Usda National Needs Fellowship For Enhancing Food Safety Through Development Of Novel Intervention Strategies

We will recruit students from Food Science and other related majors such as Microbiology, Biology, Animal Science, Biophysics, Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Chemical Engineering. We will recruit through the Educational Advancement Program on our campus and through colleagues at 1890 Historically Black Land-Grant Universities including Tennessee State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University, and Alabama A&M University. Advertisements will include our Departmental website, related scientific journals and professional societies, newsletters of related IFT Divisions and emails to the IFT Council of Food Science Administrators listserv. We will also prepare flyers and mail them to relevant programs and advertise in discipline-specific and minority-serving organizations and conferences. Fellows selected based on GPA, GRE sore, and recommendation letters will be interviewed by phone and in-person. After enrolling in the PhD program, Fellows will complete laboratory rotations, select advisors, and begin academic and research activities associated with the dissertation focus. Fellows will develop a coursework plan and a detailed plan for their dissertation research in year 1. During the second summer, Fellows will apply and participate in an internship at a company of their choice and take the comprehensive exam for doctoral candidacy. During the final year, Fellows will spend one semester at University of Hohenheim. Fellows will be sponsored to attend and present dissertation research at IAFP and/or IFT annual meetings. The final dissertation will include a literature review and at least 3 chapters prepared in manuscript format and will be defended in the last semester. Fellows will assist and participate in extension programs and the K-12 education outreach programs. They will participate in leadership workshops and courses, supervise undergraduate and M.S. students, and seek out leadership positions to improve leadership and communication skills. Formative evaluation of fellows will include coursework (a minimum GPA of 3.5), internship, comprehensive exam, research capabilities, and collaboration and communication skills throughout the program. Upon graduation, we will continue to communicate with Fellows by phone, emails, social networks, formal and informal get-togethers at professional meetings, and occasionally invite them to give seminars at our departmental graduate seminar series or to the Food Science Club. We will contact each Fellow approximately one year after graduation to conduct a follow-up survey interview. We will conduct a similar interview with Fellows' employers to determine their evaluation of the Fellows' career progress.