DEVELOPMENT
Seminars Provide Opportunity to Share Insights
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences hosted its first Industry and Academia Seminar in November. Food industry and government representatives, as well as college researchers presented their views and research on current topics in nutrition and health. "The seminars are designed to bring corporate and governmental leaders to Virginia Tech to share their insights on current issues and challenges facing today's agricultural community. These representatives also gain insight into what is happening in the college on related topics. We hope to develop meaningful collaborations that will benefit both Virginia Tech and industry," said Vernon Meacham, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences corporate relations officer.
Industry and government presenters included: Debra Miller, senior nutrition scientist from the Hershey Company, who presented "Cocoa, Chocolate and Cardiovascular Health; From Ancient Remedies to Modern Medicine," which included the history of processing cocoa and its beneficial antioxidant properties; Merle D. Pierson, the USDA deputy under secretary for research, education and economics, who discussed the agency's work in food safety and nutrition research; and Alison Kretser, senior director for scientific and nutrition policy from the Grocery Manufacturers Association, who presented "The Interface between Nutrition Research and Federal Food Policy - The Food Industry View."
Presenters representing the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise included: Janet Rankin, who discussed "Diet Composition and Inflammation in Obesity;" Brenda Davy, who spoke about "Weight Gain Prevention: Closing the Energy Gap;" and Shelly Nickols-Richardson, who presented "Weight Loss and Bone Health." Susan Duncan from the Department of Food Science and Technology discussed "Functional Foods for Health: Anti-Oxidation for Product Quality and Consumer Health."
Approximately 90 students and faculty and staff members from various colleges across campus attended the seminar. The audio from each presentation can be downloaded from The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences website. For more information about future Industry and Academia Seminars, contact Vernon Meacham, (540) 231- 5546 or vmeacham@vt.edu.