Announcing the new European Section Leadership Team!

The AOCS European Section, one of seven Sections in the American Oil Chemists’ Society, is comprised of more than 100 individuals from Europe. Membership in this section also includes membership in EuroFed Lipid (EFL). Prior to this partnership with EFL, the European Section was responsible for planning European Section conferences, but since then, the group’s main purpose has shifted to holding a seat on the EFL Leadership Team and awarding two student travel grants annually. With EFL’s recent changes to biennial conferences, the new leadership team will consider which topics are of the greatest interest to members in the European region and, thus, should be presented, in either onsite or online formats. If you have any ideas or contributions, please contact Paul Smith, Chair of the leadership team.

New Leadership

Chair: Paul Smith, Principal Scientist, Cargill, Belgium

New Members
Ignace Debruyne, Technical Marketing Consultant, Ignace Debruyne & Association VOF, Belgium
Etienne Deffense, Equipment Supplier, Contifrac Sprl, Belgium
Stéphanie Marty-Terrade, Lipid Expert, Nestle, United Kingdom

We would like to thank outgoing members for their service and dedication: Daniel Kalnin, John Harwood and Albert Zwijnenburg.

We would also like to highlight the newest member to the European Section team, Stéphanie Marty-Terrade. Welcome, Stéphanie!

Stéphanie Marty-Terrade studied food science and engineering at the National School of Chemistry and Physics in France and went on to complete a PhD at the University of Guelph in Canada. In 2007, she joined Nestle Research in Germany. Currently, Stéphanie is the Lipids Expert at Nestlé Research in York (UK) where she is responsible for confectionery lipids used by the whole Nestlé group. Stéphanie was involved with AOCS during her PhD and won the AOCS Honored Student Award. She is excited to volunteer as a member of the committee to give back to the organization that helped her grow as a lipids expert. She hopes to take part in strategic decisions that affect the most important body for fats and oils. She also hopes to help find solutions for the important educational challenges the industry’s current and future scientists and professionals face. Stéphanie also hopes to push the food innovation industry to provide equal opportunities for both men and women to advance science and technology. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her family, including her two young sons, aged 7 and 5. Together, they love to bicycle, cook and travel.

Announcing the new Latin American AOCS Section leadership team

The AOCS Latin American Section brings together professionals from South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. The section’s leadership team is dedicated to this congress’s success and striking the right balance at the Latin American Congress and Exhibition with a mix of learning and fun. If you’re interested in getting involved, please contact a member of the leadership team.

Here’s LA AOCS Section leadership team for 2019 to 2021:

Chair: Sandra Moya, Clariant

Leadership Team
Roberto Berbesi, Oil-Dri Corporation, USA
Federico Corvetto, South American Trading LLC, USA
Elena Dibildox, Universidad Autonoma de SLP, Mexico
Marcus Dore, Sociedade Brasileira De Óleos e Gorduras, Brazil
Andrés G. Rumayor, Palsgaard Industri, Mexico
Leon Pablo Espinosa, Desmet Ballestra
Ana Milena Martinez, Daabon Group, Columbia
Carlos Ramirez, Clariant

This team develops the technical program for the biennial AOCS Latin American Congress and Exhibition. You can read more about the sessions they organized at the 2019 AOCS Latin American Congress and Exhibition on Fats, Oils and Lipids, Brazil.

We would like to feature our newest Section members, Ana Milena Martinez and Carlos Ramirez:


Carlos Ramirez worked for Sud Chemie, now Clariant as a sales manager for 36 years, promoting the bleaching earths brand TONSIL. Recently retired, he continues to work for Hollbras, as a promotional agent in Mexico for filters used in the oil industry. With his experience in the vegetable oil industry, Carlos is excited to return to this committee to help organize the Latin American Congress conference, recruit speakers, increase membership and, overall, continue the Congress’s success. In his free time, he maintains contact with his clients and spends time with his family on the weekends, going out to lunch.

