Cornell in our corner...

Plasmid pGLO in E.coli DH5 alpha. (ImageWikimedia Commons)

In the ever-increasing war against pathogens, Cornell University will become a hub of food safety training, thanks to a new US$2.5 million grant from the US Department of Agriculture.

Food science professor Martin Wiedmann will head a national collaboration with six other universities to engage children, undergraduates, graduate students, teachers and others professionals in food safety programs.

The effort includes a new undergraduate food safety track and a Master of Professional Studies degree at Cornell, an expansion of a summer undergraduate research program, intensive workshops for high school teachers, and lessons at elementary and secondary schools.

Virtually unknown

Food science is a discipline virtually unknown to high school students, teachers and guidance counsellors, Wiedmann says. "Most university food science programs focus on training students for careers in product development, and very few undergraduate degree options with a focus on food safety are available," he says.

Wiedmann expects to train at least 400 high school teachers through intensive workshops, plus an additional 1500 to 2000 teachers at annual meetings, such as the Science Teachers Association of New York State.

The six universities collaborating with Cornell in this effort include Colorado State University, Purdue University, North Carolina State University, Alabama A&M University, North Carolina A&T, and Texas Wesleyan University
Cornell's Food Science Department: http://foodscience.cornell.edu/cals/foodsci/index.cfm.