UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The "Fundamentals of Food Science" short course will be offered by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, Feb. 25-28 at The Nittany Lion Inn in State College, Pa. The program is targeted towards engineers and scientists with little or no experience in the food industry who wish to learn basic concepts of food microbiology, food engineering, food chemistry and nutrition.

"This class will be valuable for individuals who must communicate effectively with food scientists," says course instructor Gregory Ziegler, associate professor of food science. "Participants will learn the terminology that is essential for working with professionals in this field."

The course also is designed for entry-level employees with little food science experience; mid-career professionals transitioning into the food industry; plant managers, technicians and production supervisors; non-technical food industry employees, including sales and marketing personnel; and any person requiring a refresher course in food science fundamentals.

Sessions will include information on microbiology basics and their applications in sanitation and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans; basics of food components, food physics and flavors; nutrition, food sensory analysis; and visits to several Penn State food science and microbiology facilities.

Registrations will be accepted until Feb. 11. The registration fee of $1,495 covers tuition, instructional materials, lunches and breaks, a welcome reception on Feb. 25 and dinner on Feb. 26. To obtain registration materials and a program schedule, call 814-865-8301, or visit the Conferences and Short Courses Web site at http://conferences.cas.psu.edu.

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EDITORS: For more information on course content, contact Gregory Ziegler at 814-863-2960 or grz1@psu.edu or Koushik Seetharaman at 814-865-5644 or koushik@psu.edu.

Contact: Amanda Yeager aby104@psu.edu 814-865-3636 814-863-9877 fax #102