Ana Milena Martinez is a Production Director at Daabon Group, where she leads the production activities in a variety of processes, including oil, glycerin and soap manufacturing. She has a degree in Chemical Engineering, a postgraduate degree in Industrial Plant Management and is working toward her Master’s degree in Administrative Engineering. Ana lives in Santa Marta, Colombia. When she's not working or studying, she likes to spend time with her family, improve her English-speaking skills, exercise and read about new technologies. Ana is excited to volunteer as a committee member to share her knowledge as well as learn from others to improve her skillset related to this industry. She hopes her role will help constituents remain aware of all new developments in the field.

One more thank you to all AOCS volunteers

While Volunteer Week has officially ended, AOCS knows that our volunteers' work happens year-round. We are so grateful for the hard work and dedication of all the volunteers we featured this week and many more beyond whom we could highlight. Here’s a quick recap of who we featured, which we hope will serve as a virtual round of applause for all AOCS volunteers.

Sunday, April 19th: The Governing Board

Thank you to the entire 2019-2020 Governing Board for their outstanding leadership in the past year. We particularly wanted to highlight our outgoing Governing Board members, Len Sidisky, Leon Pablo Espinosa, Magdi Mossoba and Dilip K. Nakhasi. Read more.

Monday April 20th: The AOCS Journals' Editors and Peer Reviewers 

Thank you to all the editors and peer reviewers who lend their expertise, time and energy to the society's journals. We are thankful for the leadership of our editors-in-chief: Jim Kenar, Journal of American Oil Chemists' Society; Doug Hayes, Journal of Surfactants and Detergents; and Graham Burdge, Lipids. Doug and Graham started their roles earlier this year. We would also like to thank former editors-in-chief, Eric J. Murphy and George A. Smith, both of whom stepped down this year. Read more.

Tuesday April 21st: The Annual Meeting Program Committee

Thank you to the Annual Meeting Program Committee, whose dedication and service helped put together our 2020 Annual Meeting. We wanted to recognize their hard work despite the decision to cancel the meeting for the safety of all who would have attended. Read more.

Wednesday April 22nd: The Recognition Program Committee

Thank you to the Recognition Program Committee for their hard work in helping to provide direction for the AOCS Awards Program and advises the Governing Board on all policies, rules and procedures for over 50 awards and honors, including Society, Scientific, Division, Student and Poster Competition Awards. We particularly want to thank the committee’s outgoing members, Moghis U. Ahmad and Dharma R. Kodali, for their service. Read more.

Thursday April 23rd: The Student Common Interest Group Leadership Team

Thank you to our Student Common Interest Group leadership team, the Society’s youngest leaders and volunteers. This group organizes Annual Meeting get-togethers, arranges webinars and keeps students connected. Read more.

Friday April 24th: The Technical Services Committees

Thanks to our Technical Services Committees who help professionals in the world of fats, oils, lipids, proteins and surfactants forward scientific progress using best practices. Read more.

Saturday April 25th: The Division Executive Steering Committee

Thank you to our outgoing Division Executive Steering Committee Members. Division Volunteers put the “family” in #AOCSisfamily and help members build connections, both professional and personal. Read more.

AOCS volunteers are so essential to making the society run and enriching the experience of all AOCS community members. We are so grateful for our volunteers.

Thank you, Outgoing Division Executive Steering Committee Members

In our final post celebrating Volunteer Week, AOCS would like to thank our outgoing Division Executive Steering Committee Members.

AOCS Divisions are responsible for putting the “family” in #AOCSisfamily. It is thanks to the Division Volunteers’ hard work when organizing social events at Annual Meetings and when developing the Annual Meeting program that enables members to build connections, both professional and personal.

Thank you to the following leaders, listed by Division, that are stepping down from their volunteer service on a Division Executive Steering Committee.

ANALYTICAL

Sneh Bhandari, Merieux Nutrisciences, USA, was a Chair from 2013 to 2014 and again from 2017 to 2020. He also served as Vice Chair from 2012 to 2013 and again from 2016 to 2017. Sneh was also the Secretary-Treasurer from 2014 to 2016. We thank him for his 8 years of leadership to the Division.

