Current News and Events | News Archive

New Graduate Course Approved

In December the Graduate School approved a new 3-credit class- FSN 508 Nutrition and Aging- which addresses the roles of nutrients, foods and supplements in maintaining health during aging. The class prerequisite is FSN 301 Life Cycle Nutrition or permission of the instructor. Professor Mary Ellen Camire will teach FSN 508 for the first time May 31-July 9, 2010 on-line via WebCT.

Food Science Concentration Approval

In December the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) approved the Food Science concentration for another five-year period. Our program is the only approved food science program in northern New England, and one of two in the entire region. IFT approval enables our students to compete for a number of scholarships offered by IFT. Special thanks are owed to Dr. Susan Sullivan and food science faculty for their efforts in preparing the approval documents.

Spring 2010 Distance and Continuing Education Courses

Pre-registration for spring courses begins Oct. 26 for seniors and graduate students. The Department is pleased to offer several on-line courses: FSN 101 (3 cr.) taught by Professor Emerita Katherine Musgrave; FSN 230 Nutritional & Medical Terminology (1 cr.) offered by Professor Mary Ellen Camire; FSN 270 World Foods & Nutrition taught by Associate Professor Richard Cook; FSN 436 Food Law taught by Professor Alfred Bushway; and FSN 603 Nutrients & Food Processing (3 cr.) taught by Dr. Camire. Both FSN 436 and FSN 603 are required courses for the graduate certificate in Foods and Nutrition. Two additional courses will be offered in the late afternoon to accommodate working students. Dr. Bushway is teaching FSN 512 Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points on Mondays 4:10-6:40 p.m. Successful completion of this class provides students with seafood HACCP certification. Dr. Camire is teaching FSN 530 Complementary Nutrition Practices Tuesday evenings 4:10-6:40.

USDA Funds Organic Wheat Research in Maine and Vermont

Flour is an item that local food devotees known as locavores have had trouble sourcing in Maine. Extension Sustainable Agriculture Specialist and Assistant Professor of Sustainable Agriculture Ellen Mallory is the lead investigator on a newly-awarded $1.3 million project to encourage organic wheat production in northern New England for millers and artisanal bakers. The Fostering Local Organic Wheat (FLOW) project involves numerous collaborators in ME and VT. FSN Professor Mary Ellen Camire will be conducting sensory analyses of breads made from locally-grown wheat as part of the project.

IFT Fellow Award

Professor Alfred Bushway has been selected as an Institute of Food Technologists Fellow for 2009. The award was given in recognition of his contributions to the industry in the areas of food processing and food safety for fruits, vegetables, seafood, meat and poultry.  During his 30-year career, Dr. Bushway has addressed issues affecting food production for local growers and processors throughout New England. He directs a lowbush blueberry research program that focuses on food quality and safety and product development. Dr. Bushway and colleagues are currently developing chemical and bio-control methods to reduce the mycotoxin patulin on apples during storage.

Katherine O. Musgrave Award

March 31, 2009, Richard A. Cook, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Food Science and Nutrition received the Katherine O. Musgrave Public Service Award at the Maine Nutrition Council Annual Conference. The award is designed to recognize an individual, organization or institution for outstanding work in nutrition policy, education, or research. Dr. Cook has worked in the community for more than 35 years. His work has made the assessment of nutrition status of people possible in an efficient manner and his findings have been shared in the professional literature for national and international use as he has worked in Brazil, Jamaica, and the Philippines. He has developed a course in World Food that is sensitizing students each semester with problems of hunger, food distribution and an understanding of diverse cultures. Dr. Cook also serves the farmers of Maine on the Maine Milk Commission.

Alumni News

Danielle (McMann) Meyer (M.S. 2008) is a part-time faculty with Kaplan University.

Amy Henderson (B.S. 2005, M.S. 2007) is the Nutrition Services Supervisor at MDI hospital in Bar Harbor, and also consults for several nursing homes in the area.

Ashlan Oberholtzer, R.D., (M.S. 2005) is a dietitian with New England Life Care, Inc. of Portland, ME. He is also a part-time faculty at the University of Southern Maine and is teaching nutrition to nursing students.

