On December 12, 2011, the New York Academy of Sciences and PepsiCo will host a special Journey through Science Day at the Academy's headquarters in New York City.

Fifty exceptional students and early career scientists (MS, PhD, postdoc) have been selected for this unique opportunity to interact with PepsiCo's R&D leadership, learn about their efforts to develop products rooted in science-based nutrition, and get an exclusive glimpse of how science has shaped their careers.

Additionally, each participant will present a poster on their research to highlight and share their own activities and interests with PepsiCo.

The focus of this event will be in the following key areas:

•  Life Sciences – Nutrition, Biochemistry, Toxicology, Biology, Microbiology and Pharmacology

•  Engineering – Process Engineering, Chemical and Mechanical Engineering

•  Food Science – Analytical Chemistry and Agriculture

Awards will be presented to the top two posters in each of the above subject areas in the amount of $1,000 and $250 respectively. Projects do not need to be nutrition-related, although it is helpful to have some interest in this area.

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Agenda

8:00 – 8:30 AM	Arrival and Poster Set-up
8:30 AM	Breakfast with breakout-groups: group introductions over breakfast Break-out groups: Life Sciences, Food Science, Engineering 5–8 students and 2–3 PepsiCo sponsors/buddies
9:00 – 10:30AM
9:00 AM	Kick-off Session: Overview of Opportunities at PepsiCo René Lammers
9:30 AM	Career Pathways: Nutrition Nancy Moriarity
9:45 AM	Career Pathways: Food Safety, Scientific Affairs, Regulatory (FSRA) Vic Margiotta
10:00 AM	Career Pathways: Long Term Research: Flavor and Ingredients and Biological Sciences, Gatorade Sports Institute Stephen Gravina and Eric Milgram
10:15 AM	Career Pathways: Engineering Ricardo Ruiz de Gopegui
10:30 AM	Break
10:45 AM	Breakout Poster Session & Competition Life Sciences – Nutrition, Biochemistry, Toxicology, Biology, Microbiology and Pharmacology Judges from: Flavor and Ingredients, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, Biological Sciences and Nutrition Engineering – Process Engineering, Chemical and Mechanical Engineering Judges from: Advanced Research Food Science – Analytical Chemistry and Agriculture Judges from: Nutrition, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, Product Development, Advanced Research, FSRA
12:15 PM	Lunch break with breakout groups/buddies (same as breakfast)
1:00 PM	Panel discussion and Awards led by Susan Hynson and Anne Kurilich Panelists: Valeria Ortiz, Mary Resseguie, Rashmi Tiwari, Jim Holden, Linda Flammer and Peter Given, Jr.
3:00 PM	Departures

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Event Location

The New York Academy of Sciences
7 World Trade Center
250 Greenwich Street, 40th Floor
New York, NY 10007
212.298.8600

Map & Directions

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Questions?

Please contact Monica Kerr at mkerr@nyas.org.

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Select Speaker Bios

Linda J. Flammer, PhD

Director, Long Term Research
 

As an undergraduate psychology major at La Salle University in Philadelphia, Linda realized she wanted a career in research. Upon graduating, she began her career in taste and smell at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, first with Carol Christensen, studying the effects of salivary components on taste, and then with Barry Green, investigating warming, cooling, and tingling (chemesthesis) on the skin. After five years at Monell, Linda's interests shifted from external perception to internal cognition.

She completed a PhD in Psychological Processes from Temple University and her dissertation investigated the role of social identity in attitudes including racism, sexism, classism, and heterosexism. Linda joined the faculty in the Psychology Departments at La Salle University in Philadelphia and Rutgers University in Camden, NJ. After teaching for nine years, she joined Unilever where she linked two research areas together measuring attitudes toward skin care products in different cultures. Taking the plunge into industry, Linda has worked in the Sensory and Consumer Science Departments at Unilever, International Flavors and Fragrances.

