Continuing Education
Please note that The Society of Sensory Professionals provides information on upcoming conferences, symposia, and commericial courses for member
information purposes only, with no intention of recommending or endorsing anything listed.
Submissions to the CE area may be made by using either the conference
or course form.
Sensory Methodology
May 2012
A Powerful Framework for Sensory Product Testing
In this 2-day course, you will achieve a deeper understanding of traditional discrimination and rating methods by learning a common framework in which to interpret results across methodologies. In particular, you will learn how to select the most suitable and powerful discrimination methodology based on project objectives, how to develop standards to detect when sensory differences and ratings exceed a consumer-relevant acceptability threshold, how to assess and manage risks in product testing decisions, and effectively use the “no preference/difference” option. Invited speaker, Frank Rossi, Associate Director of Applied Quantitative Sciences at Kraft Foods, will talk about issues in risk management in product testing.
Location: The Radisson BLU EU, Brussels, Belgium
From: May 21, 2012 to May 22, 2012
Offered by: The Institute for Perception
Target audience: Intermediate
Cost: €750; 50% discount applied to each additional registrant from the same company, Academic discount available
Further information: http://ifpress.com/short-courses/
Drivers of Liking® and Product Portfolio Optimization
Learn to “see” the market from your consumers’ perspective as you develop an understanding of similarity, Drivers of Liking,® and Landscape Segmentation Analysis.® In this 2.5-day course, you will actively: Construct maps with products and consumer ideal points and identify products’ strengths and weaknesses using descriptive and analytical data; Understand the limitations of internal preference mapping based on 27 category appraisals conducted at a major consumer products company; Find consumer segments using individual ideals; Use mapping results to improve existing products and conduct computer-aided design of new products. Invited speaker, Dr. Kevin Blot of Unilever, will show applications of LSA in new introductions.
Location: The Radisson BLU EU, Brussels, Belgium
From: May 23, 2012 to May 25, 2012
Offered by: The Institute for Perception
Target audience: Intermediate
Cost: €950; 50% discount applied to each additional registrant from the same company, Academic discount available
Further information: http://ifpress.com/short-courses/
September 2012
Sensory Evaluation
The enjoyment of food, as well as the acceptance of flavors and fragrances in
pharmaceutical and other consumer products, is closely related to the senses,
especially taste, aroma and texture. Sensory Evaluation is a dynamic field
concentrating on the utilization of humans for the measurement of sensory
perceptions and their effect on food and taste acceptance.
This course is designed to assist you as you select, conduct, analyze and
interpret sensory evaluation methods. You will learn about sensory physiology,
method selection, discriminative and descriptive testing, preference/acceptance
testing and statistical analysis of data. An important feature of the course is the
laboratory/demonstration sessions in which you will participate.
Location: Hyatt Hotel, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
From: September 10, 2012 to September 13, 2012
Offered by: Sensory Spectrum and The Center for Professional Advancement
Target audience: Beginner
Cost: To be announced; dependent on registration date and status, please see website
Further information: http://www.cfpa.com/upcomingCourses.aspx
November 2012
Sensory Evaluation of Fragranced Products
This course is designed to enable participants to acquire or deepen their skills
in fragrance/odor identification and description. Odor profiling techniques are
reviewed in detail and learning is applied to multiple product categories including
finished products and raw materials. Special attention is given to fragrance brief
development, assessment of the technical performance of fragrances, (fragrance/
odor and malodor, masking and off-odors) and scent fidelity. Challenges of
testing with fragranced products are also covered, with focus on subjects (whether
trained or naïve), site/environment, samples, sensory methods and descriptors.
Attention to consumer responses to fragrances covers the qualitative and
quantitative assessment of the emotional and functional benefits of scents in
complex products. Discussions on the alignment of fragrance imagery with other
sensory modalities and the avoidance of cognitive dissonance in fragranced
products. A fragrance reference kit is provided to each participant for use in the course
and retain for future study and reference. Participants are encouraged to bring
working samples to the class for analysis.
Location: Sensory Spectrum, 554 Central Avenue, New Providence, New Jersey, United States , United States
From: November 7, 2012 to November 9, 2012
Offered by: Sensory Spectrum
Target audience: Beginner
Cost: $2,050 USD
Further information: See page 12 in the 2012 Course Booklet;
http://www.sensoryspectrum.com/docs/SensorySpectrum2012CourseBooklet.pdf
