Philip Nelson, World Food Prize laureate and Scholle Chair professor at Purdue University, will deliver the 2009 D.W. Brooks Lecture. The annual lecture is
Oct. 6 at 11 a.m. in Masters Hall of the Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center and Hotel.
Nelson was the founding department head of Purdue’s department of food science and served in that position for 20 years. In 2004, he was named the Scholle Endowed Chair in food processing. Three years later he was named the World Food Prize Laureate, an award considered the Nobel Prize of food and agriculture.
Nelson has taught food preservation and product development courses and assisted food processors throughout the U.S. and several foreign countries.
His research into aseptic bulk storage has revolutionized the not-from-concentrate orange juice industry with more than 600 million gallons of juice being stored. This technology is used in all the major citrus production areas of the world. In 2004, Nelson was honored with a replica of a ship from a Norwegian and Brazilian company for his contributions in developing an 8 million gallon ship that carries aseptic orange juice around the globe.
In developing countries, this technology has made it affordable and convenient to transport and deliver safe food products without refrigeration. Nelson’s technology also was used to bring potable water and emergency food supplies to survivors of the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Nelson’s lecture will precede the presentation of this year’s D.W. Brooks Faculty Awards for Excellence. The awards are given annually to faculty in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences who excel in teaching, research, extension and public service. CAES Athens-based staff awards, early career teaching, outstanding academic adviser and diversity awards also will be presented.
The awards were established in 1981 to recognize excellence in the CAES teaching program. In 1983, they expanded to include research, extension and county extension programs. An award for global programs was added in 1988 and is given in alternate years.
The lecture and awards are named for the late D.W. Brooks, founder of Gold Kist, Inc. Brooks was an adviser to seven U.S. presidents on agriculture and trade issues.