BIOTECHNOLOGY

Lu-Kwang (Luke) Ju, The University of Akron, USA, was mostly recently a chair from 2018 to 2020, following his Vice Chair tenure from 2016 to 2018. Luke started his service as a Secretary-Treasurer from 2015 to 2016

Jay Shockey, USDA ARS SRRC, USA served as Secretary-Treasurer from 2018 to 2020.

INDUSTRIAL OIL PRODUCTS

Eric Cochran, Iowa State University, USA, served as Vice-Chair from 2018 to 2020

LIPID OXIDATION AND QUALITY

Jill Moser, US Department of Agriculture, USA, served as Chair from 2018 to 2020 while also serving as Division Council Chair. Before that, she served as Vice Chair from 2017 to 2018.

Bingcan Chen, North Dakota State University, USA, served as Secretary-Treasurer from 2018 to 2020.

PHOSPHOLIPID

Mabel Tomás, CIDCA-UNLP, Argentina, served as Chair from 2018 to 2020 and before that, served as Vice Chair from 2016 to 2018.

PROTEIN AND CO-PRODUCTS

Buddhi Lamsal, Iowa State University, USA, served as Chair from 2018 to 2020. Previously, he served as Vice Chair from 2016 to 2017 and Secretary-Treasurer from 2015 to 2016.

SURFACTANTS AND DETERGENTS

Rajan (Raj) Panandiker, The Procter and Gamble Co., USA, served as Chair from 2018 to 2020 and before that, as Vice Chair from 2016 to 2017.

You’ll notice these leaders tend to spend a significant amount of time in their volunteer position – many remain involved for three or more years. Several also climb the ranks within a division. At Annual Meetings, you can see these generous volunteers genuinely enjoy the time they spend serving as a Division Executive Steering Committee Member. What’s more, besides the fun of it, volunteering with Divisions is a proven method of networking!

Learn more about Divisions and if you want to get involved, contact a Division Chair or complete this form. As a note for those seeking involvement in the Division Executive Steering Committee, it’s often helpful to first start serving on an award selection committee, as a newsletter editor or as a session chair.

Thank you, Technical Services Committees

To celebrate Volunteer Week, AOCS would like to thank the Technical Services Committees who help professionals in the world of fats, oils, lipids, proteins and surfactants forward scientific progress using best practices, from generating new methods to conducting collaborative studies to certifying labs. We’ll outline each committee’s contributions to AOCS below.

Technical Leadership Committee 

The Technical Leadership Committee is comprised of active industry leaders that provide an informed perspective on current commercial priorities and directions. This perspective then clarifies for AOCS which projects to focus on. Guided by their knowledge and experience, AOCS is better equipped to develop new methods and collaborative studies, as needed.

Chair: Lars Reimann
Members: Chris Dayton, Len Sidisky, Linsen Liu, Scott Bloomer, Mark Collison, Anders Thomsen, Susan Seegers and Keith Persons

Examination Board

The Examination Board reviews the NOPA Certified Lab program and results. They are also responsible for making the final decisions on the certification of soybean labs based on the blind testing results. They also determine the validity of any submitted appeals after the results are sent to the Laboratory Proficiency Program. Finally, the board reviews any Approved Chemist program issues, when necessary. 

Chair: Chris Dayton
Members: Frank Hahn, Michael Hawkins, Len Sidisky and Anders Thomsen

Uniform Methods Committee

The Uniform Methods Committee works with relevant subcommittees and coordinates with the AOCS Technical Department on updating existing methods and revising current methods. They are the final arbiter that confirms that a new method or revision conforms to the standards required for inclusion in the Official Methods and Recommended Practices of the AOCS. 

