As part of AAABRG’s Learning and Development series, this discussion sheds light on the challenges and triumphs faced by African, African American, and Black science of food academics at Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), historically Black colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and predominantly white institutions (PWIs). A panel of African, African American, and Black science of food academics with diverse insights share their personal experiences working in academia, and discuss the role institutions play in supporting African, African American, and Black science of food academics.
Speaker Information
Cheryl Rock, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Food Science, California State University, Long Beach
Dr. Rock has been in academia since 2014. She received her bachelor's degree (B. Sc.) in Food Science and Technology with a minor in Chemistry from the Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical (A & M) University. In 2007, she continued with her Master's degree (M. Sc.) at the same university specializing in Nutritional Biochemistry and Carcinogenesis. In 2012, she obtained her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Florida (UF), where she specialized in Food Engineering and Processing, primarily Power Ultrasound (PU) and Pulsed Ultraviolet Light (PUV) technologies. Her research experiences and interests include dietary intervention in reducing and preventing non – communicable disease such as Cancer, Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease, Ethnomedicine and Food Metaphysics.
Fun facts about Dr. Rock is that she served as a Judge in the Institute of Food Technologist Disney Student Product Development competition in Chicago, USA and she facilitates a short-term study abroad course in Barbados each year "Distilling and Brewing Technology in Barbados", where students from California State University - Long Beach has joined her to engage in some of the cultural activities. Lastly, she is the Author of 3 books: Frankenfood: Fact or Science Fiction; Scientific Writing: Tools and Techniques and The Bagua Plate: An Integrative and Practical Approach to Health and Wellness. She has been an Active member of IFT member for 18 years where she serves as the (1) Faculty Advisor for the CSULB Food Science Chapter in the Pacific Southwest region; (2) Learning and Development Chair in the African American, African and Black Resource Group and (3) Member of the IFT Academic Advisory Committee.
Shannon M. Coleman, Ph.D. Associate Professor/Extension Specialist, Food Safety and Consumer Production, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
Shannon Coleman received her bachelor's and master's degree in Food Science and Technology from Alabama A&M University. She received her doctoral degree in Animal Science from Colorado State University. Coleman currently serves as an Associate Professor and State Extension Specialist in the Food Science and Human Nutrition department at Iowa State University. Coleman's Extension and Outreach...
As part of AAABRG’s Learning and Development series, this discussion sheds light on the challenges and triumphs faced by African, African American, and Black science of food academics at Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), historically Black colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and predominantly white institutions (PWIs). A panel of African, African American, and Black science of food academics with diverse insights share their personal experiences working in academia, and discuss the role institutions play in supporting African, African American, and Black science of food academics.
Speaker Information
Cheryl Rock, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Food Science, California State University, Long Beach
Dr. Rock has been in academia since 2014. She received her bachelor's degree (B. Sc.) in Food Science and Technology with a minor in Chemistry from the Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical (A & M) University. In 2007, she continued with her Master's degree (M. Sc.) at the same university specializing in Nutritional Biochemistry and Carcinogenesis. In 2012, she obtained her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Florida (UF), where she specialized in Food Engineering and Processing, primarily Power Ultrasound (PU) and Pulsed Ultraviolet Light (PUV) technologies. Her research experiences and interests include dietary intervention in reducing and preventing non – communicable disease such as Cancer, Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease, Ethnomedicine and Food Metaphysics.
Fun facts about Dr. Rock is that she served as a Judge in the Institute of Food Technologist Disney Student Product Development competition in Chicago, USA and she facilitates a short-term study abroad course in Barbados each year "Distilling and Brewing Technology in Barbados", where students from California State University - Long Beach has joined her to engage in some of the cultural activities. Lastly, she is the Author of 3 books: Frankenfood: Fact or Science Fiction; Scientific Writing: Tools and Techniques and The Bagua Plate: An Integrative and Practical Approach to Health and Wellness. She has been an Active member of IFT member for 18 years where she serves as the (1) Faculty Advisor for the CSULB Food Science Chapter in the Pacific Southwest region; (2) Learning and Development Chair in the African American, African and Black Resource Group and (3) Member of the IFT Academic Advisory Committee.
Shannon M. Coleman, Ph.D. Associate Professor/Extension Specialist, Food Safety and Consumer Production, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
Shannon Coleman received her bachelor's and master's degree in Food Science and Technology from Alabama A&M University. She received her doctoral degree in Animal Science from Colorado State University. Coleman currently serves as an Associate Professor and State Extension Specialist in the Food Science and Human Nutrition department at Iowa State University. Coleman's Extension and Outreach work includes developing and disseminating food safety curricula and resources for emerging, very small, and small food manufacturers in Iowa. Using various evaluation theories, her research evaluates food manufacturers' attitudes, intentions, and behaviors towards following food safety practices. In addition, Coleman has expanded her outreach and research to fill gaps in improving food safety and the local food system from farm to table, including developing curriculum and resources for youth, adults, and gardeners.
Melvin Pascall, Ph.D. Professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology,The Ohio State University
Dr. Melvin Pascall is a professor at The Ohio State University. His research and areas of expertise include food packaging with emphasis on integrity, modified atmospheric packaging, nano technology and plastics, migration/scalping, edible packaging, packaging material sanitization, and food safety. Dr. Pascall’s career has included research and outreach on a global scale through his work with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and United State Department of Agriculture (USDA). He has also formed collaborative partnerships with several researchers and universities located around the world. In 2022, he received IFT’s International Food Security Award in Honor of Bor S. Luh. He was also selected as an IFT Fellow in 2020, which is bestowed upon an IFT member by their peers to recognize exemplary professionalism in the science of food profession.
Dr. Leonard L. Williams, Ph.D. Professor of Food Safety and Microbiology, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Dr. Leonard L. Williams is the Director and Professor of Food Safety and Microbiology at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Center for Excellence in Post-Harvest Technologies (CEPHT) located on the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) in Kannapolis, North Carolina. He has served as a mentor and adviser to over 50 graduate, 13 undergraduate and high school research students and supervised five post-doctoral scholars. His research areas include incidence of food-borne pathogens in fruits and vegetables using molecular, immunological and epidemiological approaches, novel nano-biomaterials for inactivation of Norovirus and other food borne pathogens, methods to determine antimicrobial resistance profiles of multiple microorganisms from food, clinical, and veterinary sources, alleviating several peanut allergens commonly found in varieties of peanuts and peanut-based products, and genetic diversity of gut microbiota and its role on antimicrobial resistance.
