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LONE STAR PERSPECTIVE
“ IAFP provides a unique opportunity for the sharing of ideas and data”
When I was a graduate student starting my career in food microbiology, I remember taking my first food microbiology class and beginning to realize that this field was something special. That class was taught by Dr. Carl Vanderzant, who was also my advisor for two graduate degrees at Texas A&M University. He obviously loved the field, and he taught his class with such passion and conviction that it was impossible to sit through lectures without constructing a mental picture of the pioneers in food microbiology he discussed. All the classic contributions were covered, of course, but the individuals who were most intriguing to me were those whose discoveries and contributions were more recent. For example, I remember being amazed by John Silliker’s work with Salmonella and how he had used that knowledge to build a commercial laboratory, now internationally established. Dr. Vanderzant talked of Don Splitstoesser at Cornell University and how he studied the ecology of the microflora established during the processing season in produce packing sheds. We learned of Bruce Tompkin’s studies in meat microbiology and how he had worked to reduce nitrite levels in cured meats, and of Bill Sperber and his work with HACCP and process control at Pillsbury. Of course, the reason these individuals were highlighted in class was likely because Dr. Vanderzant was impressed with their contributions as well. That is the power of being a professor, I suppose—the opportunity to mold students’ thinking. In any case, let’s just say I was duly impressed and began to construct a list of my own “food safety heroes.” Sometime after I was well into my graduate studies, there was a lull in laboratory activity. I can’t remember why; we were probably just between projects or so mething. Spring Break arr ived, and I was anticipating the opportunity to vegetate for a
week and take a vacation from working in the laboratory. Dr. Vanderzant, of course, had some-thing quite different in mind. He caught me in the hallway right before Spring Break began and inquired as to my plans for the approaching holiday. I replied that I might watch a movie or two, read a book, do some cooking… As I spoke and noted his reaction, I knew that I had made a fatal mistake—I should have planned to leave town. He replied that my plans sounded very relaxing, but inquired as to what I would be do ing “in the daytime.” Surely I didn’t intend to spend the entire time doing nothing constructive. Naturally, he had an idea. He was working on the proofs for a book that would soon be published, called An Evaluation of the Role of Micro-biological Criteria for Foods and Food Ingredients . The title was so long that everyone just referred to it as the “Green Book.” This book was a report for the National Research Council and contained a collection of chapters written by people who were icons in the field of food microbiology. Dr. Vanderzant was the Chair of the committee that as sembled the report, so he wanted to make sure that every chapter was perfect, that there were no typographical errors, and that the text read clearly. What better way to accomplish that than to have your graduate student read every word to you during Spring Break? And I do mean every word. And every number in every table. Each period and colon in each reference. I spent the entire Spring Break reading that book out loud to Dr. Vanderzant so he could check the proofs. The end result of this, however, was that I learned of more food safety heroes, and I continued to add to my list of people who impressed me with their contributions to the field. Of course, I had never personally met any of these individuals, so I had to build a mental image of Dr. Vanderzant had a tradition of allowing his senior graduate student to accompany him to Annual Meetings. The tradition was likely due to a shortage of travel funds, but this resulted in the pool of graduate students looking forward to the day when they would get the chanceto attend the professional meetings. What an opportunity! A chance to go to the Annual IAMFES Meeting (it was not called IAFP at that time) with Dr. Vanderzant and meet all the individuals I had studied and admired. Of course, in my mind, they all looked like movie stars. The mental image I had constructed of each person was in line with their magnificent contributions to food safety. I specifically remember being surprised to find that I was actually taller than Dr. Splitstoesser, as I had pictured him with a height of at least six feet! I talked with each individual I met about their research and always mentioned that I had read their publications with great interest and admiration. They seemed surprised. It turns out that all these “food safety heroes” I had wanted to meet were just normal, everyday, average, friendly people. They all encouraged me to continue studying and said they were available to help if I ever needed them. Needless to say, I was on “Cloud Nine!” Not too long ago at our Annual Meeting, a student approached me and mentioned that he had read about all my work with carcass decontamination. He seemed very excited to meet me and talked for some time about his work and how our research was similar and connected. I realized that he had a list of “food safety heroes” and I was on that list. What an honor! Now all this may seem a little geeky—“food safety heroes.” But I think we all remember when we began to realize this was the field for us, that this was where we wanted to build our careers, that food safety was something we could wrap our arms around. IAFP provides a unique opportunity for the sharing of ideas and data, but it also provides an outstanding opportunity for personal relation-ships with our colleagues. The older I get, the more I realize that Annual Meetings are not just for attending symposia, but for catching up with old friends, for talking with students who will be the future of our field. For meeting your “food safety heroes.” We all have our group of friends that we look forward to visiting with at Annual Meetings and at other events. Let me encourage you to expand that group of colleagues. Visit with students. Let them know that their choice for a field of study was a good one, that you are available to help and that you welcome them into the group of professionals who are Advancing Food Safety Worldwide ® . And while you are at it, sign them up for a student membership! If you haven’t made plans yet to attend the IAFP 2008 Annual Meeting in Columbus, Ohio, do so now. Some aspiring new food microbiologist may be looking for you, and the meeting won’t be the same without all our “food safety heroes” in attendance. Comments or questions? As always, you can E-mail me at gacuff@tamu.edu. |