Analytical Science Leaders and More Honored at 138th AOAC Annual Meeting
AOAC is recognizing hundreds of scientists for their contributions to the Association and the analytical community at the 138th AOAC Annual Meeting and Exposition in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, on Monday, August 26, 2024. AOAC awards honor scientific excellence across the spectrum of Association activities, including methods development, expert review panels (ERPs), technical service, scientific papers and editorial contributions, and student engagement.
AOAC congratulates all the winners of the 2024 AOAC awards!
Presented to: Michelle Colgrave, Edith Cowen University, Joondalup, Australia
AOAC INTERNATIONAL proudly presents Colgrave with the 2024 Harvey W. Wiley Award, the Association’s highest honor for lifetime scientific achievement. She is a professor of Food and Agricultural Proteomics at Edith Cowan University and chief investigator at the Australian Research Council Center of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science.
A research scientist with over 20 years of experience deploying advanced mass spectrometry workflows to improve agriculture and food and for the benefit of human health, Colgrave focuses on foodborne proteins that trigger allergy or intolerance or, conversely, those peptides and proteins that can provide health benefits when included in foods. Her research in proteomics, the study of proteins with MS, has led to identification of critical proteins crucial for Australia’s food and agriculture industries and improved human health. Her work on the proteomics of beer, particularly gluten, found in the barley used to make beer, has been instrumental in addressing concerns of consumers with celiac disease.
Colgrave joined the AOAC editorial board in September 2020 and has been integral in helping shape the Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL with her leadership and expertise, further influencing the direction and objective of AOAC’s peer-reviewed publication. She is the editor of Proteomics in Food Science: From Farm to Fork, published in 2017, which introduces the application of MS and proteomics to the food science and agricultural research communities.
The Harvey W. Wiley Award, a highly esteemed recognition, acknowledges scientific excellence and offers significant benefits, including a monetary prize, award plaque, and reimbursement of travel expenses for attending the AOAC Annual Meeting and Exposition.
Presented to: Erik J.M. Konings, Retired, Nestlé Research Center, Lausanne, Switzerland
AOAC congratulates Konings as the recipient of the William Horwitz Award in recognition of outstanding service and significant contributions to the Association.
Konings, who has extensive background in development of methods of analysis for vitamins in food and food products, joined Nestlé in 2009 and most recently was an R&D Expert before retiring. Prior to Nestlé, he was employed at the European Food Safety Authority and Food Safety Authority in the Netherlands.
A member since 1997, Konings is highly active in AOAC, joining the Board of Directors in 2011 and serving as president in 2014. He has been a member and served as chair for multiple AOAC expert review panels and working groups, including AOAC Stakeholder Program on Infant Formula and Adult Nutritionals (SPIFAN), Stakeholder Program on Strategic Food Analytical Methods, PFAS, and Food Nutritionals and Food Contaminants. Konings is part of the AOAC Delegation to champion SPIFAN methods for consideration of Codex adoption as international standards and serves as liaison between Codex and AOAC INTERNATIONAL through his work with ISO TC 34/SC 5 for milk products.
His efforts to foster AOAC’s international presence also extends to Sections. He is co-chair of the Committee on Sections, mentor and founding member of the AOAC Africa, Southeast Asia, China, and India Sections, and has supported the revitalization of the AOAC Latin America Section. He is also the inaugural chair and a founding member of the AOAC Past Presidents Council.
Konings has participated in developing over 20 AOAC Standard Method Performance Requirements (SMPRs®). He is a recipient of a Fellow of AOAC INTERNATIONAL (2014) and Official Methods Board Technical Service awards (2022).
In addition to AOAC, Konings has chaired ISO TC 34 Working Group 14 on Vitamins, Carotenoids, and Other Nutrients and CEN TC 275 Working Group 9 on Vitamins and Carotenoids. He has been a member of the International Dairy Federation and its Standing Committee on Analytical Methods for Additives and Contaminants since 2009 and has participated in the Codex Committee for Methods of Analysis and Sampling since 2010. Konings has (co)authored more than 40 scientific publications.
