November 12, 2009: AACC International honours members for advancing the field of grain science

AACC International has announced the recipients of its 2009 honorary awards. The awards were presented at the opening session of the 2009 annual meeting held in Baltimore, USA in mid-September 2009.

This year's awardees include:

Peter Wood with Agriculture and AgriFood Canada, Center for Food and Animal Research, was named this year's recipient of the prestigious William F Geddes Memorial Award - one of the association's highest honours. The award, created in 1961 in recognition of the leadership and dedication of the late William F Geddes, honours the zeal and unselfish industry of an individual member and emphasises the importance of his or her contributions to the work of the society.

This year, Jon DeVries was honoured with the Edith Christenson Award for Outstanding Contributions in Analytical Methods. The award honours scientific and technical contributions that have advanced the grain science field. DeVries, a senior principal scientist at General Mills, serves as senior technical manager for Medallion Laboratories. DeVries has been active in quality-related research and analytical work for more than 40 years, including activity in food safety, nutrition and packaging.

Mirko Bunzel was awarded the association's Young Scientist Award. This award recognises outstanding contributions in basic and applied research to cereal science with the expectation that contributions will continue. Bunzel is an associate professor and the General Mills Endowed Land Grant Chair in Cereal Chemistry and Technology at the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota.

Mike Gidley received the Alsberg-French-Schoch Lectureship Award for distinguished contributions to fundamental starch research. This award, sponsored by the Corn Refiners Association, honours chemists who have made superior contributions to fundamental starch science. Gidley is director of the Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, where he has active research programs in the areas of naturally structured foods, biopolymer materials science, micronutrient identification and bioactivities, and the behavior of food in the digestive tract.

The 2009 AACC International Excellence in Teaching Award was presented to Steve Mulvaney, a professor of food processing and engineering in the Department of Food Science at Cornell University. This award honours an AACC International member and teacher who has made significant contributions through teaching in the broad field of cereal science and technology.

Barry McCleary, Megazyme International Ireland Ltd CEO received the Applied Research Award. This award is given to an individual or team for their significant body of distinguished contributions to the application of science in the cereals area. Within Megazyme, his specific aim is to develop improved analytical methodology for the cereals, food, and beverage industries. McCleary also serves as adjunct professor at the University of Sydney.

Jan Delcour, a full professor in the laboratory of food chemistry and biochemistry at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, has received the Thomas Burr Osborne Medal. His research focuses on starch, nonstarch polysaccharide, and protein constituents of cereals, as well as on plant and microbial enzyme systems converting such constituents. This award, established in 1926, recognises distinguished contributions in the field of cereal chemistry. Recipients of the medal are also accorded the status of AACC Intl. Fellow.

Larry Johnson was named AACC International Fellow in recognition of his outstanding contribution to cereal science and technology. The award honours achievements in research, industry, leadership, education, administration, communication or regulatory affairs. Since 1985, Johnson has served as director of the Food Protein R&D Center of Texas A&M University.

Nominations for the 2010 awards are now being sought. Award descriptions and criteria, past awardees, and nomination deadlines are available at www.aaccnet.org/membership/awards.asp. AACC Intl is an organisation of professionals who contribute to the research, development and processing of grains and grain-based products.