Other Awards and Recognitions
Honoring our new Phi Tau Sigma Inductees
Leah Hamilton
Tiantian Lin 🎓
Yanhong He
Claire Marik 🎓
Qing Jin
Amy Moore 🎓
Each year, the Virginia Tech chapter of Phi Tau Sigma, a national honor society to elevate the achievements of food science and technology professionals, honors its new inductees and presents graduating members with their honor cords at the FST Awards Banquet.
This spring we are celebrating six new inductees, including Leah Hamilton, Yanhong He, Qing Jin, Tiantian Lin, Claire Marik and Amy Moore, and six graduating members, including Tiantian Lin, Claire Marik, Amy Moore, Jennifer Acuff, Cameron Bardsley and Elizabeth Clark. Congratulations, everyone!
Celebrating our Class of 2020!
Introducing our Undergraduate Class of 2020! By this time next week, the world will have 18 new Foodie alumni in it, ready to do great things. This semester hasn't been the easiest, and they won't be getting the traditional commencement experience, but that doesn't change the fact that they did it, and the entire Department of Food Science and Technology is incredibly proud of them!
Not only does FST senior Colleen Dommel work hard in the classroom, she also helps teach 4-H gardening projects at Pulaski Elementary and volunteers at the Hahn Horticulture Garden. Using both her Food Science & Technology and Spanish degrees, Colleen will be working for Hershey Foods after graduation. Way to go, Colleen! Read about more of Colleen's many accomplishments here.
Our Graduate Class of 2020
🎓 Lauren Essenmacher (MSLFS)
🎓 Claire Marik (MSLFS)
🎓 Amy Moore (MSLFS)
"These faculty, staff, and students are the most supportive group of people I have ever met, and they are a unique community that I feel privileged to have known and learned from over the last three years."
-Jennifer Acuff
🎓 Jennifer Acuff (Ph.D.)
🎓 Tiantian Lin (Ph.D.)
🎓 Cameron Bardsley (Ph.D.)
🎓 Elizabeth Clark (Ph.D.)
"VT is the first place I stayed in the U.S. As an international student, I feel like Blacksburg is my hometown in America, and the people I met and knew here are my family. "
-Tiantian Lin
Recognizing our 2020 Student Research Project Competition Winners
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the 2020 FST Student Poster Competition was transitioned online. Students recorded a research presentation video and then submitted it to judges online. Despite the last minute format change, the competition went on and many submissions were received! See the full list of our 2020 winners here!
FST Alum named Head of the Panamanian Food Safety Authority
Two time FST alumni Raúl Saucedo Alderete was appointed General Administrator of the Panamanian Food Safety Authority (AUPSA) in July. In his new position, he will oversee the government body that regulates Panama's entire food supply.
FST alumna named sole U.S. representative on international advisory council to monitor food security impacts of COVID-19
FST alumna Elsa Murano has been selected as the sole U.S. representative on the newly formed Food Security of the Americas Advisory Council — created to address the mounting food supply issues that are resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. “My degree in food science — with a specialty in food safety — grounded me in science, which has been the hallmark of the work I’ve been able to do as a researcher, policy maker, and university administrator,” Murano said. "As a proud Hokie, I am honored to be able to apply this principle to the work of the council.” Read more here.