I consider it to be a great privilege to be this year’s AACC International Student Division chair. I am really excited and sincerely look forward to building a great team. I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. at Rutgers State University in the Food Science Department, working on studying molecular mobility in amorphous solids. My involvement with AACCI-SD started with participating in product development competition and then serving as the vice-chair for the division. AACC International membership has helped me grow professionally and has offered great networking opportunities both in the industry and academic. The mentoring program has provided me with valuable career guidance and the annual meetings have exposed me to high quality and cutting edge research. Today's food industry professionals are not just expected to focus on a niche market of consumers but also focus on global development of products, and as such, they need to build up a strong, up-to-date knowledge in science and technology, and at the same time build a network on a global level. AACC International is definitely a place that offers both.

As most of us know, the Student Division has grown all these years because of the dedication of its volunteers. However, many challenges remain that still need to be addressed within the organization. The Student Division is preparing for two major events this year - the annual meeting in Hawaii and The Young Cereal Chemists Conference. We still plan to host Student's Social Dinner, Silent Auction, and Student Meeting with career placement opportunities and Product Development Competition at the 2008 annual meeting. Working as a team, the Executive Board hopes to do a great job with all the activities of the Student Division. Among the various goals we have set for ourselves, we are strongly focused on getting more sponsors for the Student Division with the help of AACC International board. We would sincerely like to thank Mike Tilley from the Manhattan Division for increasing the Travel Award for 2008 Annual Meeting to $500, which will help students with the trip. I would like to encourage all the Student Division members to find new opportunities and areas of improvement within the division.

If you would like to be a University Representative of the Student Division, please contact me at rashmit@eden.rutgers.edu.

Rashmi Tiwari
AACC International Student Division Chair