Nebraska Gateway to Nutrigenomics 4th Annual Retreat

2012 Annual Retreat - Fostering Ties with the Food & Nutrition Industy

    
This year’s NGN retreat was held on May 14 at the UNL Nebraska East Union.  The day-long event included talks by national leaders in industry and concluded with a student/postdoc poster session and reception with the speakers.  Our retreats are always open to all interested faculty, students, and staff along with interested individuals from industry and government agencies.

The Speakers

 

Dr. Joshua Anthony
Vice President of Global Nutrition and Health
Campbell Soup Company

“A  S.M.A.R.T. Approach to Manage Research Collaborations” 

 

Josh is active in both the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and the American Physiological Society (APS), and is a member of both the Energy and Macronutrient Metabolism and Nutrient and Gene Interaction Research Interest Sections of the ASN.  He has served as a member of the Energy and Macronutrient Metabolism Steering Committee.  In the APS, he has been a member of the steering committee of Endocrinology and Metabolism Section since 2003.  Josh is currently section Chair and has previously served the section as Secretary-Treasurer and as the Physiologists in Industry Committee Representative.  He has chaired several Symposia for the Nutrition and Physiological Societies including Protein Metabolism, Protein and Amino Acid Metabolism, and Therapeutic Potential of the Branched-Chain Amino Acid Leucine.  Josh is an ad-hoc Reviewer for the Journal of Nutrition, the American Journal of Physiology and the Journal of Applied Physiology.  He has held an appointment as an Adjunct Professor of Cellular and Integrative Physiology at the Indiana University School of Medicine.  He has also served on the Board of Advisors for the University of Southern Indiana's Pott College of Science and Engineering. 

Josh has a Ph.D. in Physiology from the Penn State College of Medicine, an M.S. in Nutrition Science from the University of Illinois, and a B.S. in Biological Sciences with a Minor in Chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University.  As a post-doctoral fellow and graduate student, his research in protein and amino acid metabolism was recognized with several research awards including the ASN/ Procter & Gamble Research Award, the APS/ Genentech Research award, the APS Recognition for Research Achievement, and the APS/ Procter & Gamble Professional Opportunity Award.   Three of his articles are included in the Journal of Nutrition’s “Top 50 most cited” and two are among the top 10 most cited.  In 2009 he completed an MBA at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management.

 

Dr. Elizabeth Arndt
Director R&D
ConAgra Foods, Inc.

“Challenges and Opportunities for Grain Ingredients and Grain-Based Foods”   

 

Elizabeth Arndt is a director of R&D for ConAgra Foods, focusing on whole-grain and functional ingredient development, whole-grain product applications, health and wellness studies and nutrition.  Elizabeth has more than 15 years of food industry experience.  She is a co-inventor on patents involving whole-grain foods with enhanced benefits of blood sugar management and satiety.  She received a Ph.D. degree in Grain Science and Industry from Kansas State University, M.S. in Food Science and Technology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and B.S. in Food Engineering Technology from Kansas State University.  She is a member of AACC International and IFT.

 

Dr. Daniel Duncan
Executive Director
Nebraska Innovation Campus Development Corporation

“Nebraska Innovation Campus Update”  

 

Dan was born on a diversified farm and ranch in Sioux County, Nebraska.  He attended the University of Nebraska - Lincoln.  After graduation, he returned to the family farm and ranch for six years.

 In 1987, Dan accepted the position of Operations Manager at the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.  In 1991, he was named Director of the University of Nebraska Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead, Nebraska.  On August 1, 2004 he named an Assistant Director of the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station on a part-time basis.  In February of 2008 he moved into his current position as Assistant Dean and Director of the University of Nebraska – Lincoln Agricultural Research Division.  On October 1, 2011 he was name Executive Director of the Nebraska Innovation Campus Development Corporation.

 

Dr. Sophie Kergoat
Science Discovery Team – Behavioral Science, Senior Scientist - Neuroscientist
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company

“Science and Industry—Partners in Health and Nutrition” 

 After joining Mars (Wrigley Company) in 2007 as a research scientist in Cognitive Sciences, I started to lead research projects and to develop leading edge collaborations using world class expertise to deliver a competitive advantage. In 2011, I transferred to the Global Innovation Center (GIC) in Chicago as a senior research scientist. I currently lead the Behavioral Science area, developing international consortiums around Neurosciences, Neurobiology and Epigenetic.

“I am very curious, which I feed with Science. I love counter-intuitive ways of thinking.”

 
 

Dr. Brandon Lewis
Senior Scientist and Manager of Internal Innovation
Kemin Health

“Wanted Food or Nutritional Scientist:  Experience in natural product
extractions, analytical chemistry, toxicology, biochemistry, regulatory
 affairs, and sales preferred”

 

Brandon Lewis is the Senior Scientist and manager of Internal Innovation at Kemin Health, where he is responsible for the development of novel nutritional ingredients for the food, beverage, and dietary supplement industries. In 2003, he received his Ph.D. in Food Science and Human Nutrition from the University of Florida and began his career in Technical Services at Kemin.  Through his various management roles in Technical Services, Scientific Affairs, and Research and Development, he has gained experience with product development/commercialization, process engineering, toxicology, and international regulations for functional food, beverage, and dietary ingredients.  Dr. Lewis’ publications in American Journal of Physiology, Journal of Nutrition, Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, and Clinics in Dermatology reflect his primary research interests in nutrition and biochemistry

 

Outstanding Research Poster Award Winners

Three students received the “Outstanding Research Poster Award” at the May 2012 Nebraska Gateway to Nutrigenomics Annual Retreat at the UNL Nebraska East Union.  The poster session included 22 posters from students at UNL and UNMC representing 7 different departments and 9 labs.  Each winner received a certificate and a $150 cash award.  Their posters were judged on the overall presentation of their research, research content, and the relevance to the Nebraska Gateway to Nutrigenomics.

 

(Left to right) Wei Kay Eng, Jing Xue, Kristin Norwood and poster session sponsor, Dr. Vicki Schlegel.

The winners are:

• Wei Kay Eng, “Development of an outpatient biotin feeding protocol for studies of biotin requirements in adults,” Dr. Janos Zempleni’s lab, UNL Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences
• Kristin Norwood, “Maternal Obesity Induces Placenta Oxidative Stress and Alters the Differentiation of Mesodermal Cells to the Myogenic versus Adipogenic Lineage,” Dr. Jennifer Woods’ lab, UNL Department of Animal Science
• Jing Xue, ”Epigenetic Synergies between Histone biotinylation and Cytosine Methylation,“ Dr. Janos Zempleni’s lab, UNL Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences