Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences DIGEST 2020
TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 Letter from Department Head 3 2020 FBNS Activities 4 Vision and Value Gary Cartwright’s story
14 Ahead of the Curve 15 The Economic Impact of Microwave Processing 16 Alumna Works to Prevent Food Waste 17 Securely Studying Salmonella to Advance Produce Safety 18 FBNS in the News 0 Department Notes 2 New Faculty/Staff Hires, Retirements 21 Faculty, Staff and Student Awards 22 Partners and Donors
STAYING SAFE AND CONNECTED IN 2020 Adapting to the pandemic has meant changes this year for all of us. In our department, we found new ways to work as we shifted from familiar office and classroom settings to online learning and collaboration. Through the uncertainty of the pandemic, our faculty, staff and students came together. We have implemented safety measures and check in with each other regularly to help with long-term challenges such as mental health and economic stability. Holding virtual socials every Friday evening is one way we unwind and stay in touch. Our students have shown their ability to adapt to rapidly changing conditions. They shifted between in-person and online classes, ran efficient club meetings with industry guest speakers in an online format, conducted outreach activities while following CDC guidelines, and found creative and safe ways to raise funds for the Food Science Club. We’ve added safety features and equipment during the pandemic. Our staff made 3D-printed masks, produced hand sanitizer, installed hands-free restroom door opening mechanisms and posted QR codes outside commonly used rooms in Schaub Hall to help with contact tracing. These improvements have helped us continue to make progress toward our goals in a safe manner, including restarting research activities and holding some classes in our buildings. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, we are upholding our responsibilities to students and external stakeholders. We added talented faculty and staff at all four of our locations: Schaub Hall on the main campus, the dairy farm in Raleigh, the Plants for Human Health Institute (PHHI) in Kannapolis, and the Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST) in Morehead City. Thank you to the amazing faculty, staff, emeritus faculty, retirees, students, alumni and industry partners for your steadfast dedication and support. I look forward to the continued progress and success of FBNS with the support of our stakeholders and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at NC State.
Learn more about FBNS at go.ncsu.edu/fbns 2
K.P. Sandeep Department Head
Like what you’re reading? Support FBNS: go.ncsu.edu/fbns_fund
2020 FBNS Activities
FBNS BBQ Associate Professor Dana Hanson and Graduate Student Juan Ascencio hosted a BBQ camp for FBNS on Feb. 8.
Feed the Pack Pam Van Emden, undergraduate and graduate student coordinator for nutrition, coordinated a food drive for the food pantry at NC State. She and the Food Science Club were able to collect approximately 2,000 pounds of food to assist fellow Wolfpack members.
Food Industry Tour Students on the Food Industry Tour in March take a break at the new Howling Cow Dairy Education Center and Creamery.
Virtual Reality Students in the Applied Nutrition Education service-learning course engage in virtual reality training in January as they prepare to teach nutrition lessons in the community.
Science of Wine At a February Science of Wine event at the Museum of Life and Science, FBNS students explained the basics of flavor chemistry to visitors. 3
VISION AND VALUE Enterprising people show initiative and resourcefulness. It’s an apt description of Gary Cartwright, who retired from FBNS in 2019 as director of NC State’s Dairy Enterprise System. Over a 27-year NC State career, Cartwright built strong relationships with co-workers and industry groups while managing the dairy and pilot plants before reaching a career capstone built on ice cream. "In his early days as a pilot plant manager, I was amazed at Gary’s uncanny ability to troubleshoot on the fly and offer solutions to seemingly difficult problems,” says K.P. Sandeep, FBNS department head and professor. “Later, it was his vision for the vertically integrated dairy enterprise system and perseverance to deal with obstacles that paved the path for the creation and success of the Howling Cow brand." Cartwright’s legacy includes a “farm of the future” that encompasses every step of production from growing corn for cows to scooping Howling Cow ice cream for agritourists. “I don’t think anybody else but Gary could have done that,” says longtime colleague MaryAnne Drake, director of the Southeast Dairy Foods Research Center. “He was the right person at the right time.”
4
Like what you’re reading? Support FBNS: go.ncsu.edu/fbns_fund
5
Hints of the Future As a student at NC State, Cartwright felt at home in Schaub Hall, where he worked in the dairy plant. “Coming from a small community, I was very concerned about going to this massive university,” he says. “Food science was a little enclave on the outskirts of campus, and it was one of the few buildings on that side that had an academic department in it.” Cartwright joined the Food Science Club, which had a State Fair booth as a fundraiser. Aside from working with future FBNS colleagues Joanna Foegeding and Sharon Ramsey, his first year didn’t go well. During a cold, rain-soaked week, customers kept asking, “Is that NC State ice cream?” Unfortunately, the answer was no. After learning that the ice cream wasn’t made on campus, most patrons opted for coffee or hot chocolate. Gary wanted to know why NC State couldn’t sell ice cream made on campus at the State Fair. The answer: a state law, the Umstead Act, which was designed to prevent state entities from competing with private companies for business. Food Science mentors told him that local dairies would have to sign waivers to allow NC State to sell its ice cream to the public. They did. “I didn’t realize that none of these companies wanted to sell at the State Fair,” Cartwright says. “They said, ‘It’s tying up our equipment and we don’t make any money.’” With NC State ice cream on the menu, the Food Science Club booth was much more successful the following year. It was the start of a wildly popular run at the State Fair, for many years the only place the public could buy NC State ice cream. “Call it fate, karma. I had no idea that experience would later impact me when I came back to the university,” Cartwright says.
