Faculty/Staff Awards and Other Recognitions
Our New Department Head
After serving as Interim Department Head since last August, we are incredibly pleased that Dr. Renee Boyer has accepted the role of Department Head of Food Science & Technology. Dr. Boyer has been with the FST faculty since 2006, and we are excited for the future of FST under her guidance. We also would like to thank Dr. Joe Marcy for his service at the department's helm for the last 12 years and for leading FST through a period of unprecendented growth, including the creation of its undergraduate fermentation and brewing option, the design and construction of a new research building, the addition of 19 new faculty and much, much more.
CALS Employee of the Year
Winner: Kim Waterman
After being selected as the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' Employee of the Month for June 2020, FST Lab Manager Kim Waterman went on to win the college's 2020 Employee of the Year award. She was nominated by Dr. Renee Boyer, who praised her as FST's resident jack-of-all-trades, saying, "Kim Waterman has been a staff member in our department for over twenty years! She has truly been involved in almost all aspects of our departmental efforts (teaching/research/extension). More importantly, she always has a smile on her face, willing to help out and is truly dedicated to the success of our department."
CALS Outstanding Doctoral Student of the Year
Winner: Qing Jin
FST grad student Qing Jin has been selected as CALS' Outstanding Doctoral Student for 2021. Qing was selected for her crucial research on converting food waste such as grape pomace into value-added products like biofuels and grapeseed oil, her involvement as the Sigma Xi Virginia Tech Chapter secretary, and for her service as food science department Graduate Committee student representative.
Read more about Qing's work, the challenges she faced acclimating to a new culture, and how she credits her colleagues in FST for making the transition easy here.
2020 CALS Alumni Awards
After being postponed as a result of the pandemic, the CALS Celebration of Ut Prosim was held virtually in October of last year, and FST gained four new alumni awardees. We are incredibly thrilled that the accomplishments of these distinguished Foodies have been formally recognized by the college. Watch the presentation of these awards at the 2020 Virtual Celebration of Ut Prosim here.
Outstanding Recent Alumnus - Academia
Winner: Tommy Saunders
"It is truly an honor to be recognized as ‘Outstanding Recent Alumni - Academia’ for the department of Food Science and Technology at Virginia Tech. Six years ago I could not imagine that I would have made a career in food safety, let alone one in an academic capacity. VT Food Science provided the opportunity for me to become a double graduate of Virginia Tech and gave me my first glimpse into academia as a Food Safety Extension Associate with the department. As I have moved into my next role as the Southeastern Regional Extension Associate with The Produce Safety Alliance, it is the foundation of skills and passion that the department instills in their students that helps drive me to make my alma mater proud."
Outstanding Recent Alumnus - Government or Industry
Winner: Raúl Saucedo Alderete
"No matter how many times you win an award, it is always very special when it comes from the institution that shaped you as a professional. But the most important thing is to carry everywhere the pride of a strong education like the one I received from the VT Department of Food Science and Technology for when the nation requests your service. Thank you FST faculty for laying my foundations as a professional."
Distinguished Alumnus - Academia
Winner: Brian Wiersema
"Receiving this award is very humbling, and I am grateful and honored. I can recall with great detail my times at Virginia Tech. The courses, the labs, the buildings ... but without a doubt the greatest memory I have is of the knowledge and passion of my former instructors in the food science department. I utilized every shred of the knowledge and energy that they passed along to me, and I continue to be inspired by them today. 20 years after graduating, returning to Virginia Tech is just one step along a Hokie journey - it was my turn to return and share what I have learned. I consider myself lucky that I have been given the opportunity to teach and work with students, faculty and staff in the Department of Food Science at Virginia Tech. It is truly an honor, and I can only hope to share, mentor and inspire new Hokies as I once was. Ut Prosim."
Distinguished Alumnus - Government or Industry
Winner: Michael Bazaco
"Virginia Tech has been a second home to me ever since I was a little kid coming to visit with my family. The Food Science department holds an especially important place in my heart as it is where I cut my teeth in public health - working in the lab as an undergraduate making media and counting colonies. I am therefore truly humbled and honored to be given this award. Nothing is more special than being honored by a group of people who you respect and grew up with. The lessons that I learned while at Virginia Tech, and in particular as a member of the Department of Food Science, have stayed with me throughout my career and life. Thank you so much for this truly special award."
