IAFP Announces 2010 Student Travel Scholarship Recipients

Monday, May 17, 2010

Des Moines, Iowa (May 17, 2010) - The International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) will present Student Travel Scholarships to the following individuals at IAFP 2010, August 1-4, in Anaheim, California.  Sponsored by the IAFP Foundation, the Student Travel Scholarships provide travel funds to enable selected students to travel to IAFP 2010.

Abel Atukwase, a native of Western Uganda, is currently studying for his Ph.D. in Food Science at Makerere University in Uganda. Mr. Atukwase's interest in food safety developed while working on a USAID project assisting farmers on how to improve cereal storage. After the project's completion, he became a teaching assistant at the University. Mr. Atukwase continues to conduct research in post-harvest contamination of cereals with mycotoxins to meet his career goals of ensuring that the rural poor feed on mycotoxin-free cereal meals.

Mary Pia Cuervo is a Ph.D. candidate in Food Science at Texas A&M in College Station, where she also received her Master's degree. A teaching/research assistant at Texas A&M since 2005, Ms. Cuervo currently teaches courses in Food Chemistry, Food Analysis, and Food Bacteriology Laboratories. She is a past first-place recipient for both oral and poster presentations at the 2008 Mexico Association for Food Protection's Annual Meeting and at the 2009 IAFP European Symposium.

Vania Borges Ferreira is pursuing her Ph.D. in Biotechnology and Food Science at Portuguese Catholic University in Porto. Ms. Ferreira's graduate work focuses on identifying the sources and routes of the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes in processing plants and better understanding the characteristics associated with specific strains. Upon her 2010 graduation, Ms. Ferreira plans to continue her research in food safety and the transmission of foodborne pathogens through food production systems.

Clyde Simmons Manual is seeking his Master's degree in the Meat Science/Food Safety program at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. While working on several research projects, Mr. Manual also serves as a teaching assistant for food safety workshops and a food safety graduate level course. Upon completion of his Master's degree, he plans to continue his education in food microbiology to achieve his goal as a food safety researcher.

Csaba Nemeth, a native of Hungary, is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Refrigeration and Livestock Products Technology at Corvinus University in Budapest. Mr. Nemeth is currently working on the development of technologies to increase the shelf life of liquid egg products, with the purpose of developing technologically simple procedures without food safety risks to avoid damaging the beneficial features of native eggs. He is the author and co-author of numerous journal and conference publications and hopes to eventually obtain full-time status at the university level.

Anh Linh Nguyan is a Ph.D. candidate in Food Science and Technology at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. His current food microbiology research project surrounds investigating mechanisms behind heat resistance of ascospores of Byssochlamys fulva and Byssochlamys nivea, two important fruit juice and canned fruit spoilage and mycotoxigenic molds. Mr. Nguyan's goal is a career in food microbiology and safety in industries, contributing to better management of food production and quality in his native country, Vietnam, while possibly pursuing a late academic career.

Iryna Sybirtseva is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. A Ukraine native, Mrs.Sybirtseva's doctorial research is concentrated on efficacy of naturally occurring antimicrobials to reduce pathogenic microorganisms associated with poultry at various stages of processing. While balancing academics, career, and family, Mrs. Sybirtseva also serves on the board of CMP, a non-profit organization facilitating cross-cultural exchanges between the U.S. and Eastern European states.

Duygu Tosun is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Ege University in Turkey. A research assistant since 2005, Ms. Tosun is currently studying economic analyses of the Turkish red meat sector. She is a published author of national and international journal articles and presentations regarding food safety and food economics and serves on the board of the Turkish Agricultural Economics Association.