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AOCS Biotechnology Division
Newsletter February 2007

Division Awards
by David Hildebrand and Ching Hou

It is very fortunate that our division has been able to offer several awards: the Lifetime Achievement Award, The Schroepfer Award and the Student Awards.

Lifetime Achievement Award

This year the 9th Annual Lifetime Achievement Award is to be presented to Yuji Shimada.

2006 AOCS Biotechnology Division Lifetime Achievement Award, shown (from left to right) are: Ching Hou (Lifetime Achievement Award Chair), Kimberly Magin of Monsanto, Tom Foglia (Award winner), and David Hildebrand (Division chair).

Last year's Lifetime Achievement Award winner was Tom Foglia, an AOCS president. The corporate sponsor of the award was Monsanto in 2006, and Nisshin Oillio Company of Japan generously sponsored it this year. Ching Hou has diligently and very effectively lined up the corporate sponsorship of this award. We have had extraordinarily accomplished nominees, making it difficult for the selection committee to turn many of the nominees down.

This year's awardee, Dr. Yuji Shimada, is the Director-General of Osaka Municipal Technical Research Institute, and past Head of Department of Biochemistry at the same institute. Dr. Shimada received his Ph.D. in Fermentation Technology at Osaka University in 1977, and was a visiting scientist in 1987-1988 at the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics at the US National Institute of Health. He has received numerous honors and awards, including the Industrial Technology Award, sponsored by Osaka Industrial Research Association. He served as President of Osaka Industrial Research Association from 2004 to 2006. Dr. Shimada is an Editorial Board Member of The Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society (1998-), has published 175 research papers, and holds 35 patents. Much of his research has focused on microbial lipases and lipids - a highly important area of biotechnology and lipids. Yuji has been an active member and supporter of the AOCS biotechnology division and has served as a division board officer. Dr. Shimada's Lifetime Achievement Award Lecture at this year's AOCS Annual Meeting in Québec City will be "Application of Lipase Reactions to Oil and Fat Industry," Tuesday afternoon at 1:55 p.m. You won't want to miss this informative lecture.

Schroepfer Award

Every even year the sterol group of our division sponsors the Schroepfer Award (in honor of the eminent sterol researcher Ingemar Schroepfer), and hosts the Schroepfer Award lecture. Last year's award winner was Dr. I. Björkhem of the Karolina Institute in Sweden. Contact Ed Parish for information concerning the Schroepfer Award or nominations for 2008.

Student Awards

A portion of our division dues is used to support student awards. All students who submit abstracts are invited to submit extended abstracts and letters of support. Every year a committee is formed to evaluate and select the student award winners. Winning students are given modest monetary awards ($300, $200 and $100 for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners), a certificate, and free tickets to our Division Dinner, where they are honored.

Other stories in this newsletter:

Biotechnology Division Events at the AOCS Annual Meeting

International Symposia on Biocatalysis and Biotechnology (ISBB)

New Board Members

Obituary

AOCS, 2710 S. Boulder, Urbana, IL 61802-6996 USA