Chair: Chris Dayton
Methods Editor: Mark Collison
Members: Lars Reimann, Len Sidisky, Steve Hansen, Magdi Mossoba, Florence Lacoste and Troy Haines

Subcommittees

The Uniform Methods Committee subcommittees are the first point in method development, according to subject. They review proposed new methods and confirm the results of collaborative studies before they are sent to the Uniform Methods Committee for final approval as an AOCS method. Committee members are generally active participants and experts in the analytical specializations each subcommittee focuses upon.

Current working subcommittee members include:

The Chromatography Subcommittee: Sneh Bhandari (Co-Chair), Steve Hansen (Co-Chair), Len Sidisky, Magdi Mossoba, Mark Collison, Susan Seegers, Larry Tucker, Keith Persons, Kai Liu, Amy Grano and Daniel Smith

The Flavor Quality and Stability Subcommittee: Susan Seegers (Chair), Chris Dayton, Len Sidisky, Steve Hansen, Karel Hrncirik, Keith Persons, Ross Caulfield, Carolin Edinger and Chris Lirette

The Rapid and Non-Destructive Methods Subcommittee: Kangming Ma (Chair), Chris Dayton, Magdi Mossoba, Mark Collison, Chris Lirette and Xiaorong Wu

The Seed and Meal Subcommittee: Veronique Barthet (Chair), Kai Liu, Vinay Patel and Chris Lirette

Laboratory Proficiency Program Committee

This committee is mainly responsible for reviewing the Laboratory Proficiency Program (LPP) to determine testing and series that may be needed. At the start of each year, the active chair, currently Susan Seegers, reviews the protocols and report tickets. The chair also makes suggestions for changes and updates as needed. These suggestions are passed along to the series chairs for review. The chair also reviews LPP appeals if the series chair cannot come to a determination or if there is no active chair. 

Chair: Susan Seegers
Members: Lars Reimann, Chris Dayton and Mark Collison

Subcommittee of the Laboratory Proficiency Program

This committee includes LPP Chairs who review the programs at the beginning of each program year. These chairs serve as experts in the variety of specialties listed below. As a result of their review, they suggest changes before the program chair provides the final review. They also review appeals and answer any questions that might arise about the LPP series. 

Chair: Susan Seegers 
Members: Anthony Bimbo, Sandy Holloway, Gary Ideus, Robert Poullard, Mark Collison, Robert Kiefer, Eddie Baldwin, Keith Persons, Kai Liu, Dana Walkenhorst, Nuzul Bin Amri, Craig Humphrey, Sean Ekiss, Jocelyn Alfieri, Anthony Bimbo, Nuzul Bin Ibrahim and Chris Dayton

We are grateful for all the hard work of these committees whose efforts promote and advance quality and consistency among the AOCS scientific community.

Thank you to the Student Common Interest Group Leaders

As part of our recognition of AOCS volunteers during National Volunteer Week, we would like to give a shout out to our youngest leaders and volunteers for the Society, our Student Common Interest Group (SCIG) leadership team. This group organizes student get-togethers at the AOCS Annual Meetings and keeps students connected through newsletters. The group is also very involved in creating learning and professionalization opportunities, like the upcoming webinar that focuses on how to effectively communicate your research and build networking skills, in collaboration with the Young Professional Common Interest Group. More details on that soon!

Hongbing Fan, University of Alberta, Canada, Chair











Yunbing Tan, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, USA, Vice Chair

Elisa Di Stefano, Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands, Communications










Bingjing Zheng, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, USA, Communications











Yang Lan, North Dakota State University, USA, Education/Career Development












Hualu Zhou, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, USA, Education/Career Development

All SCIG leadership team meetings are open to student members and occur about three times per year. As a student member, you should attend the meetings to share your ideas and/or recommend an activity you feel the SCIG group should offer its members – input is always welcomed and encouraged. Keep an eye on the SCIG Community on inform|connect for more information on meeting dates and times as well as stay connected with the community more generally.

If you are a student and want to learn more about how to get involved, contact a leadership team member or Victoria Santo, AOCS SCIG Program Manager.

