2024 Woodroof Lecture

The Dr. J.G. Woodroof Lecture Series was initiated in 1981 to recognize a nationally and internationally-recognized pioneer in food science research, teaching and extension. Each year a preeminent leader in food research, education, industry or policy is invited to present a lecture in Dr. Woodroof’s honor.

 

Jasper Guy Woodroof was born on May 23, 1900 in Meriwether County, Georgia. He was educated in local schools, The University of Georgia (B.S.A., 1922; M.S.A., 1926), University of California, Berkeley, and Michigan State University (Ph.D., 1932). Dr. Woodroof began his research in food science in 1929 and organized the Department of Food Science at the Georgia Experiment Station in about 1940. He was Department Head there for 26 years and served as the first Chairman of the Division of Food Science from 1950 to 1967, overseeing the establishment of B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degree programs. He authored more than 300 technical reports and received many professional rewards.

 

Following his retirement from the University as Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus in 1967, Dr. Woodruff continued to write, producing 7 books and several chapters and to travel to more than 13 countries including China, India, and Russia where he advised fruit and vegetable processors. His keen intellect and enthusiastic curiosity about all aspects of food and its contribution to human well-being remained in evidence until his death on November 6, 1998. His legacy will continue to be his many contributions to a wholesome, stable food supply.

 

This year's speaker was Dr. Fereidoon Shahidi, an internationally renowned scholar and a literal pioneer in the area of nutraceuticals and functional foods. His impressive research portfolio includes discoveries involving lipids, proteins, polyphenols, natural antioxidants, and oxidation control in health and disease. Dr. Shahidi is the author of more than 1,000 peer-reviewed research papers and book chapters and is the editor/author of 78 books. He is the founder of the International Society for Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods (ISNFF) and the Nutraceuticals & Functional Foods Division of IFT. He is the founding editor-in-chief of a number of scientific journals, including the Journal of Functional Foods.

 

Students, alumni, faculty and staff from the Department of Food Science and Technology filled Mahler Hall in the Georgia Center for Continuing Education on April 9, 2024 to hear Dr. Shahidi speak.