Jonathan Hughes, BS ‘98, is the received a PhD in Nutritional all on-campus residence hall executive chef of the Riverwalk Sciences from the Univ. of Ilhousing, facilities, maintenance, Marketplace at MSU’s Owen linois at Urbana Champaign in interior design, conferences and Hall opening in fall 2009. October and is in her last year apartments. of medical school at UIUC. Betsy Booren, BS ‘99, recently John Peterson II, BS ‘89, is completed her PhD in Food Sci- Raquel Franzini Pereira, MS owner of Management Recruit- ence & Technology from Texas ’03, works for HealthPartners in ers of Lansing – an executive A&M Univ. and was named Minneapolis and is a nutrition search firm specializing in the director of scientific affairs for study coordinator for the “The recruitment of food technology the American Meat Institute Heart of New Ulm Project,” an professionals in the area’s of Foundation in January. effort to reduce and eliminate R&D, Food Safety and Specialty heart attacks among residents of ingredient sales. Katie Haraminac, BS ‘00, New Ulm, Minnesota. received a Masters in Health Janet Lawrence, BS ‘91, MS ‘97, Services Admin. from Univ. Allena Howard, BS ‘04, reis senior scientist in techniof Michigan School of Public ceived an MBA in June 2008 cal regulatory affairs at Access Health and is a managerial will be pursuing a masters and Business Group, Int’l, where she consultant at the Permanente PhD in Food Science at Auburn focuses on regulatory compliMedical Group in Oakland, CA. University starting this fall. ance analysis for health foods She manages projects to impleand supplement products sold ment web-based applications Katelyn Ward, BS ‘05, is receivin China and Vietnam. for weight management, as well ing a PharmD from Ferris State as other work to reduce obesity Univ. in May and is pursuing Jeremy Reed, BS ‘91, manin Northern California and im- residency training to become a ages projects associated with prove cancer screening rates. clinical pharmacist.
Anna Arthur, BS ‘07, is receiving a MS in Public Health in Human Nutrition from the Univ. of Michigan School of Public Health and is pursuing a PhD/RD at in Nutritional Epidemiology. Meghan O’Brien Schmansky, BS ‘07, is receiving a masters in Health Service Administration from the Univ. of Michigan School of Public Health and will serve as Administrative Resident at the Univ. of California San Diego Medical Center for two years. Dawn Wilcox, BS ‘07, is a nutrition educator for MSU Extension in Saginaw County where she supervises the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Breast Feeding Initiative. Sara Zerba, BS ‘07, completed an internship at Hurley Hospital in Flint. She is a resource dietitian for Sodexo and recently became a Registered Dietitian. Lindsey Lankowsky, BS ‘08, is currently in a dietetic internship at Louis Stokes Veterans Affairs hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, while pursuing her Master’s in Nutrition from Case Western Reserve Univ.
Alumni Staying Connected The MSU Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition newsletter is published annually by the College of Natural Science for alumni and friends. Copyright 2009 Michigan State University. MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. Send correspondence to: Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition, 204 Trout Building, East Lansing, MI 48824. Ph (517) 355-8474, ext. 100. E-mail: natsci4u@msu.edu Contributing writers: Gale Strasburg, Gordon Shetler, and Mike Steger.
Thank you to everyone who contributed information on their career accomplishments. We like to hear from alumni and encourage you to stay connected... • Visit the alumni section of canr.msu.edu or naturalscience.msu. edu and use the on-line form to send us your information, • Join the college groups on Facebook or LinkedIn, • Join the alumni association and become involved in the college alumni organization, • Visit the website for the latest news: http://fshn.msu.edu.
Photography: Dale Romsos, Gordon Shetler, Mike Steger.
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NEW DEPARTMENT FACULTY
Food, Nutrition and Health in Tanzania
Join us in welcoming these new faculty to the department: Jenifer Fenton earned her Ph.D. from MSU and was a National Cancer Institute Postdoctoral Fellow in Cancer Prevention. Her research interest is the effect of dietary factors on inflammatory processes related to chronic disease. Diane Fischer joined the faculty from Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital where she was chief clinical dietician. She teaches in the dietetics program. Elizabeth Gardner is a nutritional immunologist and joined the faculty in 2008. Her research is featured on page 4. IkSoon “Ike” Kang earned his Ph.D. in food science from Texas A&M Univ. He did postdoctoral work at North Carolina State and was employed by Oscar Mayer foods for nine years. His area of research is value-added meat processing. Marv Thompson earned his Ph.D. from MSU under Dr. Robert Brunner in 1960. He had a distinguished career at the USDA Eastern Regional Research Center in Philadelphia before coming to MSU. His research interest is in milk protein chemistry.
DEPARTMENT OF FOOD SCIENCE AND HUMAN NUTRITION 204 G.M. Trout FSHN Building East Lansing, MI 48824-1224
MSU students Amanda Vivian, physiology major from Redford, Mich., and Meaghan Snowdin, nutritional sciences major from Montague, Mich., visited an orphanage as part of the department’s study abroad program in Tanzania. During the three-week program, students learn about different challenges in food, nutrition and health in major cities like Morogoro and small rural villages. They meet with government officials and nongovernmental organizations, visit hospitals, local markets and experience daily life in Tanzania. The program is offered in the summer and co-directed by professors Dale Romsos and Maurice Bennink.