Martin Wiedmann / Cornell 03-2005 Innovative Approaches Integrating Research, Extension, and...

Martin Wiedmann / Cornell 03-2005

Innovative Approaches Integrating Innovative Approaches Integrating Research, Extension, and TeachingResearch, Extension, and Teaching

Martin Wiedmann

Department of Food Science

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY


IntroductionIntroduction

• Appointed as Assistant Professor in Food Science in 1999

• Appointment is 60% research & 40% teaching• Research focuses on transmission of bacteria that cause

human disease from animals through foods and environmental sources to humans


My philosophyMy philosophy

• Research at a university must incorporate teaching• Undergraduates involvement in research can provide

more meaningful experiential learning than lectures and classroom instruction

• Involvement with outside constituencies provides for societal benefits of research and can further enhance experiential learning opportunities for students


Basic tenets for successful integration Basic tenets for successful integration of research, teaching and extensionof research, teaching and extension

• Qualified and motivated collaborators are key

• Not all collaborations initiated will work out well…

• All activities need to be grounded in a strong extramurally funded research program and in a commitment to teaching

• All activities need to provide financial or other quantifiable benefits for university

• In general, research, teaching and extension activities should be supported by extramural grants that return overhead to the university

• Leverage funds from different sources

• Inter- and multidisciplinary activities are a must


Ingredients for successIngredients for success

A competitive, high quality basic research program

Competitive, high quality applied research

High quality and relevant outreach and extension

Well-trained & diverse Graduate students &

post-docs

Well-trained & diverse undergraduates with interest in research

Enthusiastic and committed teaching

Basic research program – Basic research program – Transmission of foodborne diseasesTransmission of foodborne diseases

• In 1999 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated the following annual burdens due to foodborne diseases in the US:• 76 million cases of gastrointestinal illnesses

• Cause is unknown for >60 million cases

• 325,000 serious illnesses resulting in hospitalizations• 5,000 deaths

• Research focuses on transmission of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella, which together cause more than 1,000 foodborne death annually in the US

• Funded by New York Sea Grant, USDA-NRI, USDA Special Research Grants and NIH


Transmission of foodborne diseasesTransmission of foodborne diseases

Manure

Food products

Humans

Animal feed/environment/alternative hosts

Food animals

Animal derived food products

Food Processing Plants

RTE Foods/Consumer Homes


Applied ResearchApplied Research• Transmission of L. monocytogenes in food processing plants

• Research is conducted in commercial plants and involves industry collaborators

• Use of molecular subtyping methods and bioinformatics tools to detect human listeriosis outbreaks and to detect outbreak sources• Collaborations with

state health departments and state departments of Agriculture and Markets


Sample Source

*VISIT 1

VISIT 2

VISIT 3

VISIT 4

VISIT 5

*

***

*

*

*

AACCBDCCC

CC

C

A

Sample Ribotype Sample Source RiboPrint® Pattern

1042C (E) Floor, brining cold room

1046A (E) Floor drain, brining cold room #2

1045 (E) Floor, brining cold room1045 (E) Floor, finished product cold room

1045 (E) Floor drain, raw materials area

1045 (E) Floor drain, finished product area1043 (E) Floor, cold smoker1043 (E) Floor drain, raw materials area

1042C (E) Floor, finished product cold room

1042C (E) Floor, brining cold room1045 (E) Floor drain, brining cold room

1045 (E) Slicer, finished product area1045 (E) Floor, finished product storage cooler

1042C (R) Raw Atlantic Salmon1042C (E) Floor drain, finished product area1042C (E) Floor drain, raw materials area

1042D (E) Cutting table, raw materials1062 (R) Raw Whitefish

1042C (IP) Brine solution, trout1042C (E) Floor drain, raw materials area

1039A (F) Cold-Smoked Chilean Salmon1039A (R) Raw Chilean Salmon

Understanding Listeria transmission - Understanding Listeria transmission - ExampleExample


Extension – focus on preventing Extension – focus on preventing ListeriaListeria contamination in processing plantscontamination in processing plants

• Collaborations with industry and trade groups and extension faculty at various universities

• Focus is on communicating new knowledge generated through our applied and basic research efforts and assessing impact of the research