6
Like what you’re reading? Support FBNS: go.ncsu.edu/fbns_fund
Industry Experience After earning a bachelor’s degree in food science, Cartwright worked as an assistant production manager with Flav-O-Rich Dairies in Atlanta, Georgia, and Birmingham, Alabama. Subsequently, he took a position with Miller Brewing as a quality specialist in Georgia, learning about high-speed production lines. Then he was transferred to a facility near Los Angeles. “But I found myself with children I wanted to raise in North Carolina,” Cartwright says. He returned to NC State as dairy plant manager in 1987. NC State was doing research that helped bring the familiar juice box “brick” containers to the marketplace. Food Science established the Center for Aseptic Processing and Packaging Studies, which carried out critical development work on Tetra Pak containers. “The very first [Tetra Pak] machine ever to come into the United States was located in our dairy,” Cartwright says. “Once our department helped get their process FDA approved, we had almost every Fortune 50 company in the U.S. coming to us.” International Paper lured him to work for their aseptic research group in Research Triangle Park. When the company announced a move to Cincinnati, Ohio, Cartwright took a position in food equipment sales with M.G. Newell, a company that had donated an ice cream dipping cabinet during his Food Science Club days.
The yearly North Carolina State Fair Food Science Club booth where Howling Cow ice cream is served to appreciative fans 7
Family Ties
Adding Value
1997 was a year Cartwright will always remember. He returned to NC State for the final time and he met Deborah, his wife of nearly 23 years.
Cartwright’s professional responsibility was serving as coordinator of the pilot plant in Schaub Hall, which developed new processes and produced value-added ingredients such as whey protein and milk protein powders for protein drinks.
A Midwesterner, Deb had moved to North Carolina to help set up a sheet metal fabrication company in Apex. Her hairstylist helped her find a welder for the business. But the women in the shop also wanted to set her up with a single dad they thought she’d like. “I said, ‘I’m not really interested in any relationships right now, and I’m trying to start up a company,” Deb recalls. “They said, ‘Well, can you just go out for lunch or something?’ “Long story short, five months later we were married and that’s been 22 years ago.” Soon Deb was helping Gary raise his son and daughter, 14 and 10 at the time. The couple later moved his parents into the household and helped care for them. “We were a multigenerational family for 10 years,” Deb says. The couple now visit their four grandchildren while raising a second family of teen girls adopted from her family. “We thought we were going to be empty nesters as far as kids, then we took on our three girls and have legal custody and are raising them. It just shows what kind of a person Gary is.”
“Gary came back in the 1990s as the dairy industry was consolidating to larger farms and larger processors,” says Charles “Buddy” Gaither, past president of Asheville-based processor Milkco and leader of NC State’s dairy industry committee for 15 years. “At the time, land-grant universities were closing dairy plants and farms for budget reasons.” NC State sold milk and ice cream for campus dining halls and had a milk contract with state prisons, offering few prospects for increasing revenue. “We were part of the department and we knew why we were there,” Cartwright says. “We were there to support research, teaching and extension yet had to self-fund. “Our model had to change, and the only alternative was valueadded products, and the product we had was ice cream.”
The Cartwrights in spring 2019 8
Like what you’re reading? Support FBNS: go.ncsu.edu/fbns_fund
Cartwright leads a tour of the dairy plant in Schaub Hall.
9
Cartwright’s vision began to take shape in discussions with new colleagues. MaryAnne Drake, who joined NC State in 2001 as director of the Southeast Dairy Foods Research Center, calls him a trailblazer, someone who was not afraid to push boundaries. “He knew how to get things done but also went out of his way to listen and to help,” she says. In 2003, Cartwright hired Carl Hollifield, a recent NC State agricultural business management graduate, to do accounting. The two soon became partners in developing new directions for the dairy plant. “He had his sights set on doing really big things, to be able to grow the dairy processing plant and to be able to train students to go out into industry and to help our industrial stakeholders with expertise in North Carolina dairy,” Hollifield says. “He told me about all of his plans for growth and that he wanted to have a partner and I was pretty enamored with that.” MaryAnne Drake
“Literally everything that we developed from that point on was co-developed,” Cartwright says. “There’s no way you can celebrate one person’s success and assign it to either one of us, because we were just a team.”
Carl Hollifield
10
New Enterprises Those in the dairy industry appreciated Cartwright’s processing experience and problem-solving skills, finding him easy to talk to and willing to lend a hand, Gaither says. With united support from dairy processors across the state, NC State successfully pursued an exemption from the Umstead Act, this time for ice cream sales to the public on campus. Gaither also led a fundraising drive for a new dairy education and creamery facility to be added at Schaub Hall. Cartwright and Hollifield thought the ice cream would benefit from better branding—a distinct name with a nod to NC State. When they came up with “Howling Cow,” some colleagues were dubious but students quickly embraced the name. However, the recession halted fundraising and threatened the survival of the university dairy farm, the milk source for Howling Cow and a necessity for future expansion. Cartwright made a bold request to manage the farm as part of a vertically integrated Dairy Enterprise System. In 2009, he got his wish. “A lot of people thought it was crazy that the dean put somebody in charge of the dairy farm that’s never milked a cow before, but I think it was good, because we looked at it with new eyes,” Cartwright says.