Heidi (Tower) Ashton, R.D. (B.S. 1998, M.S. 2000) has joined Penobscot Community Health Care, Bangor ME, as a dietitian.

Lorien Clifford (BS 2008) completed her dietetic internship at UMass Amhearst and has been hired as a clinical dietitian at Sebasticook Valley Hospital in Pittsfield, Maine. She plans to get married in the fall!

Lilly Lanyero Samuel (B.S. 2006) is a Compliance Auditor with ProMark Brands Inc., an affiliate of H.J. Heinz Corporation. She started working at their Boise, Idaho location in February 2009.

The University of Maine Foundation honored alumni at a special 75th anniversary celebration on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 in Orono, Maine. Special honorees included five alumni, one from each of UMaine's degree-granting colleges, who have gone on to serve their professions and their communities at the highest level. Honorees included Karen W. Baldacci of Augusta and Bangor, a teacher and registered dietitian. Baldacci focuses her attention on issues relating to education, family literacy, wellness and nutrition, the arts, local agriculture and gardening. Karen Baldacci received a B.S. in Food and Nutrition from UMaine in 1983 and an M.A. in Teaching in 2001. She is married to Gov. John Baldacci.

Jian Kong (Ph.D. 2008) has joined Abbott Labs, Columbus, Ohio as an Associate Scientist.

Anna Bullett (MS, RD 2008) is the Nutrition Specialist at CulinArt, a corporate catering company in New York City. 

Natasha D’Souza (PhD 2006) was recently promoted to Senior Sensory Scientist at General Mills (Golden Valley, MN). Dr. D’Souza has been working in the Snacks Unlimited Division of General Mills since 2006.

Sarah Reiner (BS 2005) completed her MS in Food Science at the University of Minnesota in May 2008 and will be starting a new position as R&D Scientist for New Products in the Pillsbury Division at General Mill in September.

Amy Fanjoy, MS, RD (BS, 2004) will be starting a new job at Baptist Hospital in North Carolina in June. She will work in the Marketing Department. The hospital has a local store in the nearby mall where classes and literature can be found on health and wellness pre and post hospital visit. She will be teaching the general public on different areas of nutrition and will assist individuals within local corporate entities.  The hospital plans to market itself by assisting individuals in leading healthier lifestyles.

Dr. Anastasia Z. Kalea (Ph.D., 2005) who is now at the Dept.  Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York has just received a Postdoctoral Fellowship award from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (www.jdrf.org) to study the molecular basis of the role of advanced glycation end product in type 1 diabetes complications.

Keith Moore (BS, 1998) recently accepted the QC Manager position at the Cargill Dressing, Sauces and Oils (DSO) facility in Wichita, Kansas. He previously worked for Cargill’s Meat Solutions Corporation.

Sharon Gray (BS, 2002) completed her M.S. degree at Bastyr University and is now working in Seattle, Washington as a licensed acupuncturist, combining Chinese medicine with massage therapy and nutrition. She has a website at http://www.theartofnourishment.com.

Thomas (Yean) Hoong-Teh (M.S. 2004), an instructor in the School of Chemical and Life Sciences of Nanyang Polytechnic College in Singapore, has been selected to receive the 2008 First International Nutritionist/Dietitian (FIND) Fellowship for Study in the USA from the American Dietetic Association Foundation. He will be recognized at the ADA Foundation's Gala held during ADA's Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo in October.

Mike Murphy (MS) has taken a position in R&D at Xcafe in Portland, ME. Xcafe is a manufacturer of coffee extracts for the beverage industry.

Craig Plummer (B.S. 1998) was hired by The Schwan Food Company in Marshall, MN at their R&D corporate headquarters. He is now working as a product development technologist in their food service national accounts.

Shari Baxter (Ph.D. 2007) was recently hired by Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. in Louisville, Kentucky. She will be developing new beverage products as an Assistant Food Scientist in Research and Development.

Thomas (Yean) Hoong-Teh (M.S. 2004) was recently appointed as an instructor in the School of Chemical and Life Sciences of Nanyang Polytechnic College in Singapore.

Cailtin Jamison (B.S. 2005) is now an Associate Scientists II in the Kraft Global Technology and Quality division, working on product development in the Desserts sector. She recently relocated from Massachusetts to the Kraft facility in Tarrytown, NY.

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