Alliance Offers Funding, Networking Opportunities
Omar Oyarzabal
Auburn University poultry science associate professor Omar Oyarzabal has been elected associate director of the National Alliance for Food Safety and Security's Center for Microbial Physiology and Ecology, one of five NAFSS centers of excellence.
In his new role, Oyarzabal will assist the center's director in encouraging faculty within the center to work together on research projects and in notifying them of grant opportunities within and outside of the alliance.
The NAFSS is a network of 20 universities-Auburn University included-recognized globally for excellence in food safety research and education and three U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies, including the Agricultural Research Service.
Organized in 1998, the NAFSS exists to encourage scientists in universities, regulatory agencies and the food industry to partner in and team up on food safety and security research projects.
Working in partnerships with faculty from other member universities, for instance, Oyarzabal just completed work on a $100,000 NAFSS grant aimed at collecting data on the prevalence of the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat luncheon meats, and PH professor Shelly McKee has been awarded a $202,000 grant to study the effectiveness of antimicrobials in preventing the growth of Listeria in further-processed meat products.
CoAg poultry science professor Patricia Curtis, who serves as director of the NAFSS's Center for Intervention Strategies and as AU's member on the alliance's board of directors, says CoAg faculty stand to benefit when they become active in NAFSS.
"In addition to the opportunities to obtain funding through the alliance, there is also the networking with other alliance members," she says. "USDA and other federal agencies often turn to the alliance for 'quick response' to issues, and the alliance then appoints members to respond.
"This is a great opportunity for faculty members to enhance their national visibility."
CoAg faculty interested in becoming part of the alliance can contact Curtis at Pat_Curtis@auburn.edu or 334-844-2679. Curtis will then submit their names to the NAFSS as AU members. It is up to each member to contact the director of the center or centers in which they wish to be involved.
In addition to the Intervention Strategies and Microbial Physiology and Ecology centers, the NAFSS offers centers of excellence that focus on detection technology, education and outreach, and risk analysis and policy.