He holds an MSc in Epidemiology and a PhD in Health Sciences from Maastricht University, the Netherlands and a BS in Analytical and Clinical Chemistry.
Presented to: Holly E. Johnson, American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
The Association congratulates Johnson on being named a Fellow of AOAC INTERNATIONAL. She is chief science officer for AHPA, an alliance of over 400 member companies in the natural products industry. With over 25 years of experience in botanicals research, Johnson provides individualized scientific guidance to AHPA members and contributes to the advancement of science, technology, and research in the dietary supplement and natural products industries. She has conducted medical ethnobotany fieldwork in a variety of indigenous communities.
Johnson is an active expert volunteer at AOAC and USP for foods, dietary supplements, and botanicals. At USP, she is a member of the Expert Committee for Botanical Dietary Supplements and Herbal Medicines and Cannabis Expert Panel. In addition, she serves on the advisory boards of the American Botanical Council and American Herbal Pharmacopeia, as well as the Steering Committee and Pharmacognosy Working Group for FDA’s Botanical Safety Consortium. She also gives courses at the University of Hawaii.
Johnson holds a PhD in Pharmacognosy.
Presented to: Philip Haselberger, Abbott Nutrition, Columbus, Ohio, USA
A recipient of a 2024 Fellow of AOAC award, Haselberger is Abbott Nutrition’s global in-house principal subject matter expert, responsible for developing and troubleshooting analytical test methods for amino acids, carbohydrates, and nucleotide/nucleosides. He began his career as an analytical scientist after joining Abbott in 2002, running over 40 routine quality assurance test methods on multiple food matrices.
Haselberger serves as co-chair of the AOAC Working Group on Amino Acids; member of expert review panels for Sugars, Protein, and Enzymatic Methods; scientific advisor for HMOs; and member of working groups for Fructan and GOS. He is a contributing author of three AOAC Official MethodsSM.
Haselberger is also an internal advisor on emerging analytical challenges relevant to Codex Alimentarius. He is a member of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, American Chemical Society, International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, International Dairy Federation, and U.S. Pharmacopeia.
Presented to: Klaus Reif, PhytoLab GmbH, Vestenbergsgreuth, Germany
AOAC is proud to present a Fellow award to Reif, who is an active member of various AOAC expert review panels, including St. John’s wort, ginseng, echinacea, and saw palmetto; and working groups for dietary supplements, cannabis, glyphosate, and ginseng. He participated in collaborative studies for glucosamine, CoQ10, soy isoflavones, and lycopene. He also served as a reviewer for the Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL and is past president of the AOAC Europe Section.
In addition, he is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia, American Herbal Products Association, and Analytical Laboratories, Botanical Raw Materials, and Standards Committee. Reif has been an invited speaker and poster presenter for AOAC, International Conference on the Science of Botanicals, International Symposium of Chromatography and Related Techniques, Analytica Conference, German Chemical Society, and Separation Science Asia.
He holds a Bachelor of Science and PhD from Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen, Institute for Physical Chemistry of Natural Science.
Presented to: Danièle Sohier, Hygiena, Camarillo, California, USA
AOAC is proud to recognize Sohier, who recently joined Hygiena to coordinate global scientific affairs and market development, as recipient of a 2024 Fellow award.
Before her role at Hygiena, Sohier spent 16 years at ADRIA Food Technology Institute in France to develop R&D and service activities in molecular microbiology after a one-year post-doc fellow at INRA in 1999. She led the business unit on food safety and quality in 2003. ADRIA became one of Europe’s crucial expert laboratories, running ISO 16140 validation studies of rapid methods.
In August 2016, Sohier joined Bruker in Germany to coordinate development of industrial microbiology. She conducted the first harmonized ISO 16140 Part 6/AOAC OMA validation studies on the MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry solution, for which she received two AOAC awards: Method of the Year in 2018 and Manuscript of the Year in 2019. Most recently, with Thermo Fisher Scientific, she was responsible for global food certification strategies for new product initiatives and coordinating interactions with governing bodies.