11
Farm of the Future On the first day of the Dairy Enterprise System’s existence, Cartwright and Hollifield stood in the dairy farm milking parlor, which was in urgent need of replacement. “Carl and I stood on that hill, looking out toward Lake Wheeler Road, and cars were just constantly going by,” Cartwright recalls. “I told Carl, I don’t know what we’re going to do to get all of this working, but we’ve been given an absolute emerald gem here.” For help with a modern milking parlor design, they turned to experts: North Carolina dairy farmers who served as industry advisors and fundraising committee members. “Gary said, ‘You tell me how it needs to be built,’’’ Gaither recalls. “The group not only came up with a practical floor plan but stayed within the budget.” Two more buildings were on the horizon. The first, the Randleigh Dairy Heritage Museum, was built with the support of the Kenan family and their foundations to honor the dairy background of William Rand Kenan, who had bequeathed his herd of Jersey cows and $1 million to NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The education center and creamery originally planned for Schaub Hall was relocated to Lake Wheeler Road, where building costs were lower and other dairy facilities were nearby—ideal for agritourism. The Howling Cow Dairy Education Center and Creamery, made possible by an enabling gift from the Edward Titmus family, opened on Oct. 30, 2019, a few weeks before Cartwright’s well-deserved retirement. The day before the ceremony, Cartwright and his family were out laying sod at 100 Dairy Lane, working alongside his colleagues and their families. The Dairy Enterprise System that Cartwright envisioned, a decade in the making, expanded the operation from less than $1 million to $3.3 million per year in 2019. It’s designed to support students, researchers, community members and the dairy industry for years to come, while serving up plenty of Howling Cow ice cream.
12
Show your support with a gift to the NCDF/Dairy Plant Enhancement Fund or Dairy Farm Enhancement Fund. Visit: go.ncsu.edu/dairysupport 13
FBNS RESEARCH PUTS GRAD STUDENT AHEAD OF THE CURVE Ashley Campos jokes that she did things backwards. It’s more accurate to say she was ahead of the curve. Eager to be among the first in NC State’s Interdisciplinary Biochemistry Master’s Program (IBMP) in 2018, she filled out the application last, after doing interviews and taking the GRE. “Fortunately, everything worked out, and it has been an interesting ride for sure,” Campos says. IBMP, funded by the National Science Foundation and NC State, prepares students from underrepresented groups for biotech careers, doctoral study or medical school. “I always like to push myself out of my comfort zone,” Campos says. The former collegiate soccer player graduated from Queens University in Charlotte in 2015 and worked for a few years before pursuing a master’s degree. “When I heard about this opportunity, it definitely piqued my interest to expand my knowledge about biochemistry, as well as get experience in a field of research.” In August, Campos became the first IBMP student to defend her thesis—right after starting a new job in Durham as a scientist with Eurofins, an international life sciences company. During her interviews, Campos discussed her interdisciplinary research on antibiotic resistance of Campylobacter in cattle, part of the thesis work that IBMP students do in one of five departments. Campos worked with FBNS Professor Sophia Kathariou, along with researchers in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
14
IBMP students also work in CALS labs in Animal Science, Prestage Poultry Science, Plant and Microbial Biology, and Molecular and Structural Biochemistry. “I definitely think that one of the factors for being able to get the job that I did was having that applicable, hands-on experience,” Campos says. To learn more about NC State’s Interdisciplinary Biochemistry Master’s Program visit: go.ncsu.edu/ibmp
Like what you’re reading? Support FBNS: go.ncsu.edu/fbns_fund
FROM GREENE COUNTY TO KENYA FBNS Professor Josip Simunovic has a passion for improving the world. One food product at a time. “Josip Simunovic collects people and infects them with this idea of microwave processing and how it's literally going to save the world and improve every type of food in it,” said Amanda Vargochik, an NC State alumna and co-founder of microwave processing technology company SinnovaTek. Microwave processing, or “continuous-flow microwave pasteurization and sterilization,” uses microwaves to sterilize thick, viscous materials — like sweet potato puree. The finished product retains its taste and nutrition, but is shelf-stable and doesn’t require refrigeration during shipping and storage, Simunovic says. Simunovic’s research on continuous-flow microwave processing has led to 19 U.S. patents and dozens of international patents, with more pending, and two highly regarded Institute of Food Technologists industrial achievement awards. Simunovic, who has mentored dozens of students and launched around 10 spin-off companies, believes that Yamco, based in Snow Hill located in Greene County, North Carolina, has had the biggest economic impact on the state.
North Carolina sweet potato growers licensed some of his patents to use the vegetables that are oddly shaped or the wrong size for fresh market sales. Yamco now processes a variety of fruits and vegetables into nutritious purees for everything from bakeries and baby food producers to Covington Vodka.
GLOBAL IMPACT Simunovic says he’s proudest of SinnovaTek, founded in 2015 with Vargochik and Michael Druga, current CEO. The company focuses on improving microwave processing technology and providing research and development services to other food processing companies. “All of SinnovaTek’s people grew out of our programs one way or another, a majority of our employees are graduates of NC State,” Simonovic says. “No matter how old you are and which point in your career you are, you end up learning from people who used to be your students.” One of SinnovaTek and Simunovic’s international partners is FBNS Adjunct Professor Tawanda Muzhingi, food scientist with the International Potato Center. SinnovaTek shipped a microwave processor to Kenya earlier this year. It will be operated by a Kenyan company that Muzhingi hopes will be producing shelf-stable sweet potato puree for bakeries and food products by the end of the year. It’s part of international efforts to support production of vitamin A-rich sweet potatoes in Africa. “What Josip Simunovic and his team have been doing is going from lab to life, lab to shelf,” Muzhingi says. “The whole NC State food science team was excited to visit Uganda, and saw that they would be part of something bigger than themselves. And for me, I was excited to be able to tap into the vast network that NC State has. The collaboration has allowed us both to share experiences and tap into each other’s strengths.”
