Toward a Knowledge of Food: THE FOOD SCIENTIST™

By Ken Lee and Mary K. Schmidl

Your Board of Directors has restored the original Phi Tau Sigma newsletter name: The Food Scientist™ after an unexpected discovery. Consistent with our purpose, this name is rooted in the collective wisdom of a past generation of recognized scholars.

This lost title epiphany began with a search for institutional memory. During the Society’s 60th Anniversary, then President-Elect Mary Schmidl worked closely with late President Suzanne Nielsen and the late Elwood Caldwell to find historical missing pieces. This intriguing hunt scoured the archives of Food Technology, dug through unpublished personal files, and outreach to colleagues across our chapter network.

A breakthrough document was unearthed at Oregon State University, where a renowned flavor chemist, Professor Robert McGorrin, blew the dust from a crusty hard to read copy of a 68-year-old mimeograph with a typewritten all caps headline, THE FOOD SCIENTIST. This fuzzy photocopy was dated 1958, proclaiming the need for a “tangible bond to strengthen... our honorary society.” Ken Lee transcribed the original communication that we now share with you. We are delighted that no other organization has claimed The Food Scientist throughout seven decades to serve professionals advancing the nation’s largest and most vital industry.

The Phi Tau Sigma mission remains as vital today as it was in the past: To honor achievement, cultivate mentorship, and empower a connected community to advance Food Science and Technology. Today’s Board recently approved this new mission statement that connects us both in purpose and in person. The founding authors of The Food Scientist Number 1 established a network in 1958 that thrives today.

Original founding signatories were President Emil Mrak, a mentor to Mary Schmidl at the University of California-Davis. Vice President Samuel Goldblith, the Administrator for MIT Nutrition and Food Science, educated and hired Ted Labuza before he joined Minnesota to become one of the six “most highly cited scientists globally” and before he married a renowned food scientist, Mary Schmidl. Editor Roy E. Morse was the primary author on undergraduate Ken Lee’s first scholarly co-publication. Executive Secretary F. Jack Francis, served at U Mass where Phi Tau Sigma was incorporated, and was the department chair awarding Lee’s doctoral degree. Associate Editor W.D. Powrie was famous for his foundational work on eggs, long before Ken Lee was named “the egg man” based on his TedX talk.

These coincidental and compelling connections confirm how food science is a personal professional network. The experience of Schmidl and of Lee is a brief sentence in the chapters that chronicle every member of Phi Tau Sigma. The founders knew this Society was needed and they succeeded in connecting subsequent generations of food professionals. The original 1958 news is republished here verbatim, with dated paragraphs redacted. We hope you enjoy reading these founding principles that are the foundation for the principal honorary society for food.

T H E F O O D S C I E N T I S T

The Editor’s Note:

With members of Phi Tau Sigma scattered throughout the world, some tangible bond is necessary to strengthen our professional relationships and to stimulate the growth and activity of our honorary society. Consequently, Food Scientist has been created.

The editors have agreed that Society news along with an outstanding article on the experiences of a renowned food scientist should constitute the second issue of the Food Scientist. Hereafter, we plan to gradually increase the number of articles in each issue and thereby attract the interest of all Phi Tau Sigma members.

The success of The Food Scientist will for the most part depend on you, the members of the Society. We would appreciate your comments and suggestions… -Roy Morse

A Message From the President

The Phi Tau Sigma Society was founded at the University of Massachusetts as a result of curious and inquisitive students forming a discussion group made up of students and faculty. It is my understanding that various subjects of the day and of philosophical nature as well as highly scientific matters were discussed. Without doubt the group aimed discussions at the area of Food Technology, particularly with respect to scientific interpretations and philosophy.

"Food Scientist" is a new journal and this will be the second issue. It will serve well to present and provoke discussions of scientific and philosophical interest to the Food Technologists. The field of Food Technology is confronted with many growing pains. At the same time, it is developing at a rapid pace. "Food Scientist" will serve well to fill one of the needs of this rapidly growing and expanding field. -Emil H. Mrak

Society News. Perhaps you have often wondered why the Greek letters ΦTΣ were selected for our honorary food science society. These letters are not an abbreviation for food technology society but upon translation means "Towards a knowledge of food."