Sohier serves on the AOAC Board of Directors, assuming the presidency in 2024-2025. She has co-chaired the AOAC Expert Review Panel for Microbiology Methods for Food and Environmental Surfaces and is a member of the Official Methods Board.
Sohier is highly active in standardization and method certification bodies. She has experience leading development of ISO standards, particularly in the ISO 16140 series on method validation in food microbiology. She has participated in development of AOAC Standard Method Performance Requirements (SMPRs®), including molecular applications for food authenticity. Sohier is a member of MicroVal and AFNOR committees for ISO 16140 validation of proprietary methods.
The Fellow of AOAC INTERNATIONAL award recognizes the dedication and commitment of volunteers who have served the Association for at least 10 years.
Presented to: AOAC Southeast Asia Section
AOAC INTERNATIONAL is pleased to announce that the AOAC Southeast Asia Section has been named Section of the Year for facilitating multiple activities throughout the year, communicating across various platforms, recruiting, and providing service to the Association.
The Southeast Asia Section continues to grow and is managed by a dedicated group of thought leaders who are instrumental in its success and efficient operation. The Section strongly focuses on Organizational membership recruitment and has seen rapid growth over two years. The Section utilizes a network to recruit subject matter experts globally for new standards development initiatives and focuses on collaboration with AOAC INTERNATIONAL.
The Southeast Asia Section offers a high-quality and relevant scientific program for its annual meetings, which are always well-attended. In addition, Section meetings are well-sponsored due to good relationships with vendors and Organizational members.
The Section fosters valuable connections through its communication strategy and facilitates collaboration between Section members from various countries.
The award recognizes an AOAC Section’s role in advancing analytical excellence in food safety, integrity, and public health.
Presented to: Travis Falconer, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; and Flavia Morales-Garcia, FDA, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Title: “Rapid Screening of Vaping Liquids by DART-MS”
E-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury was reported in over 2800 cases from August 2019 to February 2020. Samples of vaping products were submitted for laboratory analysis in conjunction with an investigation of the outbreak. A rapid screening method that is selective and sensitive for multiple analytes was needed to aid in the investigation. The objective was to develop a multianalyte method capable of screening vaping liquid samples that consumed small amounts of sample, required minimal sample preparation and analysis time, used automated data processing, and provided the necessary sensitivity and selectivity.
The authors described development of a simple method analyzed directly in real-time mass spectrometry (DART-MS) for screening vaping liquids for substances of concern in less than 2 min per sample. Vaping liquids are dissolved in acetonitrile and sampled with DIP-it® tips. The tips are analyzed by DART-MS, and the resulting data was processed with TraceFinder™ software. Laboratory-fortified samples of various analytes and matrixes were evaluated before analyzing submitted samples. The method was successful at detecting all target analytes in all matrixes evaluated, although the method detection limits varied by analyte/matrix combination. Results for analyzing submitted samples compared favorably to GC–MS and FTIR.
The DART-MS method met the objectives of speed, sensitivity, and selectivity (although specific cannabinoid isomers could not be distinguished). It may be readily adapted or expanded for additional analytes.
The Best Manuscript Award recognizes the most outstanding original and creative article published in the peer-reviewed Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL in the calendar year.
Presented to: Norma R. Hill, Retired, U.S. Treasury Department
AOAC congratulates Hill, a member for 29 years, who has held almost every leadership position in the Association. Despite retiring from a distinguished career at the U.S. Treasury Department a few years ago, she continues to volunteer for AOAC INTERNATIONAL and the former Pacific Southwest Section.
Hill has served as president of AOAC INTERNATIONAL and as chair of the Official Methods Board. She participated in numerous other volunteer positions, including Methods Committee on Additives, Beverages, and Food Process Related Analytes and various stakeholder panels. She has also served on the Wiley and Fellows Award committees and Committee on Sections.