Randolph L. Grayson Outstanding CALS Diversity Scholar Award
Winner: Lester Schonberger
FST Research Associate Lester Schonberger received this annually-given award in recognition of his commitment to equity and fairness in the treatment of all while actively seeking to increase knowledge of current inclusion and diversity topics. From 2016 to 2019, Lester worked in a leadership role at The Campus Kitchen at Virginia Tech, a partnership effort between VT Engage and Virginia Tech Dining Services which redirects unserved food from campus dining halls to hunger relief organizations. Lester worked with community partners to help expand the program's services, which in turn inspired him to base much of his graduate work on educating food bank volunteers on safe food handling and storage. Read more about why Lester was selected for this recognition here.
2021 Student Research Presentation Competition
The annual FST Student Poster Competition has retained the new COVID-safe format it was given last year. Now the FST Student Research Presentation Competition, participants recorded a short presentation video and then submitted it to judges online. Many presentations were received and 8 winners were ultimately selected. See the full list of our 2021 winners and their presentation topics here!
Dr. Daryl B. Lund International Travel Scholarship
Winner: Renata Carneiro
FST Ph.D student Renata Carneiro has been named named the 2021 honoree of the Dr. Daryl B. Lund International Travel Scholarship by the Phi Tau Sigma Honor Society for Food Science & Technology! Phi Tau Sigma gives this award to a student member in one of its chapters each year to supplement international travel for research/education.
New Phi Tau Sigma Inductees
Brenna Littleson 🎓
Julia Kesselring
Xueqian Su
Cierra James
Rachel Mawn 🎓
Rebekah Miller
Renata Carneiro 🎓
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.
Over the last year we celebrated seven new inductees — Cierra James, Rebekah Miller, Julia Kesselring and Xueqian Su — and three graduating members — Brenna Littleson, Rachel Mawn and Renata Carneiro. Congratulations, everyone!
Edward A. Buchet Graduate Honor Society
Inductee: Renata Carneiro
The Bouchet Honor Society was founded in 2005 by Yale and Howard universities to create a network of scholars and professionals who serve as examples of scholarship, leadership, character, service, and advocacy for students who have been traditionally underrepresented in the academy. Only 5 doctoral students across all of Virginia Tech were selected to become scholars, and FST's Renata Carneiro was chosen her sensory evaluation research, her service as president of the Latin American and Iberian Graduate Students Association, for being a Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation fellow, and a further list of accomplishments that's far too long to list here.
Read the announcement here.
Peacock-Harper Culinary Collection Scholarship Award
Winner: Minh Duong
The Virginia Tech Graduate School awards this scholarship to students with a record of leadership and service who are making use of the Virginia Tech Libraries' Special Collections and Archives (including the Peacock-Harper Culinary History Collection) in a research project that involves the history of foods, human nutrition or food culture. FST's Minh Duong was selected to receive it for his research on how food safety information was disseminated in the past vs now, and how the accuracy of the information has changed through time, for which he visited the archives to review old cookbooks, pamphlets and food safety documents.
IFT Annual Meeting Poster Competition
Winner: Cameron Bardsley
FST students and faculty are a regular fixture at the winners podium of the Institute of Food Technologist annual meeting poster competition, and this year was no different thanks to Cameron Bardsley, who won 1st place in the food microbiology category for his poster on how pepper plant root damage from transplanting affected the likelihood of the plants being contaminated by Salmonella pathogens in the soil.
Phi Tau Sigma Chapter of Excellence
Winner: The Virginia Tech Chapter
Phi Tau Sigma, the national honor society of food science and technology, recognized the Virginia Tech chapter (which is composed entirely of FST students and faculty) as its 2019-20 Chapter of Excellence. This distinction is awarded annually to chapters that are growing and changing and go beyond basic membership requirements to demonstrate excellence. Congrats to last year's leadership team: Jennifer Acuff, Cameron Bardsley, Lester Schonberger, Dajun Yu, and faculty advisors Monica Ponder and Laura Strawn!