As of July 1, 2006, Denise M. Smith is the new Chair of the Department of Food Science and Technology at The Ohio State University. Most recently, she has served as Professor and Head of the Department of Food Science and Toxicology at the University of Idaho from 2000-2006. Prior to accepting the position at Idaho, she was a Professor of Food Science in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Michigan State University for 15 years with a research/teaching appointment. Her research interests in protein chemistry are designed to improve the quality and safety of meat and dairy products. She received her B.S. from Virginia Tech, M.S. from Oregon State University and Ph.D. from Washington State University. All degrees were in Food Science. She is a member of several professional organizations including the Institute of Food Technologists, International Association of Food Protection and the American Chemical Society. She currently serves on editorial boards for the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and the Journal of Food Protection. She has received several awards including the Michigan State University Teacher-Scholar Award, the Poultry Science Association Poultry Products Research Award and the American Meat Science Association Distinguished Research Award.