IFT Celebrates Section Impact Award Winners for Volunteering in Food Science Community

CHICAGO – The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) recently recognized five IFT Sections with its IFT Section Impact Award. IFT Sections allow food science professionals to network with their local peers through a variety of events and opportunities, including Suppliers’ Nights. IFT has 46 sections spread across the U.S., as well as Mexico, Japan, England and Canada.

“IFT sections are a valuable resource for anyone looking to deepen their connections within the food science community and strengthen their personal and professional development by staying updated on the latest developments and advancements in food,” said Alan Chewning, director of section engagement at IFT. “While every section has played a prominent role in advancing the science of food, these five sections stood out for their excellence in these specific areas.”

Outstanding Scholarship Program

The Southern California IFT Section (SCIFT) was selected as the Section Outstanding Scholarship Program winner in recognition of the diverse grants, scholarships and financial support to high school and college students and academics. In the past year, through the SCIFT Section Education & Research Grant program awarding funding to colleges and universities, travel funds, the Wayne Bidlack Scholarship and the Phil Bates Scholarship, more than 20 students in Southern California received scholarships, 10 received travel awards, and five faculty members awarded grants.

“We are honored to receive the IFT Section Impact Award, which recognizes SCIFT’s longstanding commitment to fostering the next generation of food science professionals," said SCIFT Co-Chair Changqi Liu. "This award reflects the dedication of our members, who volunteer their time to support impactful initiatives like our scholarship and grant programs. These efforts are made possible through the success of our annual Suppliers’ Night Expo, which serves as the primary funding source for our student and faculty support. In addition to our financial support programs, SCIFT provides year-round engagement through monthly meetings, networking activities and the Southern California Food Industry Conference, where we invite high-profile speakers to share insights on innovation, research and industry trends. These events help build lasting connections among students, faculty and industry professionals. We are proud to serve as a vibrant hub for the food science community within the region and look forward to expanding our impact in the years ahead.”

Establishment or Re-establishment of an Event with Noticeable Growth

Both the Cactus IFT Section and the Dogwood IFT Section were selected for the Establishment or Re-establishment of an Event with Noticeable Growth Section Award. Cactus IFT was able to relaunch its Suppliers Night event, which had not occurred since 2019. The effort and ability to reestablish this event, and to have a successful fundraising campaign to create a more financially secure section, has been apparent and benefitted their members and community, said IFT.

“We’re honored that the Cactus Section has been recognized with this year’s Section Impact Award," said IFT Cactus Section Chair-Designate Ricky Singh, Ph.D. "This recognition validates the hard work our board and volunteers have put in to reinvigorate the section after the challenges of the COVID pandemic. It’s especially meaningful because it reflects our commitment to reconnecting with the local food science and industry community here in Arizona. What makes our section special is the way we’ve rebuilt engagement by creating a welcoming, collaborative environment for professionals across industry, academia and government. We take pride in bringing people together through purposeful programming and events that spark ideas, relationships and opportunity.

“One of our proudest accomplishments was successfully hosting our Suppliers’ Night for the first time in six years — and with an incredible turnout of over 80 vendors and 250 attendees. We also held several other events throughout the year that helped grow our membership and build momentum. Looking ahead, we’re excited to expand our programming, deepen industry partnerships and continue building one of the most engaged IFT sections in the country."

Meanwhile, the Dogwood Section hosted a Food Science Olympics event and had more than 60 students from North Carolina A&T and North Carolina State University participate in a Product Development Challenge focused on snack bars. Teams created prototypes and launched a final pitch to food industry professionals from PepsiCo, with winning teams recognized during the Dogwood Section Suppliers’ Night.

“Receiving this recognition affirms that our section is on the right path, creating meaningful opportunities such as the Food Science Olympics, an innovative event that brings together students from universities across North Carolina to learn, compete and connect,” said Dogwood Section President Roberta Claro da Silva, Ph.D. “By fostering these relationships, we not only support their academic and professional growth but also lay the foundation for a stronger, more vibrant food science community, as these students represent the future leaders, members and volunteers who will carry our mission forward for years to come.”

The Dogwood Section will be hosting its next Suppliers’ Night event on Sept. 11, in Greensboro, N.C. Learn more or register here.

Technology Reaching Members

The Iowa IFT Section was selected for its work towards upgrading its technology to better align and connect with members. The Iowa Section utilizes its website extensively to communicate and connect with section members, overhauling their website to be mobile friendly, utilizing their domain name and avoiding junk folders in member email inboxes. Updating their server and webpage host, the Iowa Section was able to drive more members to the site and increased email delivery to assist members in staying up to date with activities, news and opportunities.

“The Iowa Section is honored to be recognized as a Section of Impact," said Iowa Section President Teresa Busch, Ph.D. "We are a small section, but we try hard to connect the science of food community within the state of Iowa, across academia and industry and across companies and unique food science roles. We are very proud of our volunteer board members, and we appreciate the time and effort they put back into the Section and IFT.

“We are a special part of the local community because we work hard to support our local Iowa State University students by having two students on our board, hosting a Student Night, having student support grants and welcoming them to all of our meetings. The Iowa Section is excited to welcome four new leaders onto our board. To get so many new leaders in a small state section, we cultivated relationships and generated interest with great meetings featuring company plant tours and fun group dinners.”

Membership Growth and Retention

The Kansas City IFT Section (KCIFT) was selected for the Membership Growth and Retention Impact Award as a result of its efforts to enhance section engagement and recognize member participation. KCIFT leadership created a multi-stage strategic plan to achieve these goals, which resulted in a stronger connection between KCIFT and IFT leadership, a 147% increase in its membership survey response rate, programming 100% of its events around those survey responses and a 200% increase in student engagement on the KCIFT board. In addition, KCIFT deepened ties to Kansas State University Food Science & Bakery Science clubs, helping guide future volunteer leaders to the section. KCIFT also improved engagement with current membership through student and professional member highlights, featuring 13 KCIFT members in the first six months of the initiative.

“This recognition highlights hours of commitment from our leadership board and volunteer members to bring relevant programming, networking opportunities and development to KCIFT members," said Laurel McGonegle of the Kansas City Section. "We appreciate the recognition and continued collaboration with IFT to continue creating membership magic. One key highlight (from the past year) was executing a membership survey with 147% increased participation. This allowed us to develop two key events (a seminar at K-State Olathe and a scholarship dinner with IFT President Christopher Daubert) with high attendance and membership engagement. We have also seen increased student involvement on the volunteer board by 200%, further emphasizing our commitment to retention, recruitment and involvement of the student voice.”

To learn more about joining an IFT Section, go to www.ift.org/community/regional-sections.