FDSN Seminar Series

The Department of Food Science and Nutrition hosts a number of virtual events through its Seminar Series and its Virtual Food Industry Friday series.

The FDSN Seminar Series features guest lectures by invited speakers that broaden understanding and knowledge of various scientific topics and original research in food science and nutrition. Speakers include experts from academia, federal government agencies, and the food industry. These seminars are held every Thursday at 12:45 p.m. Central Time.

Our Virtual Food Industry Friday events showcase food industry professionals, board members, and alumni who are available to meet with students, providing career path insights to the broad and important field of food, science, and technology. Speakers represent a wide range of experience and roles in the food industry such as quality, product development, packaging, regulations, research and development, and more, providing a broad perspective on the food industry. Virtual Food Industry Friday events are held every third Friday of the month during the spring and fall semester from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. CST. The open seminar forum lasts approximately 45 minutes with a 10-15 minute Q&A session included.

Fall 2023 Seminars

Date

Title

Speaker

Google Link

Sept 21

Overview of B2B Industry and Role of Technical Service Scientists in Growing the B2B Business

Neeraj Kamath

Watch the Video

Sept 28

Innovations and Opportunities in Grain Science to Address Public Health Challenges

Ram Ramakrishna, PhD

Join Zoom Meeting
ID: 3123989873

Oct 5

Introduction to Brewing – Beer Fermentation Process

Devanshu Mehta

Join Zoom Meeting
ID: 3123989873

Oct 12

Analyzing Transferred Nanomaterials in Foods and Beverages Under Simulated Storage Conditions

Laxmi Adhikari

Join Zoom Meeting
ID: 3123989873

Oct 19

Legal Issues for Food and Beverage Start-Ups

Sean Swidler

Join Zoom Meeting
ID: 3123989873

Oct 26

The Technical Path to Sales in the Food Industry

James Skidmore

In-Person

Pritzker Science Center, Room 152

Nov 2

Demystifying Electron Beam Food Pasteurization: Unraveling Misunderstandings

Suresh Pillai

Join Zoom Meeting
ID: 3123989873

Nov 9

Approach to Solution and Ingredient Development in Diverse Food Applications

Ragya Kapoor and Ravi Kiran Tadapaneni

Join Zoom Meeting
ID: 3123989873

Nov 16

The Safety of Flavor Ingredients, Using Sound Science to Confront Chemophobia

Arthur Curran

In-Person

Pritzker Science Center, Auditorium, Room 111

Nov 30

Aronia Berry Bioactives: From Field to Function

 

Bradley W. Bolling, PhD

 

Join Zoom Meeting
ID: 3123989873

Spring 2023 Seminars

Date Title Speaker Google Link

Feb 2

Food Science: An R&D Overview

Duey​ Fimreite

South Chicago Packing LLC

Watch the Video

Feb 9

Capabilities of Ultraviolet Light Technologies for Food and Grain Processing

Tatiana Koutchma  

Feb 16

Career Progression and Development

Isha Chadha

Watch the Video

Feb 23

A Salty Alternative: The Case for Seaweeds and Sea Plants

Sara Marshall Baker

 

Mar 2 Outside In, An Entrepreneurial Journey Shwetha Shrivatsa

Watch the Video

Mar 9

The Expanding Area of Health Benefits of Brassica Vegetables

Anqi Zhao

 

Watch the Video

 

Mar 23

Application of Machine Learning in Microbiological Research

 

Renmao Tian

 

Watch the Video

 

Mar 30

Omic Approaches to Coffee and Health Research

Marilyn C Cornelis

 

Watch the Video

Apr 6

Characterization and Bioactivity of Small Peptides Following Ingestion of Dry Edible Beans

Bikram Upadhyaya

 

 

Apr 13

Genetic Analysis of Traits in Food Crops That Affect the Human Gut Microbiome—a New Approach to Drive Crop Breeding Programs Toward Human Health

Andrew K. Benson, Ph.D. 

 

Watch the Video

Apr 20

Approximating the Needle in the Haystack: Using Simulation Models to Improve Food Safety Controls

 

Claire Zoellner

 

 

Watch the Video

Apr 27

Bacteriophage-Based Biocontrol of Salmonella: A One-health Approach

 

Thomas Brenner

 

Watch the Video

Fall 2022 Seminars

Date

Title

Speaker

Google Link

Sept 15

Controlling Enteric Pathogens on Wheat Grain

Teresa Bergholz

Watch the Video

 

Sept 22

An Introduction to Kosher and Halal Food Laws

 

Joe Mac Regenstein

 

Watch the Video

Sept 29 Optimizing Protein in a Carbohydrate World Donald Layman Watch the Video

Oct 6

Managing Food Safety Along the Supply Chain

Sandhya Krishnankutty

 

Oct 13

How Can Ultrasound Make Food Sound?

