Nomination Process

This Lectureship was established in 1981 by ARS to honor the memory of Sterling B. Hendricks and to recognize scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the chemical science of agriculture.

Dr. Hendricks contributed to many diverse scientific disciplines, including plant physiology, soil science, mineralogy, agronomy, geology, and chemistry. He is most frequently remembered for discovering phytochrome, the light-activated molecule that regulates many plant processes.

The 2008 Sterling B. Hendricks Lecture will be presented at the American Chemical Society Fall Meeting, August 19, 2008 in Philadelphia. The Agriculture and Food Chemistry Division and the Agrochemical Divisions are co-sponsoring the Lecture.

2008 Sterling B. Hendricks Memorial Lecturer

Fergus M. Clydesdale, Distinguished Professor and Head of the Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

A Nutritional Odyssey: From Famine to Feast, Can Science and Policy Solve the Dilemma?

Unquestionably, the tremendous increase in life expectancy in the developed world has resulted from a safer, more varied and healthier food supply. However, we have also experienced increases in age-related diseases and obesity. Lifestyle, including diet, may hold the key to reducing these seemingly intractable problems requiring both greater knowledge of food and its components at the molecular level along with appropriate legislation and knowledge to communicate benefits to the consumer. This will require the challenge of more cooperation between academic, industrial and government scientists and policy makers to meet the needs of society through both behavior change and changing the food supply.

Nomination Process

Nominations for the Agricultural Research Service Sterling B. Hendricks Memorial Lectureship are accepted in November. Please send:

1. A letter explaining the nominee's contributions to chemistry and agriculture
2. Nominee's current curriculum vitae

To: Kim Kaplan, Lecture Coordinator
ARS Information Staff, Room 1-2253
5601 Sunnyside Ave., Beltsville, MD 20705.

(Nominations may not be faxed or emailed)

Nominees may be outstanding senior contributors in industry, universities, or government positions. Current ARS employees are not eligible.

Previous Lecturers