ottawa

IN MEMORIAMDr. M.A. IIVicll Amer

Dr. M.A. "Vie" Amer, SeniorVice-President, Science and Tech­nology, of the Dairy Bureau ofCanada, died after a short, tragic ill­ness on February 1, 1989. He waschairman of the Dairy NutritionInformation Center of the DairyBureau and auxiliary Professor in theDepartment of Food Science andAgricultural Chemistry at Mac­donald College of McGill University.

"Vie" was born in Egypt in 1944and received the bachelor of sciencedegree in 1964 and postgraduatediploma in food and agriculturalstudies in 1966 at Cairo University.He studied food technology on ascholarship at the Nuess School ofFood and Agriculture in West Ger­many before receiving his degreesin Cairo. Soon after leaving Cairo, hecompleted the M.Sc. degree in foodscience and technology at theUniversity of Guelph in Ontario in1969 and a Ph.D. in nutrition-lipidbiochemistry at McGiII University in1971.

Dr. Amer had a persistent interestin the scientific and medical aspectsof fats. In 1973, he and his col­leagues produced a new milk withreduced levels of saturated fats. Healso did significant work on newtypes of foods, such as spreadscombining butter and vegetable oils.He was currently discovering newuses of fractions of milk fats andworking to increase the calcium inpasta as an inexpensive calcium-richfood for the world's poor. Hisinnovative work will play an impor­tant role in the development of newfoods in the future.

One of his most distinguishedachievements was the developmentof an unparalleled program of med­ical and technological research forthe Dairy Bureau of Canada, a non­profit organization of the nation'sdairy farmers. He initiated the pro­gram in the early 1980's and carriedit through to its current world­renowned level of success andproductivity. The research program,which will carry on, is the mostimportant program of research onthe preventive medical aspects ofdairy foods in the world.

Can. Inst. Food S6. Technol. J. Vo!. 22, No. 2, 1989

SECTION NEWS

On November 8, 1988, the CIFSTNational President, Mr. Henriot Sabou­rin, addressed the members of theNewfoundland and Labrador sectioncongregated for a dinner at the MarineInstitute in St. John's. Mr. Sabourinspoke on Institute Affairs, the 1989National Conference, and then made aspecial presentation on the Role of theFood Engineer in the Food Industry, Mr.Sabourin also presented two awards of$500,00 each to students enrolled inthe Food Science and Food Technologyprograms at Memorial University ofNewfoundland and the Marine Insti­tute, respectively. These students, onefrom each program, were selected onthe basis of academic performance andparticipation in the CIFST local sectionactivities. These awards have beenmade possible by fund raising activitiesconducted by members of the section,The students honored were Ms.Rhonda Dillon, third-year Food Sciencestudent at Memorial, and Mr. FranklinMurphy from St. Vincent and theGrenadines, a third-year Food Technol­ogy student at the Marine Institute. Mr.Sabourin was made an honorary New­foundlander by means of the traditional"screech-in ceremony".

The Ottawa section has been busywith a meeting every month. Our guestspeaker for the October meeting wasDr. Chris Findlay, Director of Researchand Development for Protein FoodsGroup, Inc., Ontario. Dr. Findlayintroduced us to a new product calledBiobone, which makes use of the bonewaste from mechanically debonedmeat. The porous, ground up bone isused as a support material on which toimmobilize milk-clotting enzymes foruse in a continuous rennetting processfor cheese manufacture. After Dr. Find­lay's presentation, the meeting atten­dants were able to compare 6-monthold cheddar made by the conventionalbatch method with cheese made fromthe continuous process using Biobone.

In November, our National President,Mr. Henriot Sabourin, Sercodev, Que­bec, visited our section. Mr. Sabourin'stalk focused on the role of foodengineering in the Canadian foodprocessing industry. Following thepresentation, there was an open dis­cussion of CIFST on a national perspec-

tive, with the members in attendancevoicing both their satisfaction and con­cerns. At the end of the evening, Mr.Sabourin enticed us all to attend theupcoming 1989 conference in QuebecCity, with a computerized colour adver­tisement put together by the confer­ence committee.

Our annual "Purely Social" Wine andCheese was held in December. Despitethe bad weather, approximately 60members and guests partook of someChristmas cheer. Fifteen CIFST mem­bers from across Canada, who wereparticipating in a meeting of publicity­funded food research and developmentorganizations, were able to join us forthe evening.

The Montreal Section held its firstsuppliers night recently at the LavalSheraton, with sixty-three exhibitorspresent and a total attendance exceed­ing three hundred visitors. The organiz­ing committee, headed by ManonDaoust (Hoffmann-LaRoche) andNathalie Rivard (Parma Foods) workedhard to organize and promote theevent. Members and non-membersalike were contacted by phone and

The University ofThe West Indles

SI. AugustineTrinidad, West Indles

Applications are invited for thepost of Professor / Senior Lecturerin Food Technology in the Depart­ment of Chemical Engineering.While no area of specialization isspecified, preference may begiven to applicants with interestsand experience in Fruit and Vege­table Processing and / or QualityControl/Food Engineering.

SALARY RANGE: TI$91,788 ­111,372 per annum. Pension.Passages. Housing.

Applications detailing qualifica­tions and experience and namingthree referees should be sent to:

Registrar.University of the West Indies.SI Augustine. Trinidad.West Indies

Further particulars sent to allapplicants.

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