Hill obtained a BS in Chemistry from Simmons University in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Presented to: Hiroko Suzuki, Japan Food Research Laboratories (JFRL), Tokyo, Japan
AOAC is proud to recognize Suzuki, who is the first female executive director at JFRL. She has about 25 years of experience in quality assurance for various analytical areas of JFRL, such as microbiology, veterinary drugs, antibiotics, food nutrition, vitamins, and minerals. Her leadership has been instrumental in JFRL’s compliance with various regulations (GLP, GMP, cGMP), ISO 9001 certification, and ISO 17025 accreditation.
An active member of AOAC INTERNATIONAL since 1994, Suzuki has served in numerous volunteer positions to advance best practices and uphold the scientific reputation of AOAC. Her dedication led her to participate as a member of the AOAC Technical Programming Council for four years, Committee on Sections, Committee on Membership, and Technical Division on Reference Materials Executive Committee. She has been involved in the AOAC Japan Section since its establishment, serving two years as president and editing its newsletter for 20 years. She is currently an active advisor to the Section, helping to bridge gaps and connect with AOAC.
Suzuki also serves as a committee member of ISO/TC 34/SC 16, vice chair of the Data Science Committee for Food and Agriculture Research at Tokyo University of Agriculture, and member of the Steering Committee for the livestock disease national inspection quality improvement project in Japan.
She holds a BS in Agricultural Chemistry from Kobe University.
The Special Recognition Award is presented for exemplary dedication to food-allergic consumers globally.
Presented to: Tawfeek Khedr, Edith Cowan University, St. Lucia, Australia
Congratulations to Khedr, recipient of the Harvey W. Wiley Scholarship, who is a current PhD student at Edith Cowan University with nine years of experience in analytical chemistry. His research focuses on analyzing alkaloids in lupin species using LC-MS/MS. His project includes monitoring toxic alkaloid levels in lupin-based products to ensure their safety for human consumption.
Khedr also uses mass spectrometry techniques to identify proteins responsible for alkaloid biosynthesis and transportation in lupin. By identifying alkaloid-related proteins, developing new lupin species with low alkaloid content is possible.
The Harvey W. Wiley Scholarship (US $1,000) is awarded to an upper-level undergraduate or graduate student to encourage and assist studies in the analytical sciences. The Harvey W. Wiley Award winner can nominate a student to receive the scholarship. Scholarship selection is based on criteria established by AOAC.
Presented to: Blanca Nuria Castaneda Lazo, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
Congratulations to Nuria Castaneda Lazo, a PhD student from El Salvador currently advancing her doctoral studies in the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department at the University of Florida. Under the guidance of Dr. Juan Andrade, she conducts research in the Global Nutrition Laboratory, focusing on the characterization of legume protein sources and their application for micronutrient delivery. Additionally, she coordinates the USAID-funded Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) project, in which she studies oil separation and its effects on product quality.
Nuria Castaneda Lazo also serves as a teaching assistant for advanced food chemistry and product development courses. With seven years of experience as a food safety management systems auditor, she has audited companies across Central America, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. She has also lectured on food safety and quality management systems to industry professionals and academic audiences.
Presented to: Ryan Pusiak, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
AOAC proudly presents Pusiak with an AOAC/Eurofins Student Award. He completed his PhD in 2024 under the supervision of Dr. Cory Harris at the University of Ottawa, studying the medicinal properties of hops. He grouped hop extracts based on their unique chemistry and modeled bioactivity to selected quantifiable compounds. Next, he utilized metabolomics to identify compounds that tentatively model bioactivity.
Pusiak was the first to identify hop extracts as inhibitors of the endocannabinoid degradation enzymes fatty acid amide hydrolase and monoacylglycerol lipase. His novel approach to grouping hops based on chemistry, modeling bioactivity to targeted compounds, and untargeted metabolomic approaches enhanced multiple side projects associated with cannabis quality control and quality assurance that emerged during his PhD, with the first peer-reviewed publication highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of legal recreational cannabis in Canada.
Pusiak’s passion for cannabis science policy has resulted in three conference presentations featuring issues with dried cannabis equivalence and cannabis variability and providing solutions for these challenges. His multidisciplinary work has resulted in over 100 citations in peer-reviewed literature.