15
A FRUITFUL CAREER Preventing food waste is a priority for FBNS doctoral graduate Trisha Bhatia. She’s the production and quality manager at Ripe Revival, which turns extra produce into protein-packed fruit gummies. “They’re made with real fruits and vegetables and clean label ingredients, no chemicals,” Bhatia says. “We work directly with the farmers so that we can utilize produce that is left in the field and transform them into value-added products.” Brother and sister Laura Hearn and Will Kornegay, also NC State alumni, started Ripe Revival, which also donates fresh food to those in need. Bhatia learned about Ripe Revival from one of her Ph.D. mentors, research professor Josip Simunovic. “What I was doing in my research was almost the same as what Ripe Revival is doing,” Bhatia says. In addition to leading production while maintaining quality, Bhatia works on product improvement and development at Ripe Revival. She ensures that staff members are trained in good manufacturing practices from the Food and Drug Administration and that food safety plans and standard operating procedures meet federal regulations. “I must say, I’m very lucky to be part of this team. They know we’re capable of great things and they give us the power and tools to grow,” Bhatia says.
COLORFUL NUTRIENTS Bhatia’s fascination with food and its health benefits started at an early age. “My mother used to say, ‘If you have a plate full of colors, you are getting all the health benefits.’ I was fascinated by that and wondered what she meant.” Turns out, colorful compounds in foods called phytochemicals, such as anthocyanins, lycopene, carotene and betalains, provide documented health benefits.
16
At NC State, Bhatia studied microwave-assisted extraction of anthocyanins from purple sweet potatoes under her academic advisors, Simunovic and K.P. Sandeep. “We are able to extract anthocyanins, or any phytochemical, from the fruits and vegetables that are wasted in our food supply chain,” Bhatia says. Extracted compounds can be incorporated into food products like the gummies Ripe Revival makes. Bhatia says she wouldn’t be where she is today without her FBNS mentors. “Dr. Sandeep and Dr. Simunovic were always there for me. Earning a Ph.D can be stressful at times, especially when I had my baby, but they made the experience a fun-filled journey. I would not be who I am today without them and NC State. I still get goosebumps thinking about NC State.”
Like what you’re reading? Support FBNS: go.ncsu.edu/fbns_fund
SECURELY STUDYING SALMONELLA Kellie Burris, a postdoctoral scholar turned staff fellow microbiologist with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), studies how fresh fruits and vegetables become contaminated with foodborne pathogens before harvesting. Based in FBNS, Burris uses a secure greenhouse among the extensive facilities at NC State’s Phytotron. The facility, one of a handful of biosafety level 3 certified facilities in the U.S., allows scientists to safely study bacteria, fungi and viruses that infect plants or contaminate produce, causing foodborne illness. “The FDA wanted to better understand how outbreak-related Salmonella strains can contaminate fresh produce, but they needed access to a high-containment facility to isolate the microbes from the natural environment,” Burris explains. ”And that’s how my project started.” Burris’ studies are crucial for the produce industry and the FDA as they seek to improve our understanding of how fresh produce becomes contaminated with human pathogens. Better control strategies will help protect the public from foodborne illness and increase economic security.
She found that while Salmonella placed directly on the roots rarely contaminates the cucumber fruit, the real concern comes from the blossoms. She placed a mix of five different strains of Salmonella that have caused outbreaks in the past, including Salmonella Poona, on the cucumber blossom. The results: a high rate of colonization, where bacteria is found on the fruit surface, and internalization, where it’s detected inside the fruit, even after the surface has been cleaned. Burris has also studied how tomatoes and cantaloupe can become contaminated with Salmonella and is starting to investigate additional produce and other foodborne disease-causing microbes. “The FDA must have the answers to key scientific questions such as the ones being answered in these studies in order to move forward in their mission to protect public health,” says Lee-Ann Jaykus, a William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor in FBNS who led the collaboration between NC State and the FDA. “Now that the FDA knows that the blossoms are a potential route of contamination, they can begin to work with the farmers on potential mitigation strategies to reduce public health risks.”
Burris has been primarily studying how cucumbers can become contaminated in response to a cucumber-associated outbreak of Salmonella Poona that sickened more than 900 people between July 2015 and February 2016.
17
FBNS IN THE NEWS COVID-19: Keeping our Food Safe During the Pandemic Lee-Ann Jaykus, William Neal Reynolds Professor in FBNS, presented a webinar through the New York Academy of Sciences on food safety implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for consumers and food production. https://go.ncsu.edu/keeping-our-food-safe CRISPR Genome Editing Gets 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Chemical and Engineering News quoted NC State CRISPR expert Rodolphe Barrangou in an article about Nobel winners Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna. Barrangou called their win a “well-deserved and predictable opportunity to celebrate CRISPR pioneers for the development of their revolutionary technology.” https://go.ncsu.edu/crispr-genome NC State Offers Online Course in Creating and Implementing EMP Quality Assurance and Food Safety Magazine highlighted FBNS’ new 8-hour online training to help dairy processors develop environmental monitoring programs (EMP), taught by Graduate Teaching Assistant Stephanie Maggio and Associate Professor Clint Stevenson. https://go.ncsu.edu/online-emp-course Decline in School Lunch Milk Consumption May Affect Future Health Feedstuffs Magazine featured research that MaryAnne Drake, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Food Science, published in the Journal of Dairy Science. Results showed that children’s milk preferences are based on sensory characteristics and the form of milk offered. https://go.ncsu.edu/decline-in-school-milk More Healthful Milk Chocolate by Adding Peanut, Coffee Waste Lisa Dean, USDA food technologist in FBNS, made an American Chemical Society virtual presentation on ways to boost antioxidants in milk chocolate by adding phenolics from peanut skins and coffee grounds. https://go.ncsu.edu/boosting-antioxidants
18
Essentially CALS: Will Leatherwood Will Leatherwood, research technician, kept up the important work of caring for the dairy cows. Leatherwood started at the dairy as a student worker, milking cows between classes as he studied for his bachelor’s degree. He managed feed trials while working on his master’s and is now the farm’s assistant manager while pursuing a Ph.D. https://go.ncsu.edu/essentially-cals NC State Spinoff SinnovaTek Grows from University Basement to Booming Food-tech Business WRAL TechWire highlighted SinnovaTek, a company licensing microwave processing technology developed and patented at NC State. Amanda Vargochik, vice president for innovation, is a food science graduate, and most company employees are NC State alumni. FBNS Research Professor Josip Simunovic is the chief science officer. https://go.ncsu.edu/sinnovatek Take the Kids: Howling Cow Dairy Education Center and Creamery offers curbside pickup of its famous ice cream WRAL recommended a family drive to 100 Dairy Lane to pick up Howling Cow ice-cream at the Dairy Education Center and Creamery. https://go.ncsu.edu/howling-cow-curbside-pickup
Like what you’re reading? Support FBNS: go.ncsu.edu/fbns_fund
A SAFER WORKPLACE
Daily Difference
When the university closed to all nonessential employees in March, K.P. Sandeep, FBNS professor and department head, wanted to make Schaub Hall a safer and healthier place to work.
