Extension senior educator Jeannie Nichols received an Innovative Technology Award Nov. 5 at the Michigan State University Extension Fall Conference awards dinner. Nichols has focused on food safety for producers, servers and consumers for 15 years and was recognized for her contributions to extension’s “Ask an Expert” tool.
In 2013, Nichols led the creation of a food safety widget, an application embedded on the website, and a food safety question-wrangling team to increase public access to food safety information. In 2014, she led the development of two online courses: the “Michigan Cottage Food Law - Food Safety Training” and “Food Safety Training for Food Service Workers.” “Food Safety Training for Food Service Workers” was developed in partnership with the Kent County Health Department, which encourages all food service workers in the county to complete the course and earn food safety certification.
Nichols also received the Mary W. Wells Memorial Diversity Award for her ServSafe Manager course and the Continued Excellence Award, both given by the Michigan Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.
MSU Extension food safety educator Joyce McGarry was also recognized by the Michigan Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences with the Food Safety Award. She received this award for a presentation she developed that explains how to follow food safety techniques in facilities without proper kitchens, called “Safe and Successful Food Demonstrations Without a Kitchen.”
Julie Delgado, MSU Extension support staff member, was also recognized with the Innovative Technology Award for her work with the video conferencing system MSU Extension uses.