3-A SSI Invites Applications for 2021 Student Participation Awards

McLEAN, Virginia – 3-A Sanitary Standards, Inc. (3-A SSI) invites applications for the 2021 Student Participation Award, which is intended to help motivated, career-oriented students to participate in the annual education program of 3-A SSI and gain valuable insights on hygienic equipment design. The program enables dedicated students with a record of achievement to gain comprehensive first-hand knowledge about hygienic design for food processing equipment and systems. The entire program will be held in a virtual format on May 17-18, 2021.

The 3-A SSI Student Participation Award provides an opportunity for qualified full-time students enrolled in a relevant field of study to present a poster and participate in the two-day education program.  The first day will explore 3-A SSI for Beginners and the Basics of Sanitary Design and the second day will feature The Role of Hygienic Design in Food Safety Plans. This program is geared to provide students with greater practical knowledge about all aspects of hygienic design for equipment and systems used in food processing. Participation in the program will also provide exposure to a wide and diverse professional audience of hygienic equipment fabricators, processors and regulatory sanitarians from across the U.S. and around the world.

Candidates for the 2021 awards must be enrolled full-time in a food technology, food science, dairy science or other closely related program (undergraduate or graduate level) at a college or university in the U.S. or Canada. Candidates must demonstrate a career interest and commitment to food safety and quality. Award recipients will be selected on the basis of a personal essay and a letter of recommendation from a faculty member or department head. Award details and an application form are available at the Events page under What’s Going On at:  http://www.3-a.org/News-Events-Updates/Events. The application deadline is March 26, 2021.

According to 3-A SSI Chair Chris Hylkema (New York State Dept. of Agriculture & Markets), “We support hygienic design education because it is a fundamental element of assuring food safety.  The 3-A SSI program gives these future food industry professionals a great opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge about hygienic equipment design in the real world and network with a truly diverse group of industry leaders.”

Past award recipients represented schools including California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Cornell University, Louisiana State University, Michigan State University, North Carolina State University, Pennsylvania State University, Texas Tech University, the University of California-Davis, the University of Delaware, the University of Florida, the University of Georgia, Virginia Tech University, the Ohio State University, the University of Minnesota, the University of Vermont, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

For further details on the travel awards or the upcoming 2021 program, including sponsorship opportunities, contact 3-A SSI Executive Director Timothy Rugh at 3-A SSI.