KEYNOTE ADDRESS: DR. GARY SMITH
Inside the Beltway…What Influences Policy Decisions?

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RMC will kick-off this year with a unique presentation on “The Challenges of Being A Meat Scientist In The 21st Century.” Dr. Gary Smith will draw on his vast experience in academia both as a highly regarding teacher and researcher, and his relationship with the Meat Industry to lay out the challenges we will face.

Since June 1990, Dr. Gary C. Smith has occupied the Ken and Myra Monfort Endowed Chair in Meat Science at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Previously, he served as a Professor (1969-1982) and Head (1982-1990) of the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University, where he won the Outstanding Teaching Performance Award, the Honor Professor Award, the College of Agriculture Teaching Award, the University Distinguished Teaching Award and the Deputy Chancellor’s Award for Team Research. Gary has won both the Distinguished Research Award and the Distinguished Teaching Award from the American Meat Science Association and from the American Society of Animal Science. Dr. Smith was recently inducted into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame, October 27, 2009.

Dr. Smith’s research interests include red meat safety, carcass evaluation and grading; composition, quality and palatability of red meat; and, packaging and retailing of red meat. He has published 477 full-length articles in refereed scientific journals and more than 1,000 other contributions as proceedings, technical reports, etc. Dr. Smith served as President of the American Meat Science Association in 1976. For the National Academy of Sciences, he was chairman of the Committee that wrote “Irradiation of Meat and Meat Products” (1979) and a member of the Committee that wrote “Designing Foods” (1988).

This session will take an in-depth look at the current political climate and how this effects policy decision. The speakers will address key issues related to different aspects of the agricultural industry focusing on how they use their areas of expertise to help develop and implement a variety of programs to aid in infl uencing policy decision and lobbying efforts.

10:00–10:30 am
Beltway 101 – Status of Current Political Climate
Kristina Butts, Manager of Legislative Affairs, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Washington, DC

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10:30–11:00 am
The Influence of Pseudoscience, Media, and Social Perceptions on Policy Decisions
Jennifer Greiner, Dir. of Science and Technology, National Pork Producers Council, Washington, DC

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11:00–11:30 am
The Infl uence of Science on Policy Decisions (Including Lobbying Efforts for Research Dollars)
Barbara Glenn, Vice President, Science and Regulatory Affairs, CropLife America, Washington, DC

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KEYNOTE ADDRESS: DR. NELSON HUERTA
Meat Science Experiences in Latin America: Applications in Trade

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Dr. Nelson Huerta Leidenz will address RMC attendees with an overview on a variety of studies comparing different quality and composition attributes of beef. Dr. Huerta, Director of Technical Services for U.S. Meat Export Federation-Mexico, is the recipient of the 2010 International Lectureship Award sponsored by The Solae Company.

Dr. Huerta, a native of Venezuela, studied veterinary medicine at La Universidad del Zulia, where he is also an emeritus professor. He holds both an M.S. and Ph.D. from Texas A&M University. In his current position with USMEF, he has built strong relationships with Mexican academia and his research activities have promoted science-based policies and regulations that have had a positive impact on international red meat trade. One of the major focuses of this research has been in quality comparisons of U.S. red meats versus those of Mexico and Venezuela. Findings of these studies have been applied to counteract non-scientifi c misleading claims of competitors in those markets. Nelson´s academic experience has been very instrumental for international training of USMEF interns from American universities in Mexico. His commitment to international cooperation is demonstrated by more than 50 presentations as invited lectures, scientifi c/trade seminars or research results in 16 countries.

Dr. Huerta’s experiences during his career include teaching and research in the university setting, and subsequently the application of meat science in the industrial setting, to help solve problems that affect our society,” said Dr. Robert Delmore, professor of meat science at California Polytechnic State University and chairman of the planning committee. “Through these efforts, Dr. Huerta has enhanced opportunities for companies to engage in international trade and market their products. Our selection committee felt that he embodies the intent of our award, and that he was an excellent choice.”

Do you have questions regarding how to interpret the latest new research linking your favorite foods to health issues and how your diet can affect your health? If so, then this is one session you do not want
to miss! Come gain a better understanding of the expanding field of epidemiology, the types of epidemiological studies that are being conducted and the questions that must be asked to fully understand an epidemiologic study. Take a deeper scientifi c look at the effects of foods and nutrients have on the nitric oxide pathway, as well as, the connections between dietary intake and nitric oxide in cases of nitricoxide defi ciency, based on the book “Food, Nutrition and the Nitric Oxide Pathway” edited by Nathan Bryan. The session will conclude with a detailed summary on the food industry’s role in reducing sodium and the challenges associated with sodium reformulation.

10:00–10:30 am
Epidemiology 101 – Nutritional Epidemiology Methods and Interpretation Criteria
Andrew Milkowski, Adjunct Professor, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI

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10:30–11:00 am
Dietary Nitrite and Nitrate: From Menace to Marvel
Nathan Bryan, Assistant Professor of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas - Houston Health Science Center, Houston, TX

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11:00–11:30 am
Industry’s Role in Sodium Reduction Ajit Tikekar, Research and Development, Campbell Soup Company, Camden, NJ

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KEYNOTE ADDRESS: MR. TREVOR BUTTERWORTH
“You Are All Journalists Now”

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Mr. Trevor Butterworth is a journalist that knows the science and will use his unique background and skills to talk with RMC attendees on why it is important to communicate science with the media. Regarding the interaction of scientists and the media, “There are people that want to get it right,” said Trevor, but the changing media landscape and new avenues for communication also meat that you are all journalists now.”

Mr. Butterworth is an Irish journalist and writer who has lived in the United States since 1993 and presently resides in Brooklyn. Currently, he writes a weekly column for Forbes.com called Medialand,” which covers all aspects of our mediated environment from style to technology; he also contributes to the Financial Times, for which he has profi led writers such as Tom Wolfe and the late Louis Auchincloss; he has been published in the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and other publications on a wide variety of cultural and scientific topics; and he has appeared on NBC Nightly News, NPR and the BBC. He edits STATS.org, a non-partisan, non-profi t project affi liated with George Mason University in Virginia that examines the way statistics and science are used in public policy and the media.

He received his BA and M.Phil from Trinity College Dublin, attended Georgetown University on a graduate scholarship, and received an MS from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, where he also received the school’s Sevellon Brown Award for outstanding knowledge of the history of American press.