Message from the Director - October 2009

NCFPD is proud to announce the list of projects funded in our recent 2009/10 Supplemental Funding RFP. We are happy to fund such ground-breaking research, and to continue to support our investigators and to bring on new projects.  These projects are:

Woubit Salah Abdela, Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine
Simultaneous Detection of Multiple Food Safety Threat Agents Using Multiplex PCR and PCR-Based Microarray Approaches

Evangelyn Alocilja, Michigan State University
Development of a Multiplex Bio-barcode DNA Biosensor for Bacillus anthracis Detection Without PCR Amplification, Phase II

Evangelyn Alocilja, Michigan State University
Proof-of-Concept Study for the Development of a Cell-Free GPCR-Based Biosensor for Rapid Non-Specific Detection of Chemical and Biological Toxic Agents

Francisco Diez-Gonzalez, University of Minnesota
Thermal and Chemical Inactivation of Select Agent Toxins in Liquid Foods

Eric Johnson, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Development of Nontoxigenic Clostridium botulinum Toxins and Strains for Food Defense Studies

Ted Labuza, University of Minnesota
Application of Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for Detection of Chemical and Biological Terror Agents in Food Matrices

Suresh Pillai, Texas A&M University
Integrating Microbial Target Capture with Flow Field Fractionation for Lab on a Chip Device for Food Matrices

Jody Proescher, Johns Hopkins University
Protein Complementation Based Functional Detection Assay for Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B

Lawrence Wackett, University of Minnesota
Melamine-Cyanuric Acid Detection System for Purposely Adulterated Foods

Keith Warriner, University of Guelph
Extraction of Ricin and PCB's Using Functionalized Electrospun Fibers

Craig Hedberg, University of Minnesota
NCFPD Center of Excellence Food Protection Education Portal

Sue Harlander, BTSafety LLC
Conversion of the Academic CMS to a Web-Enabled Version for Academic Use

Craig Hedberg, University of Minnesota
Characterizing the Potential Use of Consumer Complaints Surveillance for the Early Detection of Foodborne Illness Events

Dale Brandenburg, Wayne State University
Assessing Lessons Learned from Food Recall Case Studies

Robert Littlefield, North Dakota State University
Psychological and Social Dimensions of Audience Receptivity to Risk Messages

Jennifer McEntire, Institute of Food Techologists
Food Industry Challenges to "Best Practices" Risk Communication

Michael Palenchar, University of  Tennessee
Social Media Constraints and Opportunities Case Studies and Industry White Paper Project

Tim Sellnow, University of Kentucky
Advancing the Robust Case Study (RCS) Project

John Spink, Michigan State University
Food Fraud Public Health Threat Backgrounder

Randall Singer, University of Minnesota
Modeling Sampling Strategies for Detecting Intentional Contamination of Imported Food Systems

John Ambrosiano, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Examining Food Risk in the Large Using a Complex, Networked System-of-Systems Approach

Dennis Degeneffe, University of Minnesota
Wes Harrison, Louisiana State University
Continuous Tracking and Analyzing Consumer Confidence in the U.S. Food Supply Chain (CFST)

Jason Ackleson, New Mexico State University
Frontier Interdisciplinary eXperiences (FIX) Program Coordination

Justin Kastner, Kansas State University
Frontier Interdisciplinary eXperiences (FIX) Program Coordination

Abbey Nutsch, Kansas State University
Development and Implementation of a Graduate Certification of Completion Program in Food Protection and Defense