The Chapter Program Award of Phi Tau Sigma, sponsored by Dr. Suzanne Nielsen, is intended as an award to help a Chapter organize, sponsor, and hold a special program during the upcoming year. The program proposed must be consistent with the mission and purposes of Phi Tau Sigma, increase the visibility of the organization, and benefit students in the field of Food Science and Technology.
This award is intended to help a Chapter do something more impactful than it could manage with its own funds. Preference will be given to Phi Tau Sigma Chapters that: 1) have not won this award for at least one year, and 2) work cooperatively with other relevant organizations, both inside and outside the department (e.g., Food Science Club, Food Science Graduate Student Association, other scientific societies, nonprofits, etc.), to organize and implement the planned program/event. The application requires endorsement of the proposed plans by a Faculty Advisor/Department Head associated with the Phi Tau Sigma Chapter.
Up to two awards, of $500 each, will be made yearly to two selected Chapters.
Chapters applying for the award shall have been active for at least 6 months at the time of awarding, and its members must be in “Good Standing” (see Phi Tau Sigma Constitution, Article II, Membership, Section 2, Member).
Applications for the award are due by November 1 and awards will be announced by December 1. The program/event funded with this award must be held within one year of receiving the funding (December 31 of the following year). The programs that win the Phi Tau Sigma Chapter Program Award will be featured in the monthly Phi Tau Sigma Newsletter, and be highlighted, as appropriate, during the Annual Phi Tau Sigma Awards Ceremony.
Applications shall include: (see below for details of application form, with required format and information)
· Chapter Information - 5 points
· Faculty Advisor or Department Head Endorsement (short statement required) -15 points
· Description of Proposed Event/Program (max. 1000 words) - 55 points
· Chapter Recent Past Activities & Programs – 15 points
· List of Chapter Members - 10 points
Required during funded program and after it is completed:
· In promotional materials for, and during the funded program/event, Phi Tau Sigma shall be recognized as a sponsor of the event.
· After the funded program/event, a 2-3 paragraph summary and photographs of the event/program funded by this award must be submitted within 2 weeks of the event. This information must be suitable for publication in the Phi Tau Sigma Newsletter, may be posted on our social media sites, and it may be used during the Annual Phi Tau Sigma Awards Ceremony.
Submitted application forms will be evaluated, using the scoring system listed above and below, with a maximum score of 100 points. The highest scores shall win the Phi Tau Sigma Chapter Program Award (up to 2 awards made). In the case of a tie involving three or more applications, the Awards Committee Chair may break a tie, at their discretion.
The application materials, as described above and below, shall be submitted all in one document to the Chair of the Awards Committee, with a copy to the Executive Director, by email, by November 1 of the calendar year prior to the event/program proposed for funding. The listed Contact Person and the Faculty Advisor/Department Head must be copied on the email.
Please write “Dr. Nielsen Phi Tau Sigma Chapter Program Award” in the subject line of the email.
The Awards Committee will review applications, and winners will be announced by December 1. The Chapters winning the award will have one year (by December 31 of the upcoming year) to complete the funded program.
Background:
Dr. Suzanne Nielsen realized early during her undergraduate studies at the University of Nebraska that she wanted to be able to teach Food Science at the college level. Shortly after completing her B.S. degree, she became a Phi Tau Sigma member, just as she was beginning her graduate studies at the University of Minnesota. After completing her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, she started her academic career in the newly formed Food Science Department at Purdue University. Her research focus was on food protein chemistry and her major teaching assignment was Food Analysis.
As a faculty member, Dr. Nielsen was especially committed to students - - both undergraduates and graduate students. She was major professor for dozens of graduate students, taught classes for 38 years, and was Purdue’s Food Science Dept. Head for 10 years. In 2012-2013 she was Phi Tau Sigma President and in 2017 received the Dr. Carl Fellers Award from Phi Tau Sigma and administered by the Institute of Food Technologists. She retired from Purdue in 2021.
In her decades of serving as faculty advisor for Purdue’s Phi Tau Sigma Chapter, Dr. Nielsen helped facilitate individual members applying for the “Phi Tau Sigma Achievement Scholarships” and the Chapter applying for the “Phi Tau Sigma Outstanding Chapter of the Year Award”. However, she always felt these were “after the fact” awards, rather than awards that helped the Chapter be more active - - to organize larger and more creative programs, including programs done cooperatively with other individuals/organizations in the department. Such programs typically require some “up-front” funds and advanced planning. Her past involvement in Phi Tau Sigma and her commitment to students has motivated her to help provide this type of funding to Phi Tau Sigma Chapters. Ideally these funds will allow Chapters and members to be more active as they organize creative events and programs. For this new award, programs proposed by Phi Tau Sigma Chapters will be encouraged to involve other relevant organizations, so more students are involved and will benefit.
To create the “Dr. S. Suzanne Nielsen Chapter Program Award”, Dr. Nielsen has funded an endowment to support two awards of $500 yearly.