Ireland’s Paul Ross presented with William C. Haines Dairy Science Award
The California Dairy Research Foundation (CDRF) presented Dr. Paul Ross (above, right) head of Ireland’s Teagasc Moorepark Biotechnology Centre, with the William C. Haines Dairy Science Award in recognition of his contribution to the field of dairy science. CDRF Executive Director Joseph O’Donnell presented the award to Ross at the 9th Cal Poly Dairy Ingredients Symposium in San Francisco, where Ross gave a presentation on mining biodiversity for fermented dairy products such as yogurt and cheese.
“Paul’s work in microbiology, especially in exploring lactic acid bacteria and probiotics and their antimicrobial peptides, will influence the future quality of dairy products,” said O’Donnell.
Professor Ross has been part of the Teagasc Moorepark Food Research Centre in Ireland for more than 12 years and was instrumental in securing funding for the Teagasc Biotechnology Centre for research on food and health and animal biotechnology. He is the inventor on 11 patents and has licensed a number of technologies to Irish industries, including the use of lacticin antimicrobial peptides for food uses. He also acts as an adjunct professor of the University College Cork where he lectures on food biotechnology.
“I’m delighted and flattered to receive this recognition for our work, and I’m very pleased to share this honor with my collaborators, researchers and students at Teagasc, University College Cork, and the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre,” said Ross. “Looking ahead, there’s great potential for functional foods to be the big breakthrough in the dairy sector. To achieve this, however, there needs to be an increased investment in transdisciplinary research, which spans food science through to medical research and cell biology to provide the essential scientific evidence for health promotion.”
Established in 2004, the William C. Haines Dairy Science Award was created to recognize individuals who have made a significant contribution to dairy science and the betterment of the dairy industry and consumers of dairy products.
The award, named for William C. Haines, former vice president of product innovation for Dairy Management Inc., includes an engraved plaque, $1,000 in cash and travel expenses to an annual dairy industry event co-sponsored by the CDRF. Nomination forms for the 2008 award are available online at www.cdrf.org under “Awards & Giving.” The deadline to submit 2008 nomination forms and supporting materials is September 21, 2007.