Thank you, outgoing Recognition Program Committee (RPC) Members

In our continued celebration of Volunteer Week, today, we would like to thank the Recognition Program Committee. This committee provides direction for the AOCS Awards Program and advises the Governing Board on all policies, rules, and procedures for over 50 awards and honors, including Society, Scientific, Division, Student and Poster Competition Awards. Each award acknowledges a leader who works passionately to further the science of fats and oils, by working toward new and innovative applications.

We want to particularly thank this committee’s outgoing members:


Moghis U. Ahmad, Jina Pharmaceuticals, Inc., USA has been a member of AOCS since 1979 and has been incredibly active in several capacities. Here we would like to particularly thank him for his service as a Recognition Program Committee Chairperson from 2017 to 2020 and before that as a Recognition Program Committee Member from 2012 to 2016. His involvement in this committee is multi-faceted as he led at least two Recognition Program Committee Business meetings each year, reviewed new award proposals, and identified people to join a specific award selection committee. Moghis has also merited the honor of being named an AOCS fellow in 2014, in recognition of his service.

Dharma R. Kodali, University of Minnesota, USA has been a member of AOCS since 1982 and a member of the Recognition Program Committee from 2017 to 2020. We are grateful for his input in his three years of service. In 2010, he was named an AOCS fellow in recognition of his contributions to the society.

Each year, volunteers are needed to evaluate the nomination packages. In fact, about 200 volunteers are needed to review AOCS Award nominations, including the many Division and Student Awards.

All evaluations are done online, primarily during the months of August and October, taking an average of 6 to 8 hours to complete. We find that successful evaluators are often AOCS presenters, authors, editors.



Anyone interested in volunteering should complete this form and choose “Awards committee.” Alternatively, you can contact the incoming RPC Chairperson, Shireen S. Baseeth, ADM to get involved.

Thank you, 2020 Annual Meeting Program Committee

It’s Volunteer Week and AOCS would like to recognize the dedication and service of the Program Committee who worked so hard to put together our Annual Meeting, regardless of the unfortunate circumstances that resulted in this year’s cancellation.

Their service all began last year as the committee first gathered input from Division members during Program Committee meetings and finalized this input before the 2019 Annual Meeting concluded in St. Louis.

The summer was spent identifying Session Chairs as well as writing session summaries and organizing in preparation for the fall, when Session Chairs were dedicated to raising money, inviting speakers, and maintaining communication.

By winter, the Program Committee was conferencing with session chairs, keeping Julie May, AOCS’s Meetings Content Manager, busy with updates and program refinements, while meeting the many deadlines that help keep the Annual Meeting on track.

Then, came March, the beginning of spring and, unfortunately, the emergence of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which turned our world upside down. With this development, the AOCS Governing Board faced and made a difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Annual Meeting.

While the decision was admirable for the safety of all who would have attended, the disappointment is no less valid, given all the time, hard work, and dedication the 2020 Annual Meeting Program Committee poured into planning. So, AOCS would like to take today to recognize their contributions to the community and the Annual Meeting.

Without further ado, here are the many Program Committee members we want to thank for their hard work and dedication this past year:

Program Chair

Eric (Rick) Theiner, Evonik Industries, USA, Annual Meeting General Program Chair

Division Vice Chairs

Pierluigi Delmonte, US Food and Drug Administration, USA, Analytical Division Vice Chair

Long (Joe) Zou, Bunge Creative Solutions Center, USA, Biotechnology Division Vice Chair

Kaustuv Bhattacharya, DuPont Nutrition & Health, Denmark, Edible Applications Technology Division Vice Chair

Matt Miller, Cawthron Institute, New Zealand, Health and Nutrition Division Vice Chair

Eric Cochran, Iowa State University, USA, Industrial Oil Products Division Vice Chair

Xiaoqing (Nora) Yang, Kalsec, Inc., USA, Lipid Oxidation and Quality Division Vice Chair

Ozan Ciftci, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA, Phospholipid Division Vice Chair