Pusiak is currently positioned to work as the CSO at the Cannabis Standards Alliance of Canada. In this role, he will be instrumental in shaping the future of cannabis science policy in Canada.
Presented to: Aishwarya Rao, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
AOAC congratulates Rao, a PhD student in the Food Science program of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Maryland. Her current research includes understanding the survival of foodborne pathogens in microgreens grown in controlled environments. She aims to use various sustainable substrates and nontraditional water sources and monitor the survival of several enteric pathogens in the CEA continuum. She also uses whole genome sequencing to understand how native microbiomes affect the survival of pathogens in microgreens. Ultimately, her goal is to identify risk factors associated with the production of microgreens, so appropriate control measures can be recommended to producers.
Rao’s research interests include identifying viable strategies for various aspects of indoor agriculture, especially as it emerges as a strategy to alleviate the effects of climate change.
Presented to: Naixin Qian, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
Qian, recipient of an AOAC/Eurofins Student Award, is a PhD candidate at Columbia University working with Dr. Wei Min. She is dedicated to developing novel analytical techniques based on vibrational microscopy to address analytical challenges for biomedical and environmental sustainability applications.
Notably, her work on developing a hyperspectral stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) imaging platform with an automated plastic identification algorithm to analyze nanoplastics in bottled water has gained public attention, with over 500 media coverage worldwide. Her work was also referenced in the United States Senate hearing in February 2024, which focused on “Understanding the Presence of Microplastics in Water.”
Presented to: Chunya Tang, Florida State University (FSU), Tallahassee, Florida, USA
AOAC is proud to present a “Testing for Life” Student Award to Tang, who is a PhD candidate in the Nutrition and Food Science Program at FSU. She joined the FSU Food Safety and Quality Laboratory in 2019 and obtained her MS in Nutrition and Food Science in 2021.
Tang works on plant protein functionality using immunochemistry to improve food safety and quality. She is also interested in the effect of nonthermal processing on protein structure change to lower antigenicity. Her ultimate career goal is to work as a faculty member at a research university and assist students in developing their potential future in food safety.
The award, supported by contributions from the Eurofins Foundation, is designed to encourage student researchers who are advancing basic or applied science in analytical or molecular testing for food safety, food security, food defense, food authenticity, or health and environmental protection.
Presented to: Ondrej Brabenec, University of Chemistry and Technology (UCT), Prague, Czech Republic
Brabenec, a PhD candidate majoring in food and natural products at UCT, Prague, is being recognized with an AOAC INTERNATIONAL/Herbalife Scholarship. As part of his research, Brabenec’s focus is targeted analysis of toxic plant alkaloids in food, as well as investigation of their changes during various technological procedures of processing natural raw materials using advanced instrumental methods, specifically ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, including high-resolution.
One of his research objectives is optimization of separation and detection techniques for high-quality differentiation of isomeric substances, which greatly complicate the analysis and introduce significant research challenges.
Presented to: Alisha Greene, University of British Columbia (UBC) Okanagan, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
AOAC congratulates Greene, who is currently enrolled as a master’s degree student in the Department of Chemistry at UBC Okanagan. She works in the PlantSMART lab through a Mitacs internship, where she uses metabolomics to understand the effect of smoke on grapevine chemistry and terroir.
Greene began her academic journey with an Associate of Science degree from Okanagan College, after which she transferred to UBC Okanagan to complete her Bachelor of Science with a major in Chemistry. Her professional experience began with winemaking as a co-op student in a research lab at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Before her graduate degree, Greene analyzed samples using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.
At UBC Okanagan, Greene is dedicated to mentorship, actively volunteering with the Women in Science and Engineering program for undergraduate students.
The student scholarship, supported by contributions from Herbalife Nutrition, is designed to encourage student researchers to advance analytical or molecular (DNA) testing.
Presented to: Lydia Zamlynny, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Zamlynny, an MASc student, is the 2024 recipient of the AOAC Inés Cereijo TDRM Student Award, in which candidates must submit a report on their use of a reference material or the development of a reference material to meet a specific need.
