Continuing Education

March 2010

Sensory Product and Concept Testing: Analyses, Applications and Computer Workshop

This course is taught in the dynamic context of a consumer products company. The story engages participants as critical management decisions are made concerning product development and product quality issues. Participants will develop an understanding of commonly used discrimination and rating methods within this practical industrial framework. Through case studies, participants will learn how to: Relate difference testing results to each other to determine relative power; Select a suitable discrimination method based on the objectives of your project; Set up a sensory evaluation program based on risk management principles; Establish action standards for product quality and improvement; Better understand the effects of adaptation, sequence, memory and retasting on discrimination test results; Learn how to set up product tests to support advertising claims

Location: The Williamsburg Lodge, Williamsburg, Virginia, United States
From: March 15, 2010 to March 19, 2010
Offered by: The Institute for Perception
Target audience: Intermediate
Cost: Please follow link below for more information

Further information: http://www.ifpress.com/shortcourses/index.shtml

Hands on Sensory and Consumer Shelf-life Measurement Course

This 3 day course is designed to give participants the necessary tools to estimate sensory shelf life of foods, focusing on the consumer’s decision to accept or reject a stored product. The course will cover experimental design, the work of trained and consumer panels, and on how to perform statistical calculations. Shelf-life estimations based on survival analysis statistics and the cut-off point method will be performed hands-on with the freely distributed R Statistical Package in combination with Excel. Throughout the course real case studies will be seen of shelf lives of yogurt, UHT milk, lettuce, sunflower oil, mayonnaise, French-type bread and minced meat.

Location: MicroTek Computer Training Facility 90 Broad Streed 11th floor, Manhattan, New York, United States
From: March 16, 2010 to March 18, 2010
Offered by: Dr. Hal MacFie Consulting
Target audience: Beginner
Cost: $2000; 25% discount for members of academia

Further information: http://www.halmacfie.com/pages/houghnewyork16march2010.html

Hands on Preference Mapping and Consumer/Sensory Statistics Course

This course forms a hands-on introduction to those statistical methods needed by a sensory and consumer scientist. Mainly based around the use of XLSTAT, attendees will gain practical experience using real-life examples and will be able to save their work to take away with a free copy of XLSTAT and XLSTAT-MX so they will be competent to start using their expertise from day 1 after the course. Attendees will also receive a 6 month license for Design Express - the powerful QI Statistics consumer trial design software and a TURF program together with a number of specialised Excel spreadsheets. NEW! We are also preparing a new ideal point preference mapping module for attendees with new software to take them to the next level.

Location: MicroTek Computer Training Facility, 90 Broad Street 11th Floor, Manhattan, New York, NY 10004 , United States
From: March 16, 2010 to March 18, 2010
Offered by: Dr. Hal MacFie Consulting
Target audience: Beginner
Cost: $2665 ; 25% discount for members of academia

Further information: http://www.halmacfie.com/pages/newyork16march2010.html

Targeting the Consumer: Emerging Issues and Methods in Sensory and Consumer Science

This is a three-day intensive course designed to update you on practical advances in Consumer Science, Psychology of Food Choice and Market Research and New Product Development Techniques to help you conduct, analyse and use consumer research more effectively.

Location: Microtek Labs, 5th Floor, 230 W. Monroe, Suite 550, Chicago, Illinois, United States
From: March 23, 2010 to March 25, 2010
Offered by: Dr. Hal MacFie Consulting
Target audience: Advanced
Cost: $2400; 25% discount for members of academia

Further information: http://www.halmacfie.com/pages/chicagomar2010.html

Insight in Innovation: Solving the Conundrum

This webinar will cover challenges that face all CPG companies today, such as speed of change in the marketplace, rapid changes to how media is presented and consumed, and consumer behavior. Co-hosts Simon Chadwick and Dave Lundahl will review these innovation challenges and cover new approaches to solving them. Topics will include: What is innovation insight?; Why is innovation critical to long term success?; Why must research gain integrated insight from the whole consumer?; How can researchers know the right questions to ask?; How can research link consumer emotions to consumer behavior?; How can companies re-think innovation strategy as well as the research process?

Location: Webinar, 9:00 am - 10:00 am Pacific Standard Time (PST), 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST), United States
From: March 24, 2010 to March 24, 2010
Offered by: Insights Now
Target audience: Intermediate
Cost: Free

Further information: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/647068802