The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology has announced that this year’s Borlaug CAST Communication Award goes to Dr. Martin Wiedmann, Cornell University’s Gellert Family Professor in Food Safety. Dr. Wiedmann has dedicated his career to research in food safety and science and is recognized for his ability to effectively communicate his findings to the food industry and policy makers and stimulate discussion around food safety issues.
Wiedmann was instrumental in organizing and leading a COVID-19 Food Safety Response Team through Cornell University. In partnership with regulatory personnel and industry experts, this team helped the food industry with challenges posed by the pandemic. Using online communication platforms and tools, they developed concise, science-based facts about COVID-19 for the food industry and consumers and provided guidance on implementing mitigation strategies.
Wiedmann holds a veterinary degree and a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, and a Ph.D. in food science from Cornell University. His research interests focus on farm-to-table microbial food quality and food safety and the application of molecular tools to study the transmission of foodborne pathogens and spoilage organisms.
The official presentation of the award will take place during the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue event in October.
Photos provided by Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.