Usha Thiyam-Hollaender, University of Manitoba, Canada, Processing Division Vice Chair

Chibuike Udenigwe, University of Ottawa, Canada, Protein and Co-Products Division Vice Chair

Keith Genco, Arkema, Inc., USA, Surfactants and Detergents Division Vice Chair

Annual Meeting Program Committee members are the Vice Chairs of each of the 10 AOCS Divisions. Division Executive Steering Committees work closely with the Division Vice Chair to support them in finding volunteers, building an impactful session with the right mix and expertise of presenters, making decisions on invited speaker funding and more.   

For every Annual Meeting, over 100 session chairs are needed to organize technical sessions in support of the Program Committee’s work. If you are interested in serving in this role for the 2021 Annual Meeting, complete this form and choose “Technical Programming.” Please note, preference is given to current AOCS members, so make sure your membership and Division memberships are up to-date.

Thank you to the AOCS journals peer reviewers

As part of Volunteer Week, AOCS would like to thank all the editors and peer reviewers who lend their expertise, time and energy to the society's journals. We are thankful for the leadership of our editors-in-chief: Jim Kenar, Journal of American Oil Chemists' Society; Doug Hayes, Journal of Surfactants and Detergents; and Graham Burdge, Lipids. Doug and Graham started their roles earlier this year.

We would also like to thank former editors-in-chief, Eric J. Murphy and George A. Smith, both of whom stepped down this year.

Eric served as the editor-in-chief of Lipids for 13 years and George served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Surfactants and Detergents for 5 years. We are incredibly grateful for their service and leadership.

You can find a full list of our 2019 peer reviewers in the links below:

Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society

Lipids

Journal of Surfactants and Detergents

These dedicated volunteers make it possible for the journals to provide key research regarding a range of subjects related to fats, lipids, surfactants, detergents and more.

Thank you Governing Board Members

It’s Volunteer Week and AOCS would like to kick the week off by thanking the entire 2019-2020 Governing Board for their outstanding leadership in the past year. Today, we particularly want to highlight our outgoing Governing Board members.

LEN SIDISKY, USA, is the outgoing Immediate Past President of the Governing Board. Len became an AOCS member in 1990 and has gifted the society 10 years of service on the Governing Board. He has been a leader for AOCS sections, committee Chairperson for the Hans Kunitz Award, AOCS Chromatography Committee, and the Technical Services Steering Committee. Since 1994, he served as representative for the Supelco Research Award. Len is also a winner of the Ralph H. Potts Award in and was named an AOCS Fellow in 2016. At the 2019 Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Len was honored for his achievements and service as the outgoing President. Len continues to serve AOCS as a member of the Nominating and Election Committee and as a Director on the AOCS Foundation Board.


LEON PABLO ESPINOSA, DESMET BALLESTRA NORTH AMERICA, INC, USA, is an outgoing Member-at-Large. Leon became a member of AOCS in 2009 and has gifted the society 3 years of service on the Governing Board. He was very involved with the Latin American Section and the Latin American Congress in a variety of capacities, including his service as Section president, as a leadership team member, and as a session chair. He is also a Program Committee Organizer as well as a sponsor and exhibitor at the Latin American Congress.





MAGDI MOSSOBA, U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, USA, is an outgoing Member-at-Large. Magdi became a member of AOCS in 1992 and has gifted the society 4 years of service on the Governing Board and 11 years of service as a Chair of the Books and Special Publications Committee. He has also been a member of the Uniform Methods Committee since 2009 and a member of the JAOCS Editorial Board since 2014. In 2013, Magdi was named an AOCS Fellow. Magdi made impactful contributions to AOCS as an author, reviewer, presenter, and editor.