During the pandemic, building liaison Karl Hedrick has been picking up mail deliveries for everyone in the building on a daily basis and sending email notifications about packages.
He called on research specialist Mike Bumgardner, who used his 3D printing expertise to make protective masks. “[Mike] said, ‘Sure, I’ll give it a shot, and if I can make myself useful to others, I would love to. He was super positive and enthusiastic about it,” Sandeep says. Bumgardner said one of the biggest hurdles in printing masks is that no two faces are the same, but came up with a creative way to address the issue. “The nice thing about the ones we’re making is they have a fairly thin wall and you can heat them up with, for instance, a hairdryer or dip them in hot water, and mold it to your face.” A person might need to do it several times to get the right shape. Bumgardner is also printing the covers for the N95-equivalent filter for each mask. It’s a long process, but one that’s worth it. “One mask and one cover that covers the filter is basically a 12-hour print. The bigger machines could print more at one time and they’re faster, but we’re trying to figure it all out. I wanted to be able to mold the mask and that’s why we went with the thinner wall design,” Bumgardner explains. The masks are functionally similar to typical N95 masks. “Some people may find that it is not easy to breathe through, but they are functionally better,” Sandeep says. They’ll be available to employees who want a moldable design with a high efficiency of filtration.
He installed touch-free sanitizer dispensers at 25 locations inside the building so that people can conveniently sanitize their hands after touching surfaces. Then he affixed unique QR codes outside 75 rooms in Schaub Hall to facilitate contact tracing. Hedrick coordinated the installation of disposable toilet seat covers for toilets to enhance sanitary conditions. He was also instrumental in spearheading the installation of "step-n-pull" devices on all of building restroom doors so that people can open the doors with a foot instead of their hands. Hedrick has been proactively helping several FBNS people over the past several months as they adjust to the new normal of conducting business. “His role during the pandemic has continued to help us stay connected as what we call the ‘FBNS family,’" Sandeep says.
In addition to the masks, the department made hand sanitizers for those in Schaub Hall. Bumgardner used a recipe from the World Health Organization. The sanitizer is slightly pungent for a few seconds, but Bumgardner is pleased with the way it’s working. He’s hoping to add aloe vera for a smoother feel on the hands. He has also made sprayable surface sanitizers for use in laboratories and restrooms in the building, contributing to colleagues’ safety. 3D printed mask and cover designed by Mike Bumgardner to utilize the N95-equivalent filter
19
DEPARTMENT NOTES New Faculty/Staff Hires Matthew Allan joined the USDA-ARS Food Science Market Quality and Handling (FSMQH) Research Unit as an associate food technologist in March. His current research with USDA-ARS focuses on sweetpotato processing and chemistry to aid in developing sweetpotato varieties and processing technologies to deliver highquality, nutritious sweetpotato products that meet end-user preferences. Alexander Chouljenko joined FBNS as an assistant professor (80% extension, 20% research) in the area of seafood processing in January and is located at the Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST) at Morehead City. He received his B.S. in kinesiology from Louisiana State University (LSU) in 2013 and his M.S. in food science and technology from LSU in 2015 and Ph.D. in 2019 from the School of Nutrition and Food Sciences at LSU. He will be working on safety and quality aspects (research and training) associated with traditional seafood products and also on promoting sustainable domestic aquaculture. Morgan Hembarsky joined as inaugural industry and alumni liaison in October. She received her B.A. in journalism and mass communication from Lehigh University in 2013 and her M.A. in interactive media from Elon University in 2014. She also received a certification in project management from James Madison University in 2016. Her work experience has included the role of a content strategist for the University of Virginia Health System, program communicator and coordinator at the University of Virginia Office of Organizational Excellence and senior research program coordinator at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Cancer Center. She will work on strengthening connections with FBNS industry partners and alumni. 20
Carl Hollifield was hired as director of the Dairy Enterprise System (DES) in October. He received his B.S. in agricultural business management with a minor in economics from NC State in 2002. Since then, he has served in various roles (accounting clerk, accounting technician, assistant director, business officer and interim director) within the DES. He co-led the North Carolina legislative exemption request for dairy product sales (Umstead Act), creation of the “Howling Cow” brand, and the creation and implementation of the business plan concept for the Howling Cow Dairy Education Center and Creamery. He will be responsible for managing the operations of the dairy plant, dairy farm and Howling Cow Dairy Education Center and Creamery. James (Jay) Jackson joined FBNS as a research technician in the Kathariou laboratory in October. He received his M.S. in microbiology from Mississippi State University in May 2020. His master's thesis focused on the interactions between immune system cells and an important human pathogen, Streptococcus pneumoniae. He will be working on conducting and managing research projects related to food safety. Lynette Johnston joined FBNS as an assistant professor (80% extension, 20% teaching) in the area of food safety extension in November. She received her Ph.D. in food science and a minor in food safety from NC State. After that, she worked as a post-doc at NC State, a microbiologist with N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, a food safety consultant with Research Triangle Institute, curriculum coordinator for a food safety program as part of a USDA grant, and an area specialized agent with NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Marvin Moncada joined FBNS as an assistant professor (60% extension, 40% research) in the area of plant foods processing in February. He received his