Currently at PepsiCo Linda leads the Global Sensory & Consumer Science Team for Beverages and the Behavioral Insights within Long Term Research.

Linda is still very passionate about research and believes the sciences of Psychology and Neuroscience have much to offer in creating insights about the consumer experience to enable the development of successful market products.

Peter S. Given, Jr., PhD

Research Fellow, Long Term Research
 

Peter Given received his BS degree in Biology from Syracuse University in 1975, and his PhD in Biochemistry from the Department of Chemistry, SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry, Syracuse, NY in 1981.

Dr. Given was employed by Nabisco Brands, E. Hanover, NY in 1981 where he worked as a Scientist and Group Leader in the Fundamental Science Department. In 1989 Dr. Given took a position at Kraft Foods in Glenview, IL as an Associate Director of Fundamental Research, managing a group of 30 scientists. Dr. Given has been a Research Fellow at Pepsi-Cola Company in Valhalla, NY from 1994–present.

Dr. Given has been active in academic consortia and professional societies during his industry tenure. He has served as membership chair of the ACS Agriculture & Food Division as well as chair of the Biochemistry & Nutrition subdivision. Dr. Given co-organized two ACS National Meeting symposia, "Chemistry of Taste" and "Micro/Nano-encapsulation of Active Food Ingredients," both of which have been published. Dr. Given co-developed the AOCS short course, "Physical Chemistry." Dr. Given has been an industry liaison to Rutgers University, Purdue University, and University of Massachusetts. Dr. Given has authored or co-authored 3 books / chapters, 8 journal articles, and he holds 13 US patents.

Stephen Gravina, PhD

Director, Long Term Research
 

Stephen Gravina PhD is a Director in the Global Flavor & Ingredient Technology Group. He has responsibility for the discovery and benchmarking of new ingredients to improve the nutritional value and enable Applications and Product Development of new PepsiCo products.

Prior to this position, he held the role of Research Fellow at International Flavors and Fragrances for five year. In 1997 Dr. Gravina started his professional career at Linguagen Corp now Redpoint Bio, where they pioneered the concept of applying modern pharmaceutical technology to identify new flavors.

Dr. Gravina received his Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacology from Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Gravina did his first postdoctoral fellowship in Pathology at CRWU studying Alzheimer's disease and Howard Hughes's Medical Institute fellowship in Vision and Taste Biology at Rockefeller University. He received dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Psychology and Biology from Syracuse University; PhD, Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University; BS, Psychology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY; and BS, Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY.

Jim Holden

Associate Principal Scientist, Food Safety and Regulatory Affairs
 

Jim Holden has been with PepsiCo for 10 years. He has worked in the ingredient technology group writing ingredient specifications and assessing supplier technical capability; performed human physiology trials and athlete testing at the Gatorade Sport Science Institute, and currently works in the Scientific and Regulatory Affairs group. Prior to joining PepsiCo he worked in the ingredient technology groups at Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.

Jim has a BS in Food Science and Nutrition from the University of Rhode Island and a MS in Human Nutrition from the University of New Haven. In his spare time Jim enjoys mountain biking, adventure racing and triathlon.

Susan J. Hynson

Director, Talent Acquisition
 

Susan is currently Director of Talent Acquisition supporting the Research & Development and Marketing Teams. She joined PepsiCo in May 1999 from Reader's Digest Association, where she led the talent acquisition function and provided HR generalist support. Susan began her career with Unilever working in both the New York City and Greenwich, CT offices. Susan worked in a variety of HR sub-functions at Unilever including Leadership Development, Training, Compensation and University Relations.

Susan was born in a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA and is a life-long Steelers fan. She received a BS in Finance with a minor in Economics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Susan received her MBA with a concentration in Human Resources from the University of Connecticut.

Susan currently lives in Rye, New York with her husband, Colin, two sons, Cal and Will, and her clumber spaniel, Cotton. She enjoys tennis, cooking, reading, as well as watching her sons play hockey and lacrosse.