• Emphasis is also on assuring that extension content is based on sound, peer-reviewed research:

• Strategies for controlling Listeria contamination in smoked seafood processing plants were published as a series of 5 peer-reviewed papers; control manual is now used by Association of Food and Drug Officials

• Efforts in New York state have resulted in quantifiable reductions in Listeria contamination of smoked seafood products


Applied Research and Extension Applied Research and Extension FundingFunding

• New York Sea Grant (1998 – 2000): $100,000• New York Sea Grant (2000 – 2002): $100,000• Smoked fish processors and National Fisheries Institute:

approx. $ 15,000• Integrated Research, Education, and Extension

Competitive Grants Program – National Food Safety Initiative, CSREES/USDA (2000 – 2003): $600,000

• Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program – National Food Safety Initiative, CSREES/USDA (2003 – 2006): $500,000


CollaboratorsCollaborators• Within Cornell: Food Science, Microbiology and Immunology,

Microbiology, Computer Science, Applied Economics and Management, Populations Medicine and Diagnostic Science, Biological Statistics

• Other universities: University of Nebraska; Penn State; University of Vermont; University of Delaware; Louisiana State University; University of Maryland, Eastern Shore

• State and federal agencies: New York State Dept. of Health, Wadsworth Center; health departments in New York City, Michigan, Ohio; New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets; USDA-ARS, Georgia; FDA; Health Canada

• Industry groups, industry, and non-for profits: National Fisheries Institute; International Life Sciences Institute; Food Products Associations; American Meat Institute; Kraft Foods


Undergraduate Teaching overviewUndergraduate Teaching overview• Classroom teaching

• Includes personal 15 min meeting with every student in every class• 10-week university-wide summer research program in food science• Lab research opportunities for undergraduates from various disciplines

(computer science, microbiology, biological and environmental engineering)

• Other teaching activities• Participation in “BioExplorations” every semester, introducing on-

going research to 15 students enrolled in Bio 101 through a 2 h hands-on lab tour

• Various guest lectures• 2 ½ day 4H career explorations program on DNA fingerprinting to

track foodborne diseases


The teaching & training pipelineThe teaching & training pipeline

High school students (4H career explorations; participation in high school sciences fairs; high

school teacher workshops)

Undergraduate students (Multicultural scholars program; Experiential learning program with SUNY schools; Food Science Summer Scholars

Program; Leadership Alliance; Cornell Hughes Program; Cornell Presidential Research Scholars Program)

Graduate students (National Needs Food Safety Training program with internship opportunities; strong applied and

basic research programs; teaching opportunities)


Food Science Summer Scholars ProgramFood Science Summer Scholars Program

• A 10-week summer research and experiential learning program for undergraduates with interest in food science

• Program components include:• Intensive research experience with faculty mentors• Career development workshops and activities• Field trips• Final presentations and abstract• $3,000 stipend/student

• Initiated in 2000, 5 programs completed


Food Science Summer Scholars Program (con’t)Food Science Summer Scholars Program (con’t)

• National recruitment, including strategic relationships with institutions that traditionally serve under-represented minorities (e.g., Alabama A&M)

• Funded through industry sponsors, USDA Higher Education Challenge Grants, Cornell University contributions, faculty mentor contributions


Summer Scholars Home UniversitiesSummer Scholars Home Universities• US Universities:• Cornell University (24)• Alabama A&M University (5)• Binghamton University (1)• Brigham Young University (1)• Clemson University (1)• Hartwick College (1)• Kenyon College (1)• Mississippi State University (1)• Nicholls State University (1)• Oklahoma State University (1)• Oregon State University (3)• Pennsylvania State University (3)• Siena College (1)• Texas A&M University (1)• The University of Arizona (1)• University of Arkansas (1)

• University of California-Davis (4)• University of Florida (2)• University of Hawaii, Manoa (3)• University of Idaho (1)• University of Kentucky (1)• University of Massachusetts (1)• University of Minnesota (3)• University of Nebraska, Lincoln (1)• University of Pennsylvania (1)• Utah State University (1)

• International Universities• Universidad De Las Americas, Puebla (1)• University of Alberta (1)• University of Guelph (1)• University of Reading, England (1)• University of Toronto (1)