Hao Feng

Watch the Video

Oct 20

Food Safety Needs in the Egg Industry

Urvi Shah

Watch the Video

Oct 27 Anti-inflammatory Interactions of Gallotannins with the Intestinal Microbiome

Susanne U. Talcott

Watch the Video

Nov 3 Legal Issues for Food and Beverage Startups Sean Swidler

Watch the Video

Nov 10 Use of Next-Generation Sequencing Methods for Surveillance and to Study Bacterial Adaptation Séamus Fanning

Watch the Video

Nov 17 Nutrition in the News: Science Fact or Science Fiction Melissa Joy Dobbins

 

Dec 1 Craft Distilling–Combining History and Science  

Watch the Video

 

Spring 2022 Seminars

Date

Title

Speaker

Google Link

Jan 20

Nutrition and Immune Resilience: A Clinical Perspective

Chelsea Preiss
Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist and Clinical Research Associate
Center for Nutrition Research at Illinois Institute of Technology

Watch the Video

 

Jan 27

Interlaboratory Comparison of SARS-CoV2 Molecular Detection Assays in Use by U.S. Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories

 

Kaiping Deng
Biologist, Staff Fellow
FDA/CFSAN/OFS/DFPST

 

 

Feb 3

Disruption by the Pandemic: Future Proofing the Food Industry

Kantha Shelke
Principal, Corvus Blue | Sr. Lecturer, Johns Hopkins University

 

Feb 10

OPEN

 

 

Feb 17

The Continued Search for Suitable Surrogates for Clostridium Botulinum

Kristin Schill
Associate Scientist @ University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Food Research Institute (FRI)

Watch the Video

Feb 24

Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Blackberry Phenolic and Volatile Extracts

Dr. Luke R. Howard
Department of Food Science at the University of Arkansas since 1997 (Associate Research Professor 1997-2002, Professor 2002-present

Watch the Video

Feb 25 Building Career Capital in the Food Industry: How to Stand Out from the Rest

Kantha Shelke, principal at Corvus Blue 

Matthew Botos, CEO of ConnectFood

Watch the Video

Mar 3

Leading with Heart – A Career from Illinois Institute of Technology to Impossible Foods

Ravi Tadapaneni

Product Development & Commercialization

Impossible Foods

 

Mar 10

The USDA Pesticide Monitoring Program for Foods Consumed in the United States

Shanker Reddy Ph.D.
USDA, AMS, S&T, MPD, PDP

 

Watch the Video

Mar 23 Building Career Capital in the Food Industry: The Three L's: Listen, Learn, Leverage

Kantha Shelke, principal at Corvus Blue 

Matthew Botos, CEO of ConnectFood

     Watch the Video

Mar 24

Topic to Be Announced

Dr. Bhaskar Janve, QA manager at the Honest Kitchen

 

Mar 25 Research & Development and Food Safety at Hormel Foods Kevin Myers, Senior Vice President of R&D, Hormel Foods

 

Mar 31

Cocoa Flavanols - The Journey from Flavor Inhibitor to Potent Nutraceutical and Beyond

John Hammerstone

 

Watch the Video

Apr 7

Emerging Pathogens and Pathogens of Emerging Concern

Purnendu C. Vasavada, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin- River Falls

 

Apr 14

Sadie Shake: An Entrepreneurs Journey to Bring Ground-breaking Nutrition to Children in Schools

Margaret Hyde
Sadie Shake

 

Apr 21

Innovation Process

Dr. Valeria Acquarone
Tate & Lyle

 

Apr 28

Experimental, modeling, and genomics-approaches to studying and characterizing risks associated with foodborne pathogens

Ruixi Chen PhD Candidate,
Wiedmann Lab - Cornell University

 

Apr 29 Overview of B2B industry and role of Technical Service Scientist in growing the B2B business Neeraj Kamath

Sr. Technical Service Scientist Dairy Category and Certified Food Scientist, Tate & Lyle

Watch the Video

Fall 2021 Seminars

Date Topic Speaker Web Link
Sept 9 Sugar Reduction in Food Applications Eric Shinsato - Ingredion

Watch the Video

Sept 16

The Evolution of Bacterial Symbionts and Microbiomes Professor Patrick Keeling, University of British Columbia

