Background

The explosion of new AI tools available to the general public and commercial organizations have unleashed exciting potential applications that were previously not feasible. Not only has there been a rapid increase in the number of available tools over the past few years but also in the pace of change and capabilities of these tools. This means that as we embrace AI in our professional work, we will also need to be flexible and willing to constantly evolve. We also need to ensure that we’re training the next wave of scientists so that they have the appropriate awareness and understanding to effectively utilize these tools. The first talk will explore views on the training needs, opportunities, and challenges involved with educating and preparing students in life/health/agricultural/food science programs to understand the types of AI tools available and to gain awareness of the potential utility within areas such as food safety and nutrition. This will be followed by examples in food safety where AI tools were used to support microbiological risk assessment and the discovery of foodborne pathogen sources. This webinar is part of an ongoing series on AI in food safety and nutrition leading to the JIFSAN Fall Symposium “From Data to Decisions: AI Transforming Food Safety and Nutrition”.

Speakers

Dr. Wendy Powers


On July 1, 2025, Dr. Wendy Powers joined the University of Maryland as the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Prior to moving this role, Dr. Powers served was the inaugural Cashup Davis Family Endowed Dean of the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences (2022 – 2025). Dean Powers embodies the land-grant mission through her collaborative work with agricultural producers and research peers nationwide. Powers began her career as an assistant professor and extension specialist in animal science at Iowa State University, then moved to Michigan State University, where she served as a full professor in the departments of Animal Science and Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering, extension specialist, and director of environmental stewardship for animal agriculture in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. She was also the first director of the Agriculture and Agribusiness Institute for Michigan State University Extension. Prior to joining Washington State University, Powers served as associate vice president for the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. In that role, she led academic, research, and outreach programs, overseeing county-based cooperative extension outreach, 12 statewide programs and institutes, and nine research and extension centers across California.

Dr. Ryan Blaustein

Dr. Blaustein is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Maryland (UMD). His research and teaching program in food microbiology combines microbial ecology and computational genomics to enhance food safety and sustainability. He previously earned his B.S. and M.S. at UMD (2011, 2014), Ph.D. at the University of Florida (2017), and completed postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University (2020) and the National Institutes of Health (2022)