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David Hahn, AACCI President
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There have been many changes in my personal life and career over the years, but my membership in AACCI has continued—and for good reason. The personal and professional connections I’ve made and the knowledge and skills I’ve developed as a result have been invaluable. Through my involvement in AACCI, I’ve come to realize the following:
No one succeeds alone.
Everyone needs a mentor at some point in their career and for me AACCI served that role many times over the years. AACCI jump-started my connection to the cereal grain science community and continues to do the same for students and early professionals. The association also serves to assist experienced professionals in networking with others in the field.
It may be an online world but personal connections still matter.
Anyone who has ever attended an AACCI Annual Meeting, a Section or Division Meeting, or other AACCI event knows that there is virtually as much science happening between attendees as they network before and after the event as happens during the actual scientific presentations themselves. The multiple hallway conversations, working dinners, and poster-viewing discussions I witnessed at the annual meeting this year are proof positive of the value of attending association events.
If you have something important to say, you have an obligation to say it.
Five opportunities in which AACCI has an important and valuable role to play have been identified and were introduced to members at this year’s annual meeting. They are also highlighted in the November/December issue of Cereal Foods World. We have formed working groups for each of these opportunities and are pleased by the number of people who are interested in participating in these efforts.
Progress means publishing and publishing means progress.
Science doesn’t advance in a vacuum. It needs to be shared. Key aspects of AACCI’s publication strategy are in place and working well. CFW and Cereal Chemistry have new looks and have expanded their scope. CFW has added CFW Plexus, which promises to be an excellent addition to our online journal resources. Cereal Chemistry’s ISI® impact factor has risen for the fifth year in a row, and this momentum will continue with new Editor-in-Chief Craig Morris, who will oversee the expansion of Cereal Chemistry’s scope and the elimination of page charges.
Good science (like fine wine) gets better with age.
AACCI will be 100 years old in 2015. Planning for the celebration at our annual meeting in Minneapolis has begun. We plan to look to the future as well as the past so there will be many opportunities for you to participate in the planning and celebration as we build to the 2015 meeting.
We invite you to join us as we work together to advance our understanding of cereal grain science.
Sincerely,
David Hahn,
AACCI President