Anne Kurilich, PhD

Senior Principal Scientist, Long Term Research
 

Anne Kurilich is a Senior Principal Scientist in Long Term Research, Clinical Science and Operations. She has global responsibility for scientific review and tracking of PepsiCo's clinical research protocols and related publications, oversight of clinical operations and serves as the liaison between the Global Nutrition Team and the Biology Innovation Lab in New Haven, CT.

Prior to joining PepsiCo, she was a Manager at Dairy Management, Inc.—The National Dairy Council, where she had responsibility for managing nutrition research studies. Anne began her career as a Nutritionist / Physiologist with the USDA, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville, MD where she conducted clinical studies on the bioavailability and bioactivity of phytonutrients.

Anne earned her PhD in Nutritional Sciences and MS in Horticulture, Plant Breeding and Genetics from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and holds a BS in Botany from Eastern Illinois University. She has authored or co-authored several publications in the nutrition and plant sciences fields and has presented her research at several Scientific Conferences. She is a member of the American Society for Nutrition and is Secretary/ Treasurer for the Vitamin and Mineral Research Interest Section of ASN.

René Lammers, PhD

SVP R&D COO
 

René, who joined PepsiCo in Jan 2011, works with the R&D leadership team to develop the overall R&D strategy to maximize investments for our foods, beverage and nutrition businesses, aligned with our Human Sustainability platform. He has oversight for food safety, regulatory affairs and nutrition, along with direct responsibilities for long term research, IGP and building capabilities and systems to enable R&D to globally connect platforms and provide knowledge management. René also oversees R&D finance, IT, communications and legal support. Furthermore, he is the Human Sustainability plank leader.

With 15 years of experience in various key R&D positions, René comes to us from Unilever where he most recently served as Global Vice President, R&D Hair Care. René led a Global Team to develop and implement the R&D Strategy for hair care globally, with brands like Sunsilk, Suave, Dove, Lux and Clear. His team was responsible for all functions, from formulation, processing, regulatory, patents and packaging. In prior roles, René was responsible for leading Unilever's R&D Home and Personal Care function for Europe, where he was responsible for delivery of innovation projects across Europe, Australia & New Zealand. René also served as the Global Operations Manager for Laundry R&D, and as the R&D head for home and personal care products and foods for Thailand. He has lived in the UK, The Netherlands, South Africa, and Thailand. René has held various board memberships including those of European and Dutch industry associations related to home and personal care, and the European Chemical Industry.

He received his Doctor of Philosophy in organic chemistry from University of Delft in the Netherlands. René is married to Louise, who is from South Africa, and has two sons, Ryan (12) and Kai (10). He enjoys Italian cooking and French red wines (Burgundy in particular). He used to be a competitive soccer player and currently enjoys a good run and frequent rides on his racing bike.

Beate Lloyd, PhD, RD, LD

Director, R&D Nutrition
 

Beate Lloyd, PhD, RD, LD as Director of R&D Nutrition with the PepsiCo's Global Nutrition Organization leads the PepsiCo's Global Innovation platform focused on Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Research. She enables the science-based differentiation of the core nourishment brands and develops the strategy for new products to transform the beverage and food portfolio. She started her career with PepsiCo as Senior Manager in July of 2009 responsible for identifying and translating nutrition and health science to PepsiCo's global beverage portfolio to drive product innovation, compelling brand communications for Tropicana, Dole and Naked Juice.

Prior to joining PepsiCo, Beate was the President and CEO of a global nutrition/clinical research consulting firm, Global Research Solutions, Inc. based in Columbus Ohio, with clients from a broad range of industry segments and government agencies. She developed cohort and ingredient specific products & platform innovation strategies, medical writing and research in the field of dairy nutrition science, pediatric and adult nutrition as well as influenced dairy industry standards in Asia. Prior to this, she was responsible for creating innovation platforms/new business opportunities and led multiple clinical research programs at Abbott Nutrition, Abbott Laboratories and helped set infant and child feeding standards. She was responsible for guiding the company's long term research strategy in Women's Health and Wellness and Pediatric Nutrition. As a registered dietitian, she has counseled patients in an Ohio OB/GYN practice and served as a nutrition educator.

