Three
Scientists Inducted Into ARS Hall of Fame
By Sharon Durham
September 18, 2002 WASHINGTON, Sept.
18--Advances in food science, landmark research on parasites of veterinary
and medical importance, and pioneering work on dielectric properties of and
moisture measurement methods for agricultural products have earned three
Agricultural Research Service scientists
places in the agency's Science Hall of Fame. ARS is the chief scientific
research agency of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
During a ceremony today at the U.S.
National Arboretum in Washington, George Inglett, K. Darwin Murrell and
Stuart O. Nelson will receive plaques citing their achievements. "These
scientists have made enormous contributions to agricultural research during
their careers and have certainly earned their places in the Hall of Fame,"
said ARS Acting Administrator Edward B. Knipling.
Since 1986, the ARS Hall of Fame program has recognized agency researchers
for outstanding career achievements in agricultural science. Those inducted are
nominated by their peers for making major contributions to agricultural
research. The scientists must be retired or eligible to retire to receive the
award.
Inglett joined ARS in 1967 as chief of the Cereal Properties Laboratory at
the then-Northern Regional Research Laboratory, now the
National Center for Agricultural
Utilization Research, located in Peoria, Ill. Inglett later opted for a
lead scientist position in order to spend more time conducting research, a move
that has resulted in development and patenting of the four "Trim
Technologies:" Oat-trim (a powdered
fat replacement), Z-Trim,
Nutrim
and Soytrim. In 1999, licensed Oat-trim manufacturers produced more than 20
million pounds of the fat-replacing powder, generating an estimated $1 billion
in retail sales.
Murrell, former deputy administrator of the
ARS National Program Staff, began
his ARS career in 1978, when he was appointed research leader of the Helminthic
Diseases Laboratory. In 1984, Murrell won the ARS Outstanding Scientist of the
Year Award and, in 2000, a newly recognized species of roundworm was named
Trichinella murrelli in his honor. Currently, Murrell's work is
providing the foundation for a program under development by ARS and the
National Pork Producers Council that will
allow pork to be marketed as trichinella-free.
Murrell is being honored for his landmark research on parasites of
veterinary and medical importance--especially trichinellosis in swine--and for
his innovative development and leadership of laboratory and agency-level
programs.
Nelson, who joined ARS in 1954, was chosen for his pioneering research on
the dielectric properties of agricultural products, applications of
radio-frequency and microwave energy, and electrical measurements for
moisture sensing in
cereal grains. He is recognized as a world authority on dielectric
properties--the characteristics of poor conductors of electricity that
determine their interaction with electromagnetic fields--of agricultural
materials and measurement methods.
Nelson was named the ARS Engineer of the Year in 1985. In 1989, he received
ARS' Senior Scientist Excellence and Achievement Award.
Permanent plaques honoring the scientists will be on display at
ARS' National Visitor Center in
Beltsville, Md.
|