B.S. in food science and technology from the Zamorano Panamerican Agricultural School (El Zamorano, Honduras), his M.S. in food microbiology from Louisiana State University and his Ph.D. in food science from Louisiana State University. He then served as an R&D food scientist and plant manager at the Agricultural Center Food Incubator at Louisiana State University. He is currently located at the Plants for Human Health Institute (PHHI) in Kannapolis and will be working on research projects, training programs and entrepreneurial assistance related to plant food processing. Clinton Avery Page joined the USDA-ARS Food Science Market Quality and Handling (FSMQH) as a biological sciences technician and lab manager dedicated to Associate Professor Ilenys Pérez-Díaz’s research program in October. Page earned his B.S. in biology from the University of South Carolina-Columbia and completed an M.S. and a Ph.D. in microbiology at the University of Georgia-Athens. He served as a postdoctoral researcher and instructor at the University of Georgia and the University of South Carolina-Aiken. Nicola Singletary will join FBNS as a teaching assistant professor (100% teaching) in the area of nutrition in December. She received her B.S. in biology from Meredith College in 2000, M.A. in teaching from UNC Chapel Hill in 2004, M.S. in nutrition from NC State in 2013 and Ph.D. in nutrition from NC State in 2018. She has also served as a postdoctoral scholar and lactation consultant training program manager at NC State. Prior to that, she served as an adjunct instructor at Central Carolina Community College. Caitlin Skinner joined the USDA-ARS Food Science Market Quality and Handling (FSMQH) Research Unit in October. She is a 2020 graduate of Tuskegee University, where she studied plant and soil sciences. She will be working in the FSMQH research unit with Professor Fred Breidt on the microbial safety of fermented and acidified foods.
Like what you’re reading? Support FBNS: go.ncsu.edu/fbns_fund
Haotian Zheng joined FBNS as an assistant professor (80% research, 20% teaching) in the area of food chemistry. He received a B.E. in food science and engineering from the Northeast Agricultural University in China, an M.Sc. in food technology from Wageningen University in the Netherlands and a Ph.D. in dairy science and technology from University of Otago in New Zealand. He then served as a tenure-track assistant professor in the Animal Science Department at California Polytechnic State University. Other than conducting research in the area of food chemistry, he will manage the food rheology service center and also teach food chemistry and a graduate-level course.
Retirements Gary Cartwright, director, Dairy Enterprise System, after 27 years of service at NC State. Jill Miller, communication specialist, Seafood Laboratory, Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, Morehead City, after 13 years of service with NC State.
Faculty and Staff Awards Mary Ann Lila, FBNS professor and director of the Plants for Human Health Institute, received the Institute of Food Technologists' Babcock-Hart Award, which honors an IFT member whose contributions to food technology result in improved public health through nutrition or more nutritious food.
Ruth Watkins, laboratory research specialist, received an NC State/ Eastman Chemical Company Award for leadership in developing and maintaining a strong safety culture. April Hix-Morrison, undergraduate advisor, is the CALS-level winner of the Barbara Soloman Award for Advising. Jon Allen, food science professor, was recognized for exemplary professionalism as a member of the 2020 class of IFT fellows.
Pride of the Wolfpack Awards: Michael Bumgardner, research specialist Beth King, administrative support specialist Pam Van Emden, administrative support specialist Ann Zielinski, entrepreneurial program assistant
Student Awards Daniel Whitt placed first in the American Dairy Science Association’s graduate student poster competition. Alex Swanson-Boyd was selected as a 2019-20 recipient of the Research and Development Association’s Emily J. Prior Scholarship. Wendy Rivero Pena won first prize in a poster presentation contest during the Seventh Latin American Research Symposium at NC State. She presented her research on using a plasma-activated nutrient solution for growing sweet basil hydroponically.
Rodolphe Barrangou, Todd R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Professor in Probiotics Research, and Ken Swartzel, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor Emeritus, were named fellows of the National Academy of Inventors.
Ourania Raftopoulou from the Kathariou lab received one of the graduate student prizes at the Leo Parks Lectureship event.
G. Keith Harris, associate professor and undergraduate coordinator of food science, won the Jackson Rigney International Service Award at the CALS level, NC State’s highest honor for global engagement.
Food Engineering Division poster competition: Trisha Bhatia (Finalist)
Clint Stevenson, associate professor, received Quality Matters Certification. Clint's FS 435/535, Food Safety Management Systems, is one of the officially certified Quality Matters courses at NC State University with a perfect score.
Dairy Foods Division poster competition: Lauren Sipple (First place) Tess Liu (Second place) Will Harwood (Finalist) Heather Keefer (Finalist)
Greg Bolton, seafood research technologist, won a CALS Award of Excellence in May. April Fogleman, associate professor of nutrition, is the CALS-level winner of the Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor Award.
