Professionals in bioscience, food-related industries turn ...( MANHATTAN KAN. -- Workshops online p...),Health

MANHATTAN, KAN. -- Workshops, online programs and databases are just some of the ways that Kansas State University shares knowledge about the biosciences, food safety and animal health with the professionals who help ensure the safety of our food supply.

In the past 27 years, more than 4,000 scientists from across the United States and around the world have turned to Kansas State University to learn about systems of rapid identification of microorganisms found in medical specimens, foods, water and the environment. Daniel Y.C. Fung, professor of animal sciences and industry and food science at K-State, offers the Rapid Methods and Automation in Microbiology workshop each summer. The next workshop will be June 13-20, 2008, at K-State.

Every other year, K-State attracts scientists worldwide to a workshop on a genus of fungi called Fusarium. John Leslie, professor and head of the plant pathology department at K-State, has been organizing the workshop since 2000.

"This summer, the workshop at K-State drew 42 participants from nearly 20 different countries," Leslie said.

He was joined by six other Fusarium experts from around the world. When the workshop isn't at K-State, Leslie and colleagues take their expertise to locations as far away as Australia, South Africa and Malaysia.

Leslie said, "Researchers often cite a manual written to accompany the course. The workshop has attracted sponsors like the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, with headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria, and Pathogen Control Associates Inc., an environmental health company with headquarters near Atlanta."

With more than 150 faculty and staff active in the food safety and animal health arenas and more than $70 million going toward related research since 1999, K-State has established itself as a leader in ensuring the safety of the nation's food supply.

K-State offers professionals in foodrelated industries the opportunity t
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