Zamlynny described her thesis project in which she will develop a new multiclass LC-MS/MS method for all classes of cyanotoxins that pose a risk to public health globally. She employs a breadth of certified reference materials to establish and optimize instrument parameters using analyte and matrix-matched controls. The method will enable screening of field samples to study cyanotoxin prevalence across Nova Scotia and lead to development of cyanobacterial reference material.
The AOAC Inés Cereijo Technical Division on Reference Materials (TDRM) Award is offered annually to both undergraduate and graduate students at any college or university to support students promoting awareness of the need for method performance evaluation early in a chemist’s career using reference materials.
The AOAC Official MethodsSM Program awards recognize significant contributions and meritorious volunteer service to the AOAC analytical sciences community.
Presented to: AOAC ERP for Dietary Starch and Fiber Methods
Chair: Lars Reimann, Eurofins Scientific, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
ERP Members: Sean Austin, Société des Produits Nestlé; Sneh Bhandari, SDB Associates; Kommer Brunt, Rotating Disc bv; George Joseph, AsureQuality New Zealand; Kai Liu, Eurofins; Barry McCleary, FiberCarb Consultants; Tom Phillips, Maryland Department of Agriculture; John Szpylka, Retired; and Paul Wehling, ChemStats Consulting
The ERP for Dietary Starch and Fiber Methods is being recognized for its dedication in reviewing and approving methods in support of changing and current Codex definitions for fiber, one of which is now referenced by Codex Standard 234.
Formed in 2014, the ERP reviews methods of public health importance with evolving Codex definitions. The methods reviewed by the ERP between 2020 and 2023 have had implications on global discussions for fiber. ERP members also examined terminology concerning new Codex definitions and gaps in current methodology.
The award is presented to an ERP that enhances the reputation of the Association and fosters the mission of AOAC INTERNATIONAL through the completion of a significant milestone (e.g., First Action Method, Final Action Method, or method modification). The ERP’s work demonstrates significant merit regarding the scope of the method(s), representing a diverse and international group of stakeholders that employs an innovative approach to complex analytical challenges. Generally, a unique or particularly noteworthy aspect of the ERP’s work is highlighted as making the ERP worthy of the award, such as innovative technology or application, breadth of applicability, critical need, difficulty of analysis, or timeliness. The ERP milestone must have been completed three years before the year of award/nomination.
Presented for: AOAC Official MethodSM 2016.16 Curcuminoids in Turmeric Raw Materials and Dietary Supplements by Liquid Chromatography with UV-Vis Detection
Corresponding Author: Elizabeth Mudge, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Co-Authors: Paula Brown, British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT); Catherine Rimmer, U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); and Melissa Phillips, NIST
AOAC Official MethodSM 2016.16 received Final Action status based on review of method reproducibility data published in 2020, method feedback, and subsequent recommendation by the AOAC Expert Review Panel for Turmeric Methods. The HPLC-UV method is applicable to multi-ingredient turmeric supplements and used a unique approach to collecting data to demonstrate reproducibility. A collaboration between the Natural Health and Food Products Research Group at BCIT and the Chemical Sciences Division at NIST was initiated to collect reproducibility data in an incremental approach through NIST’s Dietary Supplement Laboratory Quality Assurance Program.
The work, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH)-Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), summarizes the collection of reproducibility data, which is required for consideration of adoption as an AOAC Final Action Official MethodSM [J. AOAC Int. 103(6), 1625–1632(2020), https://doi.org/10.1093/jaoacint/qsaa069].Participating laboratories voluntarily analyzed samples using the method, and data collected was used to determine reproducibility for curcuminoid analysis by HPLC diode-array detection. Instead of the traditional collaborative study, data were gathered over time with limited verification of participating labs review, with data analysis overseen by members of the AOAC Committee on Statistics.
This first-time implementing the unique alternative approach to method reproducibility highlights the method as Method of the Year.