DILIP K. NAKHASI, STRATA FOODS, LLC, USA, is an outgoing Member-at-Large. Dilip became a member of AOCS in 1995 and has gifted the society 4 years of service on the Governing Board. In 2016, he was awarded the Award of Merit and in 2017 named an AOCS Fellow. Dilip also served as the Annual Meeting Program Committee Chairman from 2011 to 2015 with impeccable leadership and vision. For 7 years, he was also involved with the leadership team for the Edible Applications Technology Division and with that Division’s awards committee. He works at Stratas Foods, LLC.




Governing Board members gather for onsite meetings at least two times per year in addition to an online meeting in March; however, their service is needed year-round to provide feedback and counsel on initiatives important to the Society.

Are you interested in being considered for a Governing Board Member position? Complete the Prospective Leadership Questionnaire to voice your interest (.pdf).

A video message from incoming AOCS President Doug Bibus

Here’s a special message from Doug Bibus, the current Vice President and incoming President of AOCS. Doug has a few words to share to help the AOCS community get through this extraordinary time of uncertainty.

We’re living through a time where connection is paramount, so we hope that AOCS resources like webinars, AOCS journals, and most of all the AOCS community on inform|connect can help support you during this time.

2020-2021 Governing Board election results

Election results are in and AOCS now has a new Governing Board for 2020-2021! The new Governing Board will take office on April 28th, 2020. Below you’ll find a list of the board members. We would like to welcome newcomers Ramanathan (Nara) Narayanan, Lars Reimann, Xuebing Xu, and Fabiola Dionisi to the Governing Board.

2020-2021 AOCS Governing Board

President: Doug Bibus, Lipid Technologies, LLC, Minnesota, USA
Vice President: Phil Kerr, Prairie Aquatech, LLC, Missouri, USA
Treasurer: Grant Mitchell, Plus Group, Ohio, USA
Secretary: Gerard Baillely, Procter and Gamble, Ohio, USA
Immediate Past President: Eric Decker, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
Member-at-Large: Fabiola Dionisi, Nestle, Vaud, Switzerland
Member-at-Large: Ramanathan (Nara) Narayanan, Ag Processing Inc., Nebraska, USA
Member-at-Large: Greg Hatfield, Bunge Limited, Ontario, Canada
Member-at-Large: Doug Hayes, University of Tennessee, Tennessee, USA
Member-at-Large: Silvana Martini, Utah State University, Utah, USA
Member-at-Large: Jill Winkler-Moser, USDA, ARS, NCAUR, Illinois, USA
Member-at-Large: Lars Reimann, Eurofins Scientific Inc., Tennessee, USA
Member-at-Large: Xuebing Xu, Wilmar Global R&D Center, Shanghai, China
Member-at-Large: Tony O'Lenick, Nascent Technologies Corporation, Georgia, USA

AOCS and its members would also like to extend a hearty thank you to outgoing Governing Board members Len Sidisky, Dilip Nakhasi, Magdi Mossoba and Leon Pablo Espinosa for their dedication and service to AOCS.

A gift for the AOCS community: Two AOCS Press books

Your team at AOCS hopes you are doing well and staying safe. A few weeks ago I provided you with a list of recordings and videos to view since many of you recently transitioned to working from home. Today, I provide you with two best-selling AOCS Press titles that you can download for free, as our gift to you:      

Introduction to Fats and Oils Technology, Second Edition 

Published in 2000 and edited by Richard D. O'Brien, Walter E. Farr, Peter J. Wan

Modern Methods for Lipid Analysis by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry and Related Techniques 

Published in 2005 and edited by Wm. Craig Byrdwell 

Take care and please contact me if you have any questions about these titles or other AOCS Press books.

Tableau (data visualization) Training

Tableau beginner and advanced training is now available as part of the AOCS #WebinarWednesday series​​. Please use the links below to find out more information and to register (registration is free).

Please send Amy Garren any requests or ideas for the advanced session on April 22nd. We will use that information to create the advanced training session.

