Friday, November 19, 2010
PRINCESS ANNE, MD – (Nov. 16, 2010) – Michline Brice and Robert Korir are the recipients of 2010 Perdue Food Science and Technology Scholarships. The Perdue scholarship is a $5,000 merit award that goes to graduate students in the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s Food Science and Technology program.
Perdue has been a UMES partner in support of graduate school scholarships since 2005 and has underwritten awards for two deserving graduate students since 2008.
Dr. Jurgen G. Schwarz, director of the Food Science and Technology program, said industry support for food science study and research is critical for institutions like UMES, which are training the next generation of professionals looking to enter the field.
“We are humbled by the faith in our program the A.W. Perdue Foundation has expressed by continuing to support the Perdue Food Science and Technology Scholarship,” Schwarz said.
The focus of Brice’s doctoral project is developing “a predictive model for survival and growth” of Salmonella bacteria on shrimp. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native earned her bachelor’s degree from Cheyney University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree from Delaware State University in 2008 with a concentration in food science and technology.
Korir, who grew up in Kenya, is pursuing a master’s degree working on a project evaluating “the microbial quality and safety of fresh produce.” He received a Bachelor of Science degree in General Agriculture – with emphasis on Plant and Soil Science – from UMES in 2008.
During an informal on-campus ceremony recognizing Korir and Brice, Dave Owens, Perdue’s vice president for research and development, extended both students an invitation to present reports on their work at the company’s headquarters next spring.
The UMES Center for Food Science and Technology, through teaching, research and outreach programs, is committed to enhancing the safety, quality and availability of foods important to the Eastern Shore, including poultry, seafood, produce and small farm animals. The doctoral program under Schwarz’s direction is part of the UMES School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences. Dr. Gladys Shelton is its dean.
The Salisbury, Md.-based Perdue Farms is the leading producer of fresh chicken in the eastern United States. The family-owned company has built a reputation over the past 90 years of emphasizing quality and innovation. Chairman Jim Perdue is the third generation Perdue to lead the company. The company employs more than 20,000 people at Perdue facilities throughout the eastern half of the U.S. and around the globe as well as some 2,200 farm families raising and caring for chickens and turkeys.
Contact the university’s Office of Institutional Development at 410-651-6676 for more information about the Perdue Scholarship for Food Science and Technology or the UMES Center for Food Science and Technology,
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Photo caption:
Left to right: Dave Owens, vice president for research and development for Perdue, his colleague, product development director Dan Grall; graduate students Michline Brice and Robert Korir; UMES development director Veronique D
