Kathryn J. Boor, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, will be honored as a new fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) during their annual meeting Feb. 13 in Washington, D.C.
Fellows to the prestigious organization are nominated and elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to their profession. AAAS, the world’s largest general scientific society and the publisher of the journal Science, has maintained the tradition since 1874 to honor those who have excelled in their fields.
Prior to her appointment as dean, she served as professor and chair of the Department of Food Science from 2007-10. As an AAAS fellow, she was chosen for her contributions to the field of agricultural science and food microbiology, particularly for her work on the transmission of foodborne pathogens and microbes.
Her research focuses on identifying and characterizing mechanisms that allow pathogenic and spoilage organisms to persist in foods and cause disease in humans. Her research accomplishments in tracking bacterial contaminants in food processing systems have been used to generate educational opportunities for the dairy industry.
Boor earned her bachelor’s in food science from Cornell (1980) and her master’s in food science from the University of Wisconsin (1983). For the next two years she conducted research in Kenya, East Africa, as a member of a multi-disciplinary team working with small-scale farmers to enhance sustainable and safe goat milk production and preservation systems.
She received her doctorate in microbiology (1994) from University of California, Davis before joining Cornell the same year, when she established the Food Safety Laboratory as an assistant professor.
The integrated research and extension program she created focuses on dairy microbiology quality and safety. The program is dedicated to improving dairy product shelf-life, wholesomeness and safety through reduction of spoilage and pathogenic bacteria in processed products and in raw milk.
Among her notable achievements include the Research Award in Dairy Foods Processing from the American Dairy Sciences Association; the Emmett R. Gauhn Memorial Award from the New York State Association for Food Protection; and the David K. Bandler Cheese Industry Award from the New York State Cheese Manufacturers’ Association
Boor is joined by J. Edward Russo, the S.C. Johnson Family Professor of Management, and 347 other researchers as newly-elected fellows this year.
