Retired professor thrilled at first batch of food science graduates from programme she created
Some years ago, a now retired professor was on sabbatical from her Associate Dean position at the Florida A&M University (FAMU) College of Agriculture and Food Sciences (CAFS) and she travelled to Guyana where she birthed a new programme at the University of Guyana.
That was back in 2017. Fast forward to November 2023, Professor Emerita Verian Thomas, who retired in 2021, returned to Guyana on a trip partially funded by UG to witness the first 13 food science graduates accept their degrees.
“Talk about experiencing a great sense of accomplishment upon seeing those graduates walk across the stage! That was how I felt as I partially compared that feeling to giving birth to a child. It’s one of the highlights of my career,” Thomas was quoted as saying on the FAMU news website.
The retiree, who was a previous UG faculty member, shared that she wanted to start a food science programme there more than four decades earlier, before joining FAMU. “Returning to UG for the graduation ceremony was simply amazing,” she said. “I felt great pride in completing the unfinished business.”
In 2017 she began designing the curriculum for the new bachelor’s degree programme in food science at UG. After Thomas returned to FAMU the following spring, she continued working with members of a joint planning team at UG to refine the curriculum of this new degree programme in Food Science before it obtained the required university approvals for its launch at UG in January 2019.
According to the news website, the Bachelor of Science degree in Food Science began as a multidisciplinary programme, integrating the study of food science, agriculture, chemistry, biology, and business.
The impetus for a food science programme at UG came against a backdrop of then UG Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Ivelaw Griffith’s vision for the establishment of an Institute for Food and Nutrition Security (IFANS) with a mission to guarantee food and nutrition security for the people of Guyana by 2030.
According to the article, Griffith appointed Thomas as co-chair of the feasibility team to establish IFANS. As a result of her work, the university was awarded a US$49,000 grant to fund the feasibility study for the establishment of IFANS, which was launched in 2018.
“The first two years of the undergraduate food science programme are intended to establish a solid background in maths, chemistry, physical and biological sciences. Required courses include food science, introductory and organic chemistry, biology, microbiology, calculus, physics, and nutrition. The last two years emphasise the application of the basic sciences and technology to the manufacturing, sensory evaluation, storage, distribution, and safety of foods and food ingredients,” Thomas said in the article.
“As Guyana positions itself to reduce food imports by 25 percent by 2025, there is an urgent need for persons with competencies in the areas of food product development, food processing and preservation, and food safety,” Thomas continued. “This cohort of food scientists has been adequately trained to assume these positions in existing food manufacturing entities, and to create start-ups of their own,” she added.
Interim CAFS Dean Dale Wesson, PhD, said Thomas’ role in helping to start the UG programme is emblematic of FAMU’s global impact.
“We applaud Dean Thomas’ remarkable endeavours,” Wesson said. “Her legacy transcends mere service to FAMU; she has planted seeds destined to enrich the lives of Guyanese for generations. The importance of global food safety and security cannot be overstated,” she was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, the FAMU news website shared that during her 39-year career at the university, Thomas served as a CAFS faculty member, and she also implemented the current food science programme in CAFS. In addition, she held several academic, administrative positions in CAFS, which included being its first Associate Dean for Academic Programmes. Also, she served as the Interim Dean for FAMU’s School of Graduate Studies and Research.