Summer Scholars ImpactSummer Scholars Impact

• A total of 70 students have participated in the program; including 11 minority students

• Career paths of program participants:• 5 obtained jobs within food industry

• 18 entered graduate programs in food science (including one completed)

• 2 entered other graduate programs

• 3 have gone into medical programs

• 33 are completing their BS degrees

• 9 unknown


Graduate Training ProgramGraduate Training Program• Includes MS and Ph.D. training• Multidisciplinary

• Majoring in Food Science and Technology, Microbiology, or Comparative Biomedical Sciences

• Minors in Food Science and Technology, Microbiology, Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Education, Agricultural Economics, Epidemiology, Genetics, Biochemistry

• Opportunities for Internships


Graduate Training Program (Cont.)Graduate Training Program (Cont.)

• Opportunities to gain teaching and extension experiences• Many graduate students supervise undergraduates

• Funded by basic and applied research grants and training grants (National Needs)


Integration of research, teaching and Integration of research, teaching and extension provides….extension provides….

• An opportunity for work that makes a difference in people’s lives

• Access to unique expertise and resources otherwise not available

• Industry expertise

• Undergraduates with unique expertise, e.g., in computer science

• An opportunity to design and conduct better research with potential for translation

• An opportunity for broader impact through training the future leaders in a field


Integration of research, teaching, and Integration of research, teaching, and extension requires….extension requires….

• Very dedicated collaborators• Willingness to move outside one’s comfort zone• Commitment to multidisciplinary activities• Institutional support, including some start up funds

(Hatch funds!)• Institutional support must not foster entitlement

mentality, but set up faculty and staff to secure extramural support

• Mentoring and appropriate support structures


Final thoughts and conclusionsFinal thoughts and conclusions

• The main challenge to successful integration of research, teaching, and extension at universities is to obtain funding

• Universities cannot be expected to provide consistent funding for programs, at best they will provide small start-up funds

• Overcoming this challenge requires persistence, development of collaborations, and lot’s of practice in grant writing

• The times of the “lone ranger” are over…

• Successful grant writing requires knowing about grant opportunities

• Get to know your sponsored programs people

• Subscribe to grants alerts and news releases

• Invite grants officers for federal programs to campus

Acknowledgments - FundingAcknowledgments - Funding New York Sea Grant grants R/SHH-7 and R/SHH-10 USDA-NRI grants 99-35201-8074 and 2002-35201-12649 (PI: A.

Benson) USDA Special Research Grants 2002-34459-11758; 2003-34459-12999;

and 2004-34459-14296 NIH grant R01GM63259-04 USDA Integrated Food safety Initiative grants 00-51110-9769 and 2003-

51110-01712 USDA Higher Educations Challenge Grants 2001-38411-10765 and

2004-38411-14735 USDA Multicultural Scholars grant 2003-38413-13188 (PI: D. Miller) USDA National Needs Grant 2002-38420-11738 (PI: K. J. Boor) Hatch grants Industry sponsors of the Summer Scholars Program: Kraft Foods, Pepsi,

Gorton’s, Gallo, International Food Network, General Mills, Hershey Foods


Acknowledgments - the peopleAcknowledgments - the people

• Mentors and supervisors: C. A. Batt, K. Boor, D. Miller, S. Henry, J. Hotchkiss, C. Parrish

• Collaborators: K. Gall, N. Dumas, A. Benson, Y. Grohn, Y. Schukken, J. Scott, M. Moody, M. Verghese, and many others

• Staff: J. Robbins, E. Fortes, K. Windham, A. Ho• Undergraduate students: M. Chung, S. Forrester, M.A. Pohl, W.-L.

Su, S. Cai, J. Overdevest, A. Turko, M. Fisher, T. Cunningham, A. Turko, K. Evans, B. M. De Leon Melendez, K. Schilke, N. Brooks, S. Maron

• Graduate students: A. Hoffman, J. Thimothe, A. Roberts, K. Nightingale, V. Lappi, D. Sue, B. Sauders, M. Kazmierczak, S. Alcaine, R. Orsi, L. Tsai, Y. Chan, Y. Hu, E. Fugett, S. Milillo

• Post-doctoral fellows: R. Zadoks, U. Schwab

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