Phi Tau Sigma

Phi Tau Sigma (ΦΤΣ) is an international honor society for food science and technology. It was founded in 1953 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Phi Tau Sigma
ΦΤΣ
Founded	1953 (1953) University of Massachusetts Amherst
Type	Honor society
Affiliation	Independent
Status	Active
Emphasis	Food sciences
Scope	International
Motto	"Devotion to the Study of Foods".
Colors	Gold and   Maroon
Publication	The Newsletter
Chapters	41
Members	1,185 lifetime
Headquarters	c/o Kantha Shelke, PhD 33 West Ontario, Suite 57F Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States
Website	phitausigma.org

History

The organization was founded in 1953 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst by Dr. Gideon E. (Guy) Livingston, a food technology professor. It was incorporated under the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts December 8, 1953, as Phi Tau Sigma Honorary Society, Inc.

Besides Livingston, the charter members of the honor society were M. P. Baldorf, Robert V. Decareau, E. Felicotti, W. D. Powrie, M. A. Steinberg, and D. E. Westcott.

Phi Tau Sigma recognizes and honors the achievements of Food Scientists and Technologists, encourages the sharing of scientific knowledge, creates a network of professionals, and promotes charitable and educational programs.

In 2013, Phi Tau Sigma, for the first time, garnered the support and cooperation of the Council of Food Science Administrators. Phi Tau Sigma has 1185 members.

Symbols

The Greek letters ΦΤΣ represent the Greek words for "Devotion to the Study of Foods".

• ΦΙΛΕΙΝ: Love or devotion
• ΤΡΟΦΗΣ: Food
• ΣΠΟΥΔΗΝ: Study

The society's colors are gold and maroon. its publication is The Newsletter.

Activities

Phi Tau Sigma shares professional information through meetings, lectures, and publications.

Since 1984, the society has presented the Carl R. Fellers Award for service to the field of food science and technology. It also holds the annual ΦΤΣ Graduate Paper Competition and the Student Competition

The Phi Tau Sigma Student Achievement Scholarship is given to members for exceptional scholastic achievement and dedication to Phi Tau Sigma. Up to three awards may be made in a year. The Dr. Daryl B. Lund International Scholarship is given to a member to supplement international travel for educational purposes. The Dr. Gideon “Guy” Livingston Scholarship acknowledges a member's scholastic achievements and dedication to Phi Tau Sigma. The Phi Tau Sigma Founders’ Scholarship is given to a member whose graduate research has had or is expected to have, a significant impact.

Membership

Members are elected as undergraduates, graduate students, or after graduation in recognition of their achievements and to facilitate their active participation in Phi Tau Sigma and the profession of food science and technology. Potential student members must have a Grade Point Average (GPA) equal to or greater than 3.5, or equivalent and must be pursuing a degree in food science of the equivalent.

Potential professional members should have a minimum of five years of work experience in food science and technology beyond a B.S. degree, four years beyond an M.S. degree, or 2 years beyond a PhD degree in industry, government, or an academic institution.

Chapters

Following is a list of Phi Tau Sigma chapters.

Chapter	Charter date	Institution	Location	Status	References
	1953	University of Massachusetts Amherst	Amherst, Massachusetts	Active
	1954	Michigan State University	East Lansing, Michigan
	1955	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Cambridge, Massachusetts
	1955	Rutgers University–New Brunswick	New Brunswick, New Jersey
	1956	University of Georgia	Athens, Georgia	Active
	1956	University of Wisconsin–Madison	Madison, Wisconsin
	1957	Cornell University	Ithaca, New York
	1960	University of California, Davis	Davis, California
Buckeye	1964	Ohio State University	Columbus, Ohio	Active
	1964	Virginia Tech	Blacksburg, Virginia	Active
Hoosier	1966	Purdue University	West Lafayette, Indiana	Active
	1968	Columbia University	New York City, New York
	1968	Pennsylvania State University	State College, Pennsylvania	Active
	1968	Texas A&M University	College Station, Texas
	1969	Mississippi State University	Mississippi State, Mississippi
	1973	Louisiana State University	Baton Rouge, Louisiana
	1974	Mexico	Mexico
	1975	New York University	New York City, New York
	1976	Iowa State University	Ames, Iowa	Active
	1977	University of Arkansas	Fayetteville, Arkansas	Active
	1977	University of Nebraska–Lincoln	Lincoln, Nebraska	Active
	1977	University of Rhode Island	Kingston, Rhode Island
	1977	University of Tennessee	Knoxville, Tennessee
	1981	University of Minnesota	Saint Paul, Minnesota	Active
	1983	Alabama A&M University	Normal, Alabama
	1985	Kansas State University	Manhattan, Kansas
	1992	North Carolina State University	Raleigh, North Carolina	Active
	1993	University of Missouri	Columbia, Missouri
	1994	University of Maine	Orono, Maine
	1997	California State Polytechnic University, Pomona	Pomona, California	Active
Intermountain	1997	University of Idaho	Moscow, Idaho
	2003	University of Florida	Gainesville, Florida
	2003	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	Urbana, Illinois
	2003	University of Puerto Rico	Puerto Rico
	2006	Texas Woman's University	Denton, Texas
	2010	Chapman University	Orange, California
	2010	Shanghai Ocean University	Shanghai, China
	2010	Wayne State University	Detroit, Michigan
	2011	Clemson University	Clemson, South Carolina

Governance

Phi Tau Sigma is a body with its own elected officers and is separate from the scientific professional organization, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). Over the years its relationship with IFT has varied, but currently, it has a mutual and respectful partnership with IFT in the following areas:

It has an Executive Committee made up of the president, president-elect, past president, treasurer, executive secretary, six at-large councilors (directors), and six alternate at-large councilors. It also has a Leadership Council (formerly known as Advisory Council) consisting of representatives of chapters.

Notable members

• Rodolphe Barrangou, probiotics researcher
• Robert V. Decareau, food scientist who was involved in the development of microwave applications in food technology
• Carl R. Fellers, food scientist and microbiologist
• Lois Graham, mechanical engineer
• Gideon Livingston, food scientist and founder of Phi Tau Sigma
• John J. Powers, food scientist who was involved in the creation of the Food Science Department at University of Georgia
• Samuel Cate Prescott, food scientist and microbiologist

See also

• Honor society

References

• Francis, F. J. (1993). Seventy-Five Years of Food Science (1918-1993) at the University of Massachusetts. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Amherst Department of Food Science.
• Phi Tau Sigma Website
• Schmidl, M. K. (November 1, 2013). "Phi Tau Sigma Honor Society". Food Technology