Food Digest : 2013

Message from the Department Head: Greetings. A lot has happened since our last newsletter. I hope as you take the time to read these stories, they will help you reconnect and remind you of the many friendships formed at Virginia Tech. Please take the time to update your contact information with the Department of Food Science and Technology or through the Alumni Association. We really do wish to keep in touch. Three years ago a survey was conducted with all of the IFT approved Food Science programs to see how many undergraduates were in the U.S. Out of 49 programs that responded at that time, Virginia Tech ranked 19th. Now we have greater than 130 undergraduate majors and are tied for seventh place for undergraduate program size. Our graduate program is also very strong; when we count the students in both residential and on-line degree programs, we have nearly 50 graduate students. As enrollment has increased, we’ve begun to outgrow our classroom. Many of you may still remember taking courses in FST 132; however our class sizes now exceed the room’s size, sending some classes to rooms across campus. The people of FST are also in transition. We celebrated with Harriet Williams, Walter Hartman, and Brian Smith as they all retired last summer. We miss them deeply, but their retirements were well earned. We see them often, looking healthy and enjoying extra time for their own interests. One of the biggest changes for me, personally, was the unexpected death of Cameron R. Hackney, Ph.D. Cameron and I were students together and shared many enjoyable hours during our professional careers. I admired his scholarly work, his amazing teaching ability, and his sincere care for others. He was my friend, and I miss him very much. Others, who were also touched by Cameron, have established an endowed fund in his honor. The proceeds from the Cameron R. Hackney Memorial Enrichment Fund will be used to cultivate the educational activities of undergraduate and graduate students in the FST Department. We welcome contributions to this fund from any who wish to honor Cameron. Best personal regards, Joe Marcy.