The Texas A&M Foundation received an endowment from the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA) to establish a program in food diversity in the Department of Food Science and Technology at Texas A&M University. The endowment will be used to establish a permanent educational model in the specialized areas of ethnic and faith-based foods and to offer an undergraduate seminar course or a more rigorous, lab-based exploration of the complexities of foods.
Clockwise from top left: Boon Chew, Head of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science; Mian Riaz, Graduate Faculty in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science; Quadir A. Latifi, IFANCA’s Director of Administration; Muhammad Munir Chaudry, IFANCA’s President and Chairman of the Board; and Mark Hussey, Vice Chancellor and Dean for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
This program aims to create countless opportunities for advancement in this field and prepare the next generation of globally aware food scientists. The endowment will impact the following areas:
The IFANCA Faculty Support Fund
Support and retain top-level faculty and support program priorities such as a distinguished lecture series/symposia, high-impact learning experiences for students and faculty, and professional development.
Education and Facilities Fund
Support educational facilities such as conference rooms and teaching laboratories and offer an online component that would create distance learning opportunities.
Graduate and Research Support
Start a new focus area for master’s and doctoral degree candidates in the Department of Food Science and Technology. This support will provide valuable research assistance to qualifying students.
Undergraduate and High-Impact Learning
Create high-impact learning opportunities that are crucial to student success. Field trips, product development workshops, discussion groups, presentations, conferences and in-depth advising will all be a part of this effort.