Teaching modules

Develop graduate and undergraduate teaching modules to train students to use and develop computational and modelling tools for produce safety.

The goal is to develop teaching modules for graduate and undergraduate student to improve their understanding of (i) the produce supply chain from “farm-to-table” and (ii) application of modern computational tools, analytics, and modelling approaches to produce safety. Please click the link below to access the materials (i.e., slides, video captions, and assessment questionaries) for the developed courses.

Access Course Materials

Produce Safety Lectures

Lecture 1
Fundamentals of outbreak investigations. We introduce E. coli O157:H7 and Cyclospora cayetanensis, and their role in two foodborne illness outbreaks linked to leafy greens.

Lecture 2
In the second interactive lecture, we present two case studies of foodborne pathogen outbreaks associated with fresh produce, including Listeria monocytogenes and Hepatitis A.

Lecture 3
Key attributes for ensuring the safety of fresh produce. Here, we discuss potential risk factors throughout the produce supply chain, and control strategies to mitigate these risks.

Undergrad Modeling Lectures

Lecture 1: the concept of modeling, primary and secondary growth models, model evaluation, and Monte Carlo simulation; how to develop primary and secondary growth models using an online web app.

Lecture 2: risk analysis; concepts of risk and hazard, critical components of risk analysis, and a practical example of conducting a risk assessment.

Advanced Modeling Lectures

Advanced Modeling Principles GIS: the concept of GIS and application of GIS on produce safety at the pre-harvest stage

Advanced Modeling Principles Agent-based modeling (ABM): introduction of ABM and applications of ABM across different parts of the fresh produce supply chain.

Contact

a smiling man in a blue shirt and glasses stands in front of a project board

Dr. Wiedmann's research focuses on the pathogenesis of foodborne diseases, pre- and post-harvest food safety and on improving our understanding of the evolution and ecology of foodborne bacterial pathogens and their transmission from farm animals and environments through foods to humans. Both basic and applied research in the laboratory is targeted towards developing the scientific knowledge necessary to improve the ability to prevent foodborne and zoonotic diseases.

Email: mw16@cornell.edu

Dr. Samantha Bolten is a postdoctoral associate at the Food Safety Lab. Her research is leveraging computational and modeling tools for the development of intervention strategies to mitigate microbial food safety hazards in pre-harvest and post-harvest environments.

Email: sjb375@cornell.edi

A man in a hat and glasses in front of a large body of water

Dr. Luke Qian is a postdoctoral associate at the Food Safety Lab. His research focuses on developing prediction models to assess risk in food products and guide better risk management decisions.

Email: cq87@cornell.edu

YeonJin is a current Ph.D. student at the Food Safety Lab. Her research focuses on developing an agent-based model to improve pathogen sampling plans and control strategies in retail stores in order to minimize Listeria contamination.

Email: yj354@cornell.edu