News

The program for Sensometrics 2014 is now available online. An international group of researchers will be presenting on a diverse set of topics, including product optimization, multivariate data analysis, and panel performance.  Presentations include oral presentations (including three distinguished invited speakers), posters, and two workshops.  The conference program is preceded by a day of optional tutorials.

The following 1.5 hour workshop will be presented at both the 12th Sensometric Meeting (Chicago, Illinois; July 29-August 1, 2014) and the Society of Sensory Professionals 2014 Meeting (Tucson, Arizona; September 17-19, 2014):

Design – Analysis – Interpretation: Getting sensory research right

Sensory professionals and statisticians have a significant impact on business decisions, such as product formulation and reformulation, and new products launches. Recommendations must be supportable and evidence-based, while maximizing the insight that can be gained from the research. Careful considerations are necessary to ensure the collection of data efficiently addresses the business problem, and to use that data appropriately to inform the business question at hand. These considerations include careful selection and application of experimental protocols, implementation of sensory best practices, proper statistical treatment of data, knowledgeable interpretation, and impactful communication. This workshop explores some of the real-world challenges that arise when attending to such details.

The workshop is organized into three parts:

1) Design, in which an experiment is planned in a manner that addresses the primary business question, but also in a manner that may address secondary or tertiary questions, so as to maximise value from the data.

2) Analysis, in which valid statistical analyses are conducted, and follow-up analyses performed, looking beyond the obvious and helping to gain new insights.

3) Interpretation & communication, in which conclusions and insights that are supported by the data are communicated in a manner that is honest, clear, impactful and understandable.

The workshop will feature presentations from invited workshop presenters who grapple with these challenges as part of their day-to-day work. Additionally, the workshop will feature a panel discussion with opportunities for question and answer and open participation.

The target audience for this workshop is sensory professionals and sensory statisticians at all levels.

Those of you who recall the data analysis workshop at Sensometrics 2004 will know why we are so pleased to announce a Data Analysis Workshop at the 12th Sensometric Meeting!

The workshop, Temporal Dominance of Sensations and Temporal Liking Data Analysis, is organized by Pascal Schlich and Arnaud Thomas. The data analysis workshop is a great opportunity to use real data to test out some of the statistical approaches that others have proposed in the literature, or to try out a new approach that you have in mind!

To obtain the data analysis workshop, please email Pascal Schlich.
To expedite the request, use the subject line: "Sensometrics Data Analysis Workshop".
In the body simply request to receive the data analysis workshop data set. 

Please note that the data set is related to as-of-yet unpublished research. The authors retain rights to first publication. For now the data set will be made available only for personal use or to use for submitting an abstract to the 12th Sensometric Meeting, which can be done on the conference web site. Later, once the research is published (the authors will submit a manuscript to Food Quality and Preference) you will be advised that the condition is lifted, and will be permitted to submit your own original manuscripts based on this data to any journal of your choice.

Please note that the dates and locations for the next two Sensometrics conferences have been confirmed:

July 29 - August 1, 2014: Chicago IL, USA (Holiday Mart Plaza)

July 27 - 29, 2016: Brighton, UK (Thistle Hotel); a day for tutorials might be added on July 26

Please mark those dates in your calendar already now. The website for the 2014 conference will become available soon, so stay tuned for updates.

Best regards,

Michael (chair)

This year's Annual General Meeting was held virtually on 3 September 2013.

The agenda of the meeting was as follows:

1. Minutes of the previous meeting (please read these minutes upfront here)
2. Chairman’s report
3. Treasurer’s report
4. Tutorials
5. Sensometrics Workshop @ Pangborn 2013
6. Latin American Sensometrics group meeting @ Pangborn 2013
7. Sensometrics Meetings
8. Global Sensory Group
9. Website
10. Elections 2014 (Call for Nominations)
11. Other topics

The meeting minutes are now available in the members-only section of the website.

Thanks for everybody participating in the meeting, and in particular for the engaged discussion.

Michael
(chair)

The 10th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium will be held 11-15 August 2013 in Rio de Janeiro. Please make sure not to miss the two sessions on sensometrics:

 

• Tuesday 13 August 10:45-12:45,  Quelez – First Lower Floor
  Workshop 3 - Recent advances in Sensometrics (organized by M. Meyners and H. MacFie)

• Wednesday 14 August 14:00-16:00, Versailles I & II – Ground Floor
  Oral session 10: Sensometrics

Michael

I am pleased to announce that our current secretary, John Ennis, has been chosen as the receipient of the 2013 Food Quality and Preference Award for "Contributions by a Young Researcher", sponsored by Elsevier and awarded during this year's Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Please join me in congratulating John for this well-deserved award, and if you are in Rio in August, make sure you attend the award ceremony during the Pangborn symposium on Thu, August 15.

Michael

Dear members,

if your membership includes access to FQAP and you experience problems with your login to Science Direct, please note that this is likely due to the fact that you have previously registered your account with your old society membership number. Unfortunately, access using the old numbers is no longer possible. Please re-activate your account following these guidelines (also available via our website in Members Only -> Online Journal Access). Please note that the last page of the document indicates how you can retrieve your current membership number which you need to use to successfully register with Science Direct.

Apologies for any inconveniences caused.

Michael

Tom Carr, member and former treasurer of the Sensometric Society as well as co-organizer of the next Sensometrics meeting, has received the David R. Peryam Award from the ASTM International Committee E18 on Sensory Evaluation of Materials and Products. The Peryam Award recognizes outstanding professionals in the applied sensory science field.

Follow this link for the official announcement by the ASTM with additional details.

Please join me in congratulating Tom for this well-deserved recognition of his work.

Michael

For all members that have not renewed their memebership yet for 2013, please do so asap to avoid any interruption/delay in access to Food Quality and Preference. Note again that we have added a new member category which offers membership without access to the journal at a substantially reduced rate.

I would like to take the opportunity to bring the International Year of Statistics 2013 to your attention: http://www.statistics2013.org/

Last but not least, I would like to express my thanks to all members that helped us throughout the year in different aspects to run the society matters and to enhance the benefits we can offer today.

I hope you'll all have a great Christmas break, and wish you all the best for 2013,

Michael