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The World of Science in Food Workshop
Instructors and Key Contacts

Dr. Cathy Davies

Dr. Davies joined the Food Science program in April 1999 with research background in food chemistry and reaction kinetics. She received her Ph.D. in Food Science from Leeds University in England in 1993 and received postdoctoral research experience in the Institute of Pathology at Case Western Reserve University and the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota. She was selected as the ITUE fellow in the summer of 1999 and was awarded a CTE grant on coordinating a food science capstone course with Dr. Lo. Serving as the advisor of the Food Science Club, Dr. Davies is very pro-student. She has participated in many CTE workshops and lectured in one of them. Her experience with PBL is substantial and has successfully transformed Food Analysis, a chemistry course usually structured rigidly based on laboratory experiments, into a problem-based format. Her research expertise in Food Chemistry enables use of reaction kinetics to study how processing and storage alters food quality and shelf life. She was awarded with a grant from UDRF and is currently developing a research program in the following areas: (1) Relationship between water in food, structure and functionality; (2) Shelf-life and stability of dietary supplements; (3) Making food more nutritious by increasing nutrient stability and increasing its disease prevention abilities; (4) Maillard reaction kinetics; (5) Ascorbic acid degradation and browning; and (6) Orange juice stability/shelf-life/sensory.

For more information: http://ag.udel.edu/departments/anfs/faculty/davies.html

Email: cdavies@udel.edu

Dr. Dallas Hoover

As a full professor in food microbiology, Dr. Hoover received his Ph.D. in Food Science with Biochemistry minor from University of Minnesota in 1981. He has served as the Associate Editor for Journal of Food Safety and been on the Editorial Board for Food Biotechnology and Journal for Food Protection. He is also the Newsletter Editor for Biotechnology Division of IFT. Dr. Hoover teaches Food Science, an inter-college course for other majors, and the junior and graduate level of Food Microbiology. His research is conducted in the areas of food process microbiology, food safety, and food biotechnology. His current projects involve applications of new nonthermal food processing methods for the production of minimally processed foods, primarily the use of high hydrostatic pressure for inactivation of foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms (especially sporeforming bacteria) and study of Bifidobacterium for their use as probiotic (nutraceuticals) in foods and beverages.

For more information: http://ag.udel.edu/departments/anfs/faculty/hoover.html

Email: dgh@udel.edu

Dr. Rolf Joerger
Dr. Joerger joined the Food Science Program in 1996 after spending many years with DuPont and the USDA Eastern Regional Research Center. He received his Ph.D. in Microbiology from North Carolina State University in 1987 and has been conducting cutting-edge research in the area of microbial food safety, microbial ecology, and nucleic acid-based detection of bacteria. His teaching responsibilities include Seminar in Food Sciences, an introductory course for food science students, and Food Biotechnology, a technology-oriented undergraduate- and graduate-level course. He is very knowledgeable in molecular biology and has been an active member of the American Society for Microbiology. He has published many research articles in leading journals. Dr. Joerger has received research grants from the USDA, UDRF, and the poultry industry. His current projects include phylogenetic analysis of the bacteria in the intestinal tract of chickens and biological agents for food pathogen reduction programs in poultry.
For more information: http://ag.udel.edu/departments/anfs/faculty/joerger.html
Email: rjoerger@udel.edu

Adrienne E. H. Shearer

Ms. Shearer received her B.S. in Food Science from the University of Delaware in 1989 with a Chemistry minor and an M.S. in Food Science in 1996 focusing on antimicrobial packaging. She joined UD in 1998 as a Research Associate working with Drs. Joerger and Davies after many years of experience in the food industry, including the National Food Processors Association in Washington, DC and Townsends, Inc. in Delaware. She has strong expertise in the area of quality assurance and microbiological food safety and is always seeking professional development. She received certificates from Better Process Control School, HACCP, Foodborne Fungi and Rapid Methods Workshops. She continues her education incorporating molecular genetics in food science. She also has experience with the Washington, DC-based organization SUSTAIN (Sharing US Technology to Aid in the Improvement of Nutrition) where she researched food technology questions received globally. She has been a member of IFT since 1986 and has presented various oral and poster presentations at IFT, ISOPOW, SIM, SME (invited), and NFPA conventions. She was invited to serve as an examiner for the State of Delaware Quality Award in 1994 and is currently the secretary of the organizing committee for the Eastern Food Science Conference.
Email: ashearer@udel.edu

Dr. O. Sue Snider
Dr. O. Sue Snider received her Ph.D. in Food Science from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Dr. Snider's career began as a high school teacher. Prior to joining the University of Delaware in 1983, she taught and conducted research in foods at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Her current position responsibilities include developing and implementing education programs and materials in food safety and nutrition, diet and health; training professionals, paraprofessionals and volunteers in the areas of food and nutrition; interpreting research findings for dissemination to general public; coordinating the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and Lifeskills Program; and recommending research needs in food safety and nutrition to appropriate faculty. Dr. Snider serves on the Policy Advisory Council of Northern Delaware Early Headstart Program; Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. Food Safety Committee, which is concerned with a wide variety of food safety issues; Delaware Food Safety Council, which focuses on food safety issues of Delaware retail operations and foodservice facilities; and as a Board member of the Food Bank of Delaware, Inc. Additionally, she coordinates the National Cancer Institute's 5 A Day for Better Health Program in Delaware and is USDA's Food Security Liaison for Delaware.
Email: snider@udel.edu

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