IFT Student Competition Awards
Dairy Foods Division oral competition: Clara Racette (Third place) Angelina Schiano (Finalist) Sara Nishku (Finalist) 21
PARTNERS AND DONORS
NC Meat Processors Association Scholarship Endowment
Mr. James J. Bergin
Neil & Nancy Webb Memorial Food Science Scholarship Endowment
Mr. Albert P. Black and Mrs. Connie B. Black
Endowments and Funds Supporting FBNS in 2019-20:
Phi Tau Sigma Food Science Technical Staff Professional Development Endowment
Brigham Young University
Benjamin P. Forbes Scholarship Benjamin W. Kilgore Food Science Scholarship Burton M. Newell Food Science Endowment Cristie Abigail 'Abbi' Fleming Dairy Science Scholarship Endowment Dairy Farm Enhancement Fund Dairy Tech Golf Event Don Hamann Memorial Lectureship Endowment Dr. Frank and Rachel Kirby Thomas Food Science and Family & Consumer Sciences Scholarship Endowment Dr. Isadore and Cynthia Peppe Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences Scholarship Endowment Dr. Peggy Foegeding Memorial Food Science Scholarship Endowment Dr. Wanida E. Lewis Food Science Fellowship Award Endowment Duong, Green, and Gharst Food Science Leadership Award Endowment Eakes Turner Food Science Scholarship Food Science Club Endowment
Pilot Plant Enhancement Fund Plants for Human Health Institute Enhancement Fund Randleigh Farm Exhibition Building Gift Support Fund Randleigh Museum Fund Robert N. Wood - NC Dairy Products Association Memorial Scholarship Endowment
Mr. Craig A. Bromby and Mrs. Anne L. Bromby Ms. Abby D. Buley Mr. Adam L. Bumgarner Mr. Andrew J. Butler Dr. Michelle A. Call Mr. Henry C. Campen, Jr.
Russell S. Flowers Teaching & Training Endowment for Food Safety & Quality
Mr. James E. Canfield and Mrs. Tina H. Canfield
Sweet Acidophilus Milk Program Fund
Carolina Dairy, LLC
T.W. Garner Food Company (Texas Pete) Scholarship Endowment
Mr. Gary D. Cartwright and Mrs. Deborah Cartwright
Tarheel Supplymen's Fund for Excellence Endowment Thomas N. Blumer Endowment Todd R. & Amy E. Klaenhammer FBNS Graduate Award Endowment Todd R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Professorship in Probiotics Research Endowment
Cargill Inc.
Dr. Suzanne E. Case Catawba College Mrs. Hann-Yi Chen Chobani LLC Mr. Richard K. Chumney and Mrs. Nancy Chumney Mr. Michael Cigich
Victor and Maryetta Jones Scholarship Endowment
CKS Packaging Inc.
W. L. Clevenger Department of Food Science Endowment for Excellence
Mr. Christopher R. Clifton and Mrs. Michelle B. Clifton Mr. John Colletti Dairy Farmers of America
Food Science Fund Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences Enrichment Fund
Donors to FBNS in Fiscal Year 2019-20:
Darigold Inc.
Fred R. Tarver, Jr. Poultry Products Scholarship Endowment
A&B Process System
Davisco Foods International Inc.
H. Hawkins Bradley Scholarship Endowment
Mr. Suleiman M. Abu Sweilem
Mr. Robert E. Dawson and Mrs. Prudence Dawson
Harvey L. & Kathleen R. Barnes Scholarship Endowment
Agropur Inc. Division Natrel USA
Dean Foods
Hase H. & Lena Maie Smith Endowed Food Science Scholarship
Johnson & Johnson Company
Delhaize America Shared Services Group LLC
American Meat Science Association
Diversey, Inc.
Ivan D. & Lillian T. Jones Food Science Scholarship
American Peanut Shellers Association
Mr. Mark R. Dodd and Ms. Mary T. Peloquin-Dodd
J. Frank & Margaret B. Neely Scholarship Endowment
Mr. Aaron R. Anders
Dole Food Company, Inc.
James L. and Diana G. Oblinger Scholarship Endowment
Dr. Jean E. Anderson and Mr. Tony J. Lawrence
Mr. Rick R. Earley and Mrs. Gwen Earley
John and Kelli Rushing Food Science Freshman Scholarship
Mr. James N. Andrews and Mrs. Rose Andrews
Ecolab Inc.
John L. Etchells Fund
Ms. Megan E. Armstrong
Elon University
John Rushing SE Food Processor's Association Endowed Scholarship
Atrium Health
Dr. Curtis W. Emenhiser and Mrs. Anne Emenhiser
Avazyme, Inc.
Mr. Jack M. Fleming and Mrs. Shirley O. Fleming
Mr. Matthew F. Aycock and Mrs. Shannon T. Aycock
Dr. E. Allen Foegeding and Mrs. JoAnna T. Foegeding
Mrs. Anna R. Baker and Mr. Henry R. Baker, Jr.
Dr. Amanda S. Frey and Mr. Kevin F. Frey
Mr. Dennis L. Ball
Mr. Charles Gaither Jr.
Dr. Lisa M. Barrangou and Dr. Rodolphe Barrangou
General Mills
Ms. Marie B. Beermann
General Mills Foundation
Leonard & Frances Crouch Achievement Award Endowment Livio Ferruzzi Memorial Agricultural Scholarship Endowment Mose & Helen Kiser Endowed Scholarship NC Dairy Campaign for Excellence Fund NC Dairy Technology Society Enhancement Fund
22
Bowen Sales LLC
Dr. Christopher R. Daubert
Like what you’re reading? Support FBNS: go.ncsu.edu/fbns_fund
Ms. Sherri L. Gerepka
Ms. Heather Nadine Mendenhall
Sensient Flavors
Glanbia Business Services, Inc.
