BSc/MSc Student of the Year Award (SOYA)

All abstracts send to Elsevier for the conference, will automatically enter the SOYA. This award is only for BSc/MSc students. After viewing of the scientific committee, the abstract with the highest grade will be the Student of the year and there is a runner up. Elsevier will send the contact details of both to the Office Manager, who then will invite the students for the annual conference.

PhD student of the Year Award

All abstracts sent to Elsevier for the conference, will automatically enter the PhD SOYA. This award is only for PhD students. After viewing of the scientific committee, the abstract with the highest grade will be the Student of the year and there is a runner up. Elsevier will send the contact details of both to the Office Manager, who will then will invite the students for the annual conference.

The BSc/MSc and PhD Student of the Year Awards consists of the following prizes:

2 First prize: €1000
2 second prize: €500

Winners of the award will have free access to the symposium, including travel and accommodation costs.

Regulations:

Eligibility Nominees must have been a registered BSc or MSc student for at least 6 months in the academic year 2009-2010 at a European University or College. Students must have been registered in a degree programme in Food Science and Technology or similar, both for the scientific or social achievements. Part time students are not excluded. Nominees can be of any nationality, but should not have been over 29 years of age at the start of the academic year 2009-2010 (October 1, 2010). In order to be nominated and awarded, students must be able to attend the congress.

Nomination procedure

Scientific Achievements

For scientific achievements, nominees should have either:

• an excellent undergraduate (BSc) or graduate (MSc) thesis in the field of food science and technology, which has been graded A or B (ECTS grading), with registered proof of grading, preferably in English or with extensive English summary;
• an accepted paper for publication in a peer reviewed food science journal (actual publication is not required)
• obtained a patent or similar in the field of food science and technology, based on their work

Factors to be considered for the scientific achievements include:

• The work has to deal with food science and technology or related, but not on nutrition. It may be fundamental or applied.
• Initiative and vision in bringing together expertise to work effectively across traditional discipline boundaries and overcoming barriers to collaboration.
• inventiveness in adapting science and technology for new applications
• style of writing or presenting scientific work

Social Achievements

For social achievements students can be nominated who have achieved or performed special (social) activities which have had, or will have, serious positive impacts to the university, scientific or general community. This may include aspects as improving hygiene or food safety aspects in street vendors or markets; have launched public awareness campaigns or websites; have improved living or study conditions in their university or anything similar. The activity does not necessarily have to deal with food science or technology, but may be in any field. The student has to be registered as a student in a food science and technology programme.

The following elements must be included:

• Introduction
• experimental part (used methods and chemicals) results
• discussion, conclusion and reference
• Include an abstract (abstracts should not be longer then one page) followed with key words.

Deadlines

Applications should have been received by electronic application. It should be duly signed and stamped by the educational institute and posted the latest on 30 June 2010.

Winners

Winners will be required to produce a poster for the conference and may also be invited to give a short presentation during the conference.
Winners’ prizes will be awarded at the conference gala dinner.

All students will get a letter from the office manager that they are nominated for the Award. In this letter they get invited to join the conference. They have to make their own reservations for the hotel and flight. The nominees can send the original invoices to the office manager. Every student has a travel budget of €1000, any amount over this budget, is not reimbursed.

During the conference they can display their poster that they have to make about their work.

Sometime during the dinner, the ceremony will take place. The President of EFFoST will then announce which student was awarded which place and will present the award, certificate and money.

Every student will be invited to come forward, the President will then explain why he/she has won.

During closing ceremony, the BSc/MSc and PhD students who won are invited to give a speech