Watch the Video

Sept 23 All About Stevia Leaf Sweetener Fernando Martinez - Ingredion

Watch the Video

Sept 24 Food Safety and Quality from Concept to Commercialization at Vital Farms Liang Bennett (BCHM ’15, M.S. FST ’16), Vital Farms

Watch the Video

Sept 30 Academia is an Exciting Career! Cheryl Rock, Ph.D. California State University - Long Beach  

Watch the Video

Oct 7 Overview of Sensory Analysis of Foods Dr. Charles Sims - University of Florida

Watch the Video

Oct 14 Existing and Emerging Detection Methods for Botulinum Toxin Catherine Rolfe - FDA

 

Oct 15 A Food Safety Leader's Perspective on Risk and Risk Management in a Complex World David Clifford - Nestle USA

Watch the Video

Oct 21 Technological Advances in Processing and Packaging That Will Reduce Carbon Emissions Chuck Sizer - Pilot Aseptic, LLC 

Watch the Video

Oct 28 The Exploration of Anti-Obesity Effects of Potential Probiotics on C57BL/6 Mouse Model Kequan Zhou - Wayne State University

 

Nov 4 Nutrition and Immune Resilience: A Clinical Perspective Chelsea Preiss - Center of Nutrition Research @IIT 

 

Nov 11 The Pennsylvania Genome Trakr Consortium Advances Understanding of Salmonella Transmission, Antibiotic Resistance, and Bugs in My Food Edward Dudley - PSU 

Watch the Video

Nov 18 The Migration of Engineered Nanomaterials Out of Nanotechnology-Enabled Polymers and into Foods Tim Duncan - FDA

 

Nov. 19

Creating a Bigger Table: Impactful Philanthropy in the Food Industry

John Shapiro, Partner, Complex Litigation Practice Group, Freeborn and Peters LLP

 

Dec 2 Inferring Protein Function by Structural Homology — A Case Example with Microsporidia Jean-Francois Pombert, IIT and Academic Editor

 

 

Spring 2021 Seminars

Date Topic Speaker Web Link
Feb 4 Data Analytics and Why Modelling Matters Dr. Clare Thorp, Ph.D., Creme Global

Watch the Seminar Recording

Feb 11 OPEN    
Feb 18 Deciding What to Eat: A Cognitive Neuroscience Approach Akram Bakjour, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Chicago

Watch the Seminar Recording

Feb 19 INDUSTRY: Overview of Wine Making Processes and Project Management Cycle Udit Mankad, Corporate Project Engineer at Constellation Brands, Inc.

Watch the Seminar Recording

Feb 25 Development of a Genomic Framework for Quality Assessment of Live Microbial Supplements Carmen Tartera, Ph.D., FDA

Watch the Seminar Recording

Mar 4 Conscious Eating: How to Become Healthy and Blissful in 21 days Dr. Huan Xia, Founder and CEO, LucOasis Inc.

Watch the Seminar Recording

Mar 11 What We Learned from Recent United States Listeriosis Outbreaks Dr. Yi Chen, Microbiologist, FDA CFSAN

Watch the Seminar Recording

Mar 18 Protective Effects and Mechanisms of Muscadine Grapes or Wine on Gut Inflammation Dr. Liwei Gu, University of Florida

 

March 19

INDUSTRY: Biotechnology, Taste, Nutrition, and Food Security: Perspectives in Industrial Life Sciences

Scott Hagedorn, Ph.D., SRH Consulting LLC, Science, Innovation, Risk Management 

 

Mar 25 Simpler Better Fruit Preparation for Yogurt Application Dr. Jie Sun, Principal Scientist, NTS (Nutrition and Technology Solutions) General Mills

 

Apr 1 Statistical Methods, Tools & Concepts for Scientific Research Dr. Jingyun Yang, Assistant Professor, Rush University Medical Center

 

Apr 8 NO SEMINAR – COVID STUDY DAY    
Apr 15 Byproduct and Waste Protein as a Building Block for Polymer Applications in the Food and Non-food Industries Nandika Bandara

Watch the Seminar Recording

Apr 16 INDUSTRYFood Safety & Quality Influence Across Business Functions and Strategies Kurt Deibel, VP Food Safety & Quality — Americas at H.J. Heinz Company 

 

Apr 22 How Vascular Endothelial Cells Regulate Transendothelial Migration: Intravital Microscopic Studies in Real Time Dr. William Muller, MD, Ph.D., Professor of Pathology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

 

Apr 29 X-rays: Sources, Techniques, and Applications in the Food Industry Ali Khounsary, Ph.D., Illinois Institute of Technology

 

May 6 Metabolically Activated Macrophages in Obesity and Insulin Resistance Dr. Becker - UOC