Milkco Inc. orporated
Mr. C. Scott Shipp and Mrs. Jill Shipp
Gojo Industries
Ms. Krystal P. Mirshahi
Standard Process
Golding Farms Foods Inc.
Missouri Association of Meat Processors
Mrs. Lisa W. Stanley and Mr. Patrick L. Stanley
Goodnight Brothers
National Peanut Board
Star Kay White Inc.
Grant Law Office
National Power Corporation
Dr. Stephen F. Sylvia
Ms. Renata O. Habaqe
NC Cattlemen's Association
Synergy Flavors, Inc.
Mr. Crate D. Hall Jr
NC Cattlemen's Foundation Inc.
Synshark LLC
Hampton Farms
NC Meat Processors Association Inc.
Mr. Fred R. Tarver III
Harris Teeter LLC
NC State Food Science Club
Mr. Darrell L. Taylor
Dr. Linda J. Harris
Neogen Corporation
The Land Institute
Mr. John H. Heckel
M.G. Newell Corporation
The NC Arboretum Society
Dr. Ronald A. Heddleson and Dr. Susan S. Heddleson
NC Museum Art Foundation Inc.
Thomas S. Kenan, III Foundation, Inc.
Mr. Paul E. Hill
NC State University Woman's Club
(Estate of) Rachel K. Thomas
House of Raeford Farms, Inc.
Novozymes North America Inc.
Tobacco Rag Processors, Inc.
Mr. James H. Howie
Novus International Inc.
Ms. Jordan K. Todd
Mr. Michael A. Hunt
Nu Skin
Mrs. Jane V. Townley and Mr. Roger R. Townley
Mrs. Ronda D. Hunt and Mr. T. Dale Hunt
Mr. Heath M. Olson
Triangle Breastfeeding Alliance
Mr. Robert W. Hutkins
Mr. Vishal Patil
Trophy on Maywood, LLC
International Paper
Mr. Corey A. Troutman and Mrs. Katherine K. Troutman
Mr. Paul A. Jenny
Maj. Gen. Tim Peppe USAF (Ret.) and Col. RJ Peppe USAF (Ret.)
Dr. Brant R. Johnson and Dr. Kiersten L. Johnson
Pepsi Co. Global Snacks R & D
Utah State University
Dr. Victor A. Jones and the late Mrs. Maryetta Jones
Pet Dairy Division
Ms. Erin E. Van Fleet
Jones-Hamilton Co.
Pfeiffer University
Villari Food Group, LLC
JR Marketing Consulting Services
Mr. Marquis D. Pickett and Mrs. Virginia W. Pickett
Mr. Kirby Warrick and Mrs. Pamela J. Warrick
Mr. Michael S. Karn and Mrs. Janis M. Karn
Pickle Packers International, Inc.
Mr. Camden R. Webb and Mrs. Joy R. Webb
Ms. Mallory Anne Kelly
Piedmont Milk Sales Inc.
Dr. Natalie J. Webb
Mr. Thomas S. Kenan, III
Mrs. Audrey W. Pilkington
Ms. Bethaney M. Wells
Mr. Charles D. King and Mrs. Rebecca M. King
Mr. Nathan D. Poland
Wenda America, Inc.
Mr. James A. King, II and Mrs. Joy Batchelor King
Mrs. Cheryl G. Polzin and Mr. Michael R. Polzin
Mr. James Whelan
Mrs. Amy E. Klaenhammer and Dr. Todd R. Klaenhammer
Pritzker Hageman, P.A.
Mr. J. Graham White, Jr. and Mrs. Marianne K. White
Mrs. Brittany T. Klimstra and Mr. Jon D. Klimstra
The Randleigh Foundation Trust
Mr. Jeffrey C. Whiteside
Dr. Kai Koo
Rapid Genomics LLC
Wika Instruments
Mr. John G. Lampe and Mrs. Janet S. Lampe
RDI Foods, LLC
Wilson Pringle Associates
Land O'Lakes Purina Feed LLC
Mrs. Ann Garner Riddle and Mr. W. Arthur Riddle, III
Mrs. Sarah E. Winn
Lenoir-Rhyne University
Dr. Dennis Angeles Romero
Mr. John Winnie
Lindy's Homemade LLC
Mr. Ronnie Royal
Wright Foods Group, LLC
Dr. Mallorye D. Lovett
Dr. John E. Rushing and Mrs. Kelli K. Rushing
Ms. Brittany L. Wuis
Mr. Wallace S. Mahanes
Dr. Arnie I. Sair and Mrs. Kara L. Sair
Mrs. Deborah Zimmermann and Mr. Matthias Zimmermann
Mr. Ghasem J. Manavi and Mrs. Massy Manavi
Dr. K P Sandeep
Ms. Leslie G. Zule
Marketing Consulting Services
Mrs. Denise A. Saniga and Mrs. John A. Saniga
Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers
SEI Giving Fund
Mr. John J. McCarthy and Mrs. Loraine A. McCarthy
Dr. Kurt M. Selle
Mrs. Beth E. Turner and Dr. Lynn G. Turner
23
NC State University Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences Campus Box 7624 Raleigh, NC 27695 -7624
The future of food depends on FBNS—and you. Join our Industry Partners Advisory Council to help guide all that we do. If you’re interested in serving, please contact K.P. Sandeep. There are all sorts of ways to support our faculty, students and programs. Choose exactly how you’d like to contribute: go.ncsu.edu/fbns_fund
Connect with FBNS, its alumni and friends!
@fbnsncstate fbns.ncsu.edu
FBNS NCSTATE
FBNS NCSTATE