Tableau Basics: An introduction to an interactive data visualization software
April 15, 2020 | 12:00 noon CT (Chicago USA)

This is the first part of a two-part webinar series from Tableau, a business intelligence and data visualization tool. This first part is a great introduction to familiarize yourself with the basics or a great refresher for those already familiar with Tableau. In this webinar, you’ll get background on the company and their approach to data, an overview of the product, and information regarding the product’s database connection functionality. You will also learn how to build reports, share findings, set up alerts, and more. Register here.


Tableau Technical Session: Advanced tips and answers to your questions
April 22, 2020 | 12:00 noon CT (Chicago USA)

This is the second part of a two-part webinar series from Tableau, a business intelligence and data visualization tool. This second part will provide you tips and tricks to help Tableau work best for you and your needs. Register here.

Thank you to our Refer-a-Friend participants!

Last month, our new active member total reached 240 — 56% of our 2020 goal. This is a result of the many Refer-a-Friend participants who helped spread the word about AOCS membership during our first recruitment period! To show our appreciation, the following recruiters will receive electronic $20 gift cards for doing their part to grow our community.  Get involved to earn your own reward — we need recruiters year-round! By encouraging your peers to join the AOCS family, you can earn up to US $100 throughout the entire membership year. When you recruit, just make sure new members list your name on their application.  

Active Member Recruiters for the 2020 membership year as of 3/31/2020

• George Smith encouraged his colleague Bhaskar Ramachandran, Technical Lead, Sasol Performance Chemicals, to join. 
• Jens V. Frambol, invited his colleague, Mikkel Skovsgaard, Nexus A/S, Denmark, to the Society.
•  Nara Ramanathan, Ag Processing Inc. (AGP), encouraged Wesley Blank, Process Engineer at AGP, to become a member.
• Dérick Rousseau, Ryerson University, encouraged Jonathan Andrade, Post Doctoral Fellow at Ryerson University, to join.  
•  Rod Thomson, Win Chemicals, invited his colleague, Adela Goredema, R & D Lab manager at Win Chemicals, Canada, to become a member.
•  Melissa Torres, chemist at Connoils, encouraged fellow chemist Ariele Wzientek, to join.
• Yunshen Chen encouraged Lynn Foster to join.
• Ryan Dietzenbach recommended Doug Reuscher join.
• Steven Hess recommended his colleague at Hersheys, John B. Kremer, to become a member.
• Barry Gursky invited his Oil-Dri co-worker, Chris Dieckmann, to join. 
• Janitha Wanasundara influenced Frederic Marsoleais to become a member. 
• Luis Espinoza, Project Manager, Technical Services, Ventura Foods, encouraged colleague Jacob Dupre, Food Technologist at Ventura Foods, to join. 
• B.J. Bench, Senior Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance at Tyson Foods invited Lili Towa, Laboratory Manager and Senior Application Specialist at Alpha MOS to become a member.
• Lingyun Chen, Associate Professor at the University of Alberta, encouraged Yixiang Wang, Assistant Professor at McGill University to join.  

Who will earn rewards next quarter? Think of a colleague or research collaborator who would benefit from AOCS membership and do your part to help our Society grow!

Our newest members, found on this list, include nearly 20 individuals from five countries.

Some highlights include:

• Two student members from Dalhousie University, Canada and two new students from Universidad Autónoma De San Luis Potosí, Mexico joined the AOCS community.
• We welcomed a new Bronze Corporate member: Pennakem Europa, France, and its’ member representative, Laurence Jacques.
• Individuals from BELCORP, Colombia and Fides Control, Brazil joined from Latin American countries.
• The chief operating officer from the Food Development Centre in Canada also became a member.
• Individuals from US-based companies including Oxiteno, Hanna Instruments, Exalt, Vorteva, Burt’s Bees, Bunge, and Imerys all joined the Society.

Let’s continue to expand and strengthen our community! During these uncertain times, we need to stick together more than ever. Learn more about how you can get involved through the new AOCS Refer-a-Friend program.

Have any questions or want to reach out to a new member? Say “Hi!” and start a discussion on inform|connect.

Other questions? Please contact Janet Brown, Director of Membership, janet.brown@aocs.org