Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia's Center for Food Safety will host a National Science Foundation workshop on "Novel Sampling and Sensing for Improving Food Safety" at the GTRI Conference Center.

The food industry is one of the largest employers by sector in the U.S. Food contamination can occur anywhere along the food production process, from the "farm to fork." The workshop presents an opportunity for the GTRI/Georgia Tech community to meet and interact with some of the leading researchers working in the area of food safety.

In addition to keynotes and panel discussions, the workshop will include invited talks in the areas of food safety practices, sampling and preconcentration methodologies, and sensing developments.

Goals for the workshop include:

• Stimulate innovate approaches for improving food safety through advanced sensing and novel sampling methods.
• Highlight cutting-edge research in micro- and nanotechnologies being applied to food safety sensing.
• Explore technological research strategies, opportunities, approaches and solutions.
• Provide a forum for scientists and engineers to discuss synergies in current research.
• Enable the cross-pollination of ideas and stimulate the development of new collborative, multidisplinary teams.
• Facilitate a dialog between industry, regulatory agencies, and the scientific, community.
• Advance the field of micro- and nanotechnology based sensing for improved food safety.

Sponsors include the National Science Foundation, Pfizer Animal Health, Arch Chemicals, Electro Chemical Society, IEEE Sensors Council, UGA Center for Food Safety, Georgia Tech Research Institute's Agricultural Technology Research Program, the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Early registration closes May 20, 2011.