Beate earned her Masters in Nutrition and PhD in Nutritional Sciences and Molecular and Cellular Biology at University of Connecticut. She completed her BS in Biology and Chemistry from Bowdoin College. Her passion is driven by her deep commitment to improve the lives of all people through better nutrition and healthy life style choices. Although she was a native German, born in Spain, Beate is now settled in Connecticut, married with 2 children, 9 and 11 years old and enjoys many out door sports and activities with the family.

Vic Margiotta

Director, Food Safety & Regulatory Affairs
 

Originally from New York City, have over 35 years in the food and beverage industry, including companies such as Standard Brands, Nabisco, and Seagram. Education includes a BS in Biology from Manhattan College and a MS in Technology Management from Polytechnic Institute of New York University.

Began career as a QC Supervisor and Production Foreman in manufacturing plants, then moved to R&D holding Senior Scientist positions, providing research and technical support in product design and microbiological services. Became expert in quality systems and secured ISO accreditations for laboratory operations.

Joined Pepsi and the Scientific & Regulatory Affairs group in 2002 when they acquired SoBe Beverages, where I was of Director of Quality. Currently responsible for global regulatory compliance and oversee teams in Valhalla and Barrington that ensure the formula and label compliance of Pepsi, Quaker, Tropicana and Gatorade brands.

Eric Milgram, PhD

Director, Long Term Research
 

Eric Milgram, PhD is a Director at PepsiCo's Long Term Research Biology Innovation Laboratory in New Haven, Conn. In his current role, he is responsible for the application of biochemical profiling technologies for gaining a better understanding about the complex relationships between nutrients and physiology. Throughout his career, Dr. Milgram has been interested in the application of analytical chemistry technologies for the purpose of better understanding human health.

Prior to joining PepsiCo in 2010, Dr. Milgram spent most of his post-graduate career working in the pharmaceutical industry. He served as Director of Systems Biology technologies at Wyeth Research where he managed multiple groups applying technologies for profiling genes, proteins and metabolites in order to aid drug discovery. While at Pfizer, he was responsible for the application of chemical analysis and large scale data management technologies to a range of problems including screening Pfizer's drug candidates for liabilities resulting from poor intestinal absorption, metabolic degradation, and drug–drug interactions. He also developed methods for automating the process of rapidly identifying the metabolites of drug candidates, as well as assessing the chemical stability of Pfizer's compound library under long-term storage conditions.

As a Research Fellow at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), he worked to develop robust methods for the determination of trace levels of environmental contaminates such as phthalates and pesticide residues. He was awarded the National Center for Environmental Health Director's Award for this work at the CDC. Dr. Milgram received his PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Florida in 1997. He is a member of the American Chemical Society and the American Society for Mass Spectrometry.

Nancy Moriarity, PhD

Director, Nutrition
 

Nancy has been part of PepsiCo's Nutrition organization since 2005, when she returned to the Chicago area after 16 years in Research and Development at PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division. She currently provides nutrition leadership across PepsiCo focused on children's nutritional needs, micronutrients and fortification, global undernutrition projects, supports PepsiCo's nutrition strategy development, and leads Nutrition's efforts to integrate across the business. Previously, she developed and led a team on fiber nutrition, building capability on both nutrition technology development and applications expertise.

