Food Protection Trends - November/December 2024 - 469

OUR EXPERIENCES
By the Recipients of the IAFP 2024 Student Travel Scholarship Award
NARINDRA RANDRIAMIARINTSOA | Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
I am incredibly grateful and honored to
have been awarded the 2024 Student
Travel Scholarship to attend IAFP's
Annual Meeting this year. My journey
with IAFP started in 2020, when I
attended the Annual Meeting virtually
during the pandemic. However, this
year's meeting was more transformative
because I was able to build connections
with my IAFP mentor, my fellow travel
scholarship recipients, along with other professionals and researchers
from various backgrounds.
One of my highlights this year was presenting my poster and having great
conversations with other attendees who stopped by and asked questions.
Those exchanges not only enhanced my communication skills, but
also helped me refine my research area through their various feedback.
Additionally, the symposia have been always insightful and interactive,
in which, this year, I particularly enjoyed the ones on surrogate validation
in low-moisture food and on the role of effective communication to
influence human behavior change in food safety.
I also enjoyed networking with other Members this year. Starting on the
first day during the Welcome Reception, I had a great interaction with
professionals from industries and the FDA who were excited about my
research on the food safety of fruit drying. IAFP Annual Meetings have
been an opportunity for me to re-connect with friends and research
collaborators from other institutions and industries as well. Throughout
the conference, I was able to meet my amazing mentor, Dr. Aaron
Uesugi, who introduced me to potential research ideas that would make
significant impacts on industries. He also provided me with different
perspectives regarding career opportunities in food safety after
graduate school.
Finally, I had a wonderful time volunteering at the IAFP Foundation Booth
where I was able to meet IAFP Board Members and donors.
Overall, the 2024 Student Travel Scholarship provided me exposure to
insightful ideas about current food safety technologies and research as
well as potential research collaborations. I am highly appreciative of this
prestigious scholarship, and I encourage other students to apply.
LILY SAAD | University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts
Attending IAFP 2024 was truly a great
experience, and I am very thankful
to have received the Student Travel
Scholarship. As a first-time attendee, I
found that the conference exceeded all
my expectations, and I hope to return
in future years. I got to meet people
from around the world with all different
backgrounds and experiences. It was
interesting to see how many different
efforts there were to accomplish a common goal of creating a safer
food environment for everyone. I extremely enjoyed the mentorship
program, where Dr. Alvin Lee made me feel welcomed and provided
invaluable guidance.
Volunteering at the Foundation Booth was another highlight. I learned
about what the Foundation was, and why it is so important. I had the
opportunity to connect with various Members of IAFP, who all spoke
very highly of the organization and shared their career paths and
personal experiences. Volunteering alongside fellow travel award
recipients allowed me to learn more about their backgrounds and
experiences, which I really appreciated.
I really enjoyed the student events as well, where I met many students
from various universities. It's also great to see how active the Student
PDG is! They highly encourage students to participate and connect
with peers and professionals. Everyone was very welcoming, and I felt
comfortable starting conversations and asking questions.
I also enjoyed exploring the Exhibit Hall throughout the week. Seeing
all the different companies and all the new technology was fascinating.
I found the various technical talks and roundtables held to be very
engaging. It was fascinating to witness professionals in academia and
government discuss a wide range of topics and share insights on issues
they have been researching and working on for years. As a first-time
attendee and someone relatively new to research, I found the technical
talks and roundtables to be an incredibly rewarding experience.
I am very thankful I got to return to UMass with a new perspective on
a lot of food safety issues. I also appreciated the chance to present
a poster showcasing the work I did during my undergraduate studies.
Thank you once again for this opportunity and wonderful experience; I
look forward to attending another Annual Meeting soon!
November/December Food Protection Trends 469
Food Protection Trends - November/December 2024

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