Biotechnology Newsletter
November 2012
Message from Dr. Randy Weselake, our new Chairperson
The Biotech Division is looking forward to contributing to the Annual Meeting and Expo of AOCS scheduled for Montréal, Canada in 2013. This is a more exciting time than ever to be a part of the Biotech Division, especially with the strong global push to develop renewable and sustainable alternatives to produce bio-products from biomass. Because of the hydrocarbon component of plant oils, we have been able to produce products similar or identical to those produced chemically from petroleum. The Biotech Division is also interested in research and development involving the use of enzyme technology and genetic engineering to produce new and improved oils for edible applications. Because of these multifaceted interests, our sessions are appealing to all of the other Divisions. Enzyme technology, biocatalysis and plant biotechnology strongly underpin the research and development activities of many members of the Biotech Division and this will be reflected in the high quality sessions planned for Montréal. We also look forward to contributions by student presenters, some of whom will be honored at the Division dinner. It's wonderful to see these students eventually find careers in some facet of lipid science.
For 2012-2013, I am pleased that Suk Hoo (Steve) Yoon and Douglas Hayes are serving as Vice-Chairperson and Secretary/Treasurer, respectively, and that Lu-Kwang (Luke) Ju is serving in the capacity of Newsletter Editor. In addition, Rick Ashby and Jun Ogawa will be co-chairing the 2013 Poster Session for our Division. Once again, Tom McKeon has agreed to co-ordinate the short oral presentations of selected posters, which is a unique feature of our Poster Session introduced originally by Tom. Furthermore, special thanks are in order to Dan Solaiman for his insightful role as the previous Chairperson of our Division and to Ching Hou who has been the force in developing the Division, especially through his role in promoting Biocatalysis. Previously, the officers of the Biotech Division served for three year terms. Recently, however, we moved to one year terms of service in order to provide more opportunities for others to be a part of the Executive Steering Committee and share their ideas and vision for the Division. Normally, the Chairperson oversees the overall activities of the Division while the Vice-Chairperson focuses on the technical program, and the Secretary/Treasurer deals with the budgetary issues. All Division members have a chance to exchange ideas and discuss the Biotech program at the Biotech Division Roundtable.
2013 Annual Meeting
Division Sessions
Tentative schedule
Monday Afternoon 2:00-5:00 pm
BIO 1: Bioindustry: Enzyme processes enable high yield biodiesel production
BIO 1.1/PHO 1: Polar Lipids - Chemistry, Technology, and Applications (Joint Session with Phospholipid Division)
Tuesday Morning 8:00-11:00 am
BIO 2: Biocatalysis I
Tuesday Morning 11:00 am-12:15 pm
AOCS Award Lectures & Recognition Ceremony
Tuesday Afternoon 2:00-5:00 pm
BIO 3: Biocatalysis II
Wednesday Morning 8:00 am-12:00 pm
BIO 4/S&D 4: Biobased Surfactants, Detergents & Oleochemicals (Joint Session with Surfactant and Detergents Division)
Wednesday Afternoon 2:00-5:00 pm
BIO 5: Biotechnological Advances for Oilseed Improvements
Abstracts are still being accepted.
Division members may also consider organizing and/or participating in the sessions for “The Forum on Emerging Technologies – What’s on the Horizon?” on Monday, April 29, 2013, 8:30 –11:00 am.
Forum session proposals can be submitted until February 15, 2013.
Online registration for the 2013 Annual Meeting & Expo will open in early January 2013. Early rates are January 7 – February 28.
News Items?
I welcome any ideas and suggestions for making the newsletter more relevant to you, the Division members. I will also be happy to receive e-mails from you for any stories, news, photos, achievements, awards, etc. that you’d like to share with other members. My e-mail address is lukeju@uakron.edu.
Biotechnology Division Officers and Executive Steering Committee
| Chairperson Randy Weselake University of Alberta, Canada Email: randall.weselake@ualberta.ca Phone: +1 780-492-4401 |
Vice Chairperson Suk Hoo Yoon Korea Food Research Institute, South Korea Email: shyoon@kfri.re.kr Phone: +82 317809124 |
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| Secretary/Treasurer Douglas Hayes University of Tennessee, USA Email: dhayes1@utk.edu Phone: +1 865-974-7991 |
Newsletter Editor Lu-Kwang Ju The University of Akron, USA Email: lukeju@uakron.edu Phone: +1 330-972-5760 |
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| General Division Membership Development Tom McKeon US Department of Agriculture, USA Email: Thomas.mckeon@ars.usda.gov Phone: +1 510-559-5754 |
Liaison to: Japan Oil Chemists’ Society (JOCS) AOCS Asian Section International Symposium on Biocatalysis and Biotechnology (ISSB) Ching T. Hou US Department of Agriculture, USA Email: Ching.Hou@ars.usda.gov Phone: +1 309-681-6263 |
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