At Frito-Lay, Nancy held a variety of positions during her 16 year career. While at Frito-Lay, she developed products for both domestic and international markets using almost all snack food technologies. Nancy worked on pretzels, baked and fried potato products, baked and fried tortilla chips, extruded snacks, dips, and food service applications. Her work encompassed all phases of product development from prototyping to product launch. She focused on innovation and incorporated innovation to all aspects of product development throughout her Frito-Lay career. During her last 4 years at Frito-Lay, Nancy focused on raw materials innovation, coordinating the work of suppliers and product developers to screen and optimize new ingredients for product development.

Before joining Frito-Lay, Nancy completed a post-doctoral assignment at the Eastern Regional Research Center, USDA. While at USDA, she worked in the Food Safety research group, investigating effects of ionizing radiation on lipids.

Nancy was born in Chicago and raised in Bloomington, IL. She earned her BS, Biology, from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. She also earned her PhD, Nutritional Sciences, from the University of Illinois, specializing in lipid chemistry and biochemistry.

Valeria Ortiz

Principal Scientist, R&D Nutrition
 

Valeria currently works with nutrition strategies for Hydration brands in PepsiCo North America, building from science translating into business. She works actively with R&D managers, marketing, regulatory and legal departments towards reaching Human Sustainability goals from the corporation. She is also part of teams working towards Global Nutrition strategies.

Valeria joined PepsiCo in 2005 in Mexico City. In her roles previous to coming to the US she lead the Human Sustainability and Nutrition Strategies for Latin America beverages, from platform innovation and growth roadmaps and strategies, to coordinating marketing to children, school's product improvements. Prior to her job in PepsiCo she worked for the Public Health sector in campaigns and research on childhood obesity and physical activity programs; she has also done private consulting and used to teach science to kids.

Valeria received her MS in Public Health Nutrition from the University of Glasgow, UK; she has a diploma in Business Administration from Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico and Diploma on Health Promotion, from the Universidad de la Plata, Argentina. She is also a Certified Nutritionist from the National College of Nutritionists. Her BS is in Nutrition and Food Science from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City.

Valeria is married to Chucho and they have a son named Julian. She is a former president of the Alumni Association of the Universidad Iberoamericana. In her free time, Valeria likes to swim and run.

Mary E. Resseguie, PhD

Technology Scout, Long Term Research
 

Dr. Resseguie graduated with honors in physical chemistry from UNCW and has a doctorate in Nutritional Biochemistry from UNC Schools of Public Health and Medicine. Prior to joining PepsiCo in 2009, she completed a joint post-doctoral appointment in genetic epidemiology at the UNC Nutrition Research Center and the Department of Genetics. Prior to graduate school, she was an analytical chemist at AAIpharma and a researcher in Neurogenetics at UNC School of Medicine.

Dr. Resseguie was awarded fellowships from the CDC-American Public Health Laboratories, American Society for Nutrition and Wyeth Consumer Healthcare. As a graduate student and post-doctoral fellow, she was a co-investigator on various translational innovation research grants and established partnerships with several early stage biotechnology companies to commercialize intellectual capital which resulted from her graduate and post-doctoral work.

Ricardo Ruiz de Gopegui

Director, Packaging Advanced Research
 

Ricardo holds a degree in Chemical Engineering and an MBA. He started his career in Quality Assurance and later in Product Development for Personal Care products. While working for a major cosmetics company he started an assignment in Packaging Development, where he ran several projects involving spray delivery systems, thermoplastics processing and other packaging technology areas.

He started his International R&D career for a major household products company, with a divisional responsibility for the Latin American business, including the Insecticides, Air Fresheners and Home Cleaning categories. In 2001, Ricardo took the responsibility to develop a new satellite team based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which is dedicated to support and drive Product and Packaging innovation projects for the US market.

Currently, after more than 15 years of experience in R&D, Innovation and Consumer Insights, Ricardo is Director for Packaging Advanced Research at PepsiCo, with the responsibility of running a team of engineers and scientists dedicated to discovering and developing cutting edge new Packaging technologies, covering areas such as material & polymer science and plastics processing.