Presented to: Tetsuhisa Goto, Central Scientific Commerce, Inc., Ibaraki, Japan
Goto is being recognized for his service and contributions as a longstanding (13 years) volunteer expert for mycotoxin methods in the AOAC Performance Tested MethodSM (PTM) Program administered by the AOAC Research Institute. In this capacity, he is a primary advisor, reviewing every validation protocol and report, candidate method, and method modification for mycotoxins in a variety of matrixes. He has benchmarked detailed validation protocols for mycotoxin methods encompassing a variety of technologies. His service led to improved consistency and efficiency in validation studies and method reviews.
A member of AOAC for over 40 years, Goto also participates on the AOAC Expert Review Panel for Natural Toxin Methods. He has been highly active in the AOAC Mycotoxins Community and Japan Section. Goto has received several awards for his technical contributions and volunteer service, including a Fellow of AOAC in 2008.
Presented to: Derrell Johnson, MilliporeSigma, Round Rock, Texas, USA
Johnson is being acknowledged and recognized for his leadership and contributions as past chair of the AOAC Technical Division on Reference Materials (TDRM) Executive Committee.
He began his term as past chair in 2023, however, shortly after the beginning of the term, both the chair and chair-elect positions were vacated. Johnson was proactive and performed the chair duties to support the continued operation of the TDRM Executive Committee. He worked to implement rotating interim chairs and continued supporting behind the scenes. He went above and beyond in support of TDRM and its leadership.
Johnson is an expert in reference materials and has been an active member of TDRM, promoting the use of reference materials in method development, validation, and verification. In support of AOAC and TDRM, he has co-chaired sessions and presentations at the AOAC Annual Meeting and the AOAC India Section.
Presented to: AOAC Stakeholder Program on Agent Detection Assays (SPADA) Working Group on NGS Biothreat Detection Methods-Amplicon Sequencing Subgroup
Title: “Amplicon Sequencing Minimal Information (ASqMI): Quality and Reporting Guidelines for Actionable Calls in Biodefense Applications”
Working Group Co-Chairs: Shanmuga Sozhamannan, Joint Research and Development (JRAD), Frederick, Maryland, USA; and Ishi Keenum, Michigan Technological University (MTU), Houghton, Michigan, USA
Working Group Subgroup Members: Shanmuga Sozhamannan*, JRAD; Linda Beck, JRAD (Retired); Salaija Chandrapati*, Neogen Corp.; Wes Colangelo, Neogen Corp.; James Crill, Syracuse University; Paul Davis, MRIGlobal; Jonathan Jacobs, American Type Culture Collection; Paul Jackson, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Retired); Ishi Keenum*, MTU; Jason Kralj*, U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); Tim Minogue, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases; Hiroki Nakae, Japan bio Measurement & Analysis Consortium; Robert Player*, Datirium; Joe Russell*, MRIGlobal; Stephanie Servetas*, NIST; Sanjiv Shah, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Jennifer Stone*, MRIGlobal; Michael Sussman*, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agriculture Marketing Service; Conrad Turner, U.S. Army, Germany; Willy Valdivia, Orion Biosciences; and Kathleen Verratti, Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Lab (* manuscript co-authors)
The AOAC SPADA Working Group on NGS Biothreat Detection Methods-Amplicon Sequencing Subgroup is receiving the AOAC Award in Recognition of Technical and Scientific Excellence for the development and publication of “Amplicon Sequencing Minimal Information (AsqMI): Quality and Reporting Guidelines for Actionable Calls in Biodefense Applications” [J. AOAC Int. 106(5), 1424–1430(2023), https://doi.org/10.1093/jaoacint/qsad047]. The standard represents an innovative and novel approach to improving data quality, tracking workflow performance, and providing decision-makers with confidence in data reporting and making actionable calls in next-generation sequencing biosurveillance applications. In addition to being the first minimum information guidelines for amplicon sequencing, it provides a control checklist and scoring scheme to assure amplicon sequencing quality and assess potential sample contamination.
The award recognizes a team or working group for publication of a significant document or other body of work demonstrating a unique or noteworthy level of technical and scientific expertise.
25 YEARS
Laura Bauer
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30 YEARS
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35 YEARS
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40 YEARS
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45 YEARS
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