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ARS Science Hall of Fame
Browse the Hall of Fame — Chronological Order by
Year of Induction
The Hall was established in 1986.
Edward
F. Knipling - Inducted 1986
The late Edward F. Knipling was the first inductee into the ARS Science Hall
of Fame. He served as director of the Entomology Division in Beltsville, Maryland.
Knipling developed an innovative sterile male technique for controlling insect
pests in the early 1950s. During that time, insect control strategies relied
mostly on chemical pesticides. His method involved releasing sterile male insects
into the wild as a way to disrupt insect reproduction. Knipling's pioneering
research, which led to screwworm eradication in the United States, landed him
a place in ARS history.
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Howard
L. Bachrach - Inducted 1987
Howard L. Bachrach worked as chief scientist at the ARS Plum Island Animal
Disease Center in Greenport, New York. He made his first significant contribution
to the conquest of viral diseases in 1949 with his research on foot-and-mouth
disease. It was his research that led to development of the world's first effective
subunit vaccine for any disease of animals or humans using gene splicing.
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Myron
K. Brakke - Inducted 1987
Myron K. Brakke was a research chemist stationed at what was then the ARS
Wheat and Sorghum Research Unit in Lincoln, Nebraska. His invention for separating
plant and animal cell components, called density-gradient centrifugation, has
had a great and lasting worldwide influence on molecular biology. His research
in plant virology earned him a place in the ARS Hall of Fame.
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Glenn
W. Burton - Inducted 1987
Glenn W. Burton was inducted into the ARS Hall of Fame for his research achievements
in forage and turf science. He worked as a research plant geneticist in the
Forage and Turf Research Unit at Tifton, Georgia. Burton developed Coastal
bermudagrass--a pasture grass for beef cattle--and solved problems associated
with its establishment and management. Coastal bermudagrass has been planted
on more than 10 million acres throughout the southern United States.
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Wilson
A. Reeves - Inducted 1987
Wilson A. Reeves worked as chief of the Cotton Finishing Laboratory in New
Orleans, Louisiana. He developed individually and with other scientists many
economically beneficial techniques for making cotton and cotton-blend fabrics
flame resistant, flame retardant, wash-and-wear, and durable press. Reeves'
research and leadership in the field of textile chemical finishing has significantly
benefited agriculture and consumers.
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Ernest
R. Sears - Inducted 1987
The late Ernest R. Sears' work in wheat genetics and discoveries of chromosomal
mechanisms that established standards in animal, plant, and human genetics
secured him a spot in the ARS Hall of Fame. He conducted research that provided
essential data about wheat's 21 chromosomes. Sears worked as a research
geneticist in the ARS Cereal Genetics Research Unit at Columbia, Missouri.
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Orville
A. Vogel - Inducted 1987
The late Orville A. Vogel, a research agronomist formerly in ARS' Wheat
Breeding and Production Unit, developed the first useful semidwarf wheats and
innovative production systems that made the Pacific Northwest a major source
of soft white wheat. His research inspired similar research efforts throughout
the world and sparked the Green Revolution.
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Cecil
H. Wadleigh - Inducted 1987
Cecil H. Wadleigh was inducted into the ARS Hall of Fame for determining the
mechanisms through which crops respond to salinity and water stress. His research
provided a substantial part of the information published in USDA's Agriculture
Handbook 60, "Diagnosis and Improvement of Saline Soil," the definitive work
on this subject since its publication more than 25 years ago. Wadleigh retired
from ARS as director of the Soil and Water Conservation Research Division in
Beltsville, Maryland.
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Francis
E. Clark - Inducted 1988
Microbiologist Francis E. Clark helped determine how microorganisms affect
nutrient cycling in plants and soil. His research lead to a greater understanding
of soil, plant, and microbial interactions in terrestrial ecosystems. He defined
factors affecting nitrate formation and stability in soil, and the role of
cropping history and organic matter in controlling nitrogen losses. Clark worked
in the ARS Soil, Plant, Nutrient Research Unit at Fort Collins, Colorado.
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Edgar
E. Hartwig - Inducted 1988
Edgar E. Hartwig developed new soybean cultivars that helped transform
this crop to the second most valuable U.S. crop. Nearly 90 percent of southern
soybean acreage is planted with cultivars developed by Hartwig. He worked as
a research agronomist in ARS' Soybean Production Research Unit at Stoneville,
Mississippi.
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Ralph
E. Hodgson - Inducted 1988
The late Ralph E. Hodgson was inducted to the ARS Hall of Fame for significantly
contributing to the understanding of production and use of pasture and forages.
He was instrumental in modernizing and expanding ARS livestock research. Hodgson
served in Beltsville, Maryland, as a National Program Staff scientist for Dairy
Production.
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Hamish
N. Munro - Inducted 1988
Hamish N. Munro worked as a senior scientist at ARS' Jean Mayer USDA Human
Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts in Boston, Massachusetts. He was
inducted into the Hall of Fame for his research contributions in nutrition
science, particularly on the relationship of dietary protein and iron to the
health of the elderly, and for promoting studies on aging.
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José Vicente-Chandler
- Inducted 1988
José Vicente-Chandler spearheaded research that led to new and greatly
improved production systems for beef, milk, coffee, plantains, and rice for
Puerto Rico and Caribbean countries. He retired from ARS, after 43 years of
service, as the research leader of the Soil and Water Conservation Research
Unit in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.
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Douglas
R. Dewey - Inducted 1989
Douglas R. Dewey is recognized as a leading authority on cytogenetics, the
study of chromosomes and chromosome abnormality-related diseases; genomic
relationships; and taxonomic classification of wheatgrasses, wild ryes and
related species. He assembled the world's largest and most diverse collection
of perennial species in the grass family subdivision called the Triticeae
tribe. Dewey served as research leader of ARS' Forage and Range Research
Unit in Logan, Utah, before retiring.
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Theodor
O. Diener - Inducted 1989
Theodor O. Diener was inducted into the Hall of Fame for conceptualizing
and discovering viroids, for leading research on viroid detection and control,
and for inspiring new approaches in the search for causes of several serious
diseases affecting plants, livestock, and humans. Diener worked as a research
plant pathologist at ARS' Microbiology and Plant Pathology Laboratory in Beltsville,
Maryland.
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Karl
H. Norris - Inducted 1989
Karl H. Norris served as research leader for ARS' Instrumental
Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland. He developed principles and instruments
using the electromagnetic waves spectrum to make rapid, nondestructive measurements
for evaluating the quality of agricultural products. Norris developed near-infrared
reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) as a method for measuring the protein, oil,
and moisture content of grain. NIRS has been widely adopted in the world grain
marketing system.
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John
F. Sullivan - Inducted 1989
John F. Sullivan was inducted into the ARS Hall of Fame for his contributions
to the food-processing and preservation industries, including development of
instant potato flakes and a batch explosion-puffing system for producing dried,
rehydratable fruit and vegetable products. The development of instant potato
flakes played an important role in revitalizing the U.S. potato industry. Before
retiring, Sullivan worked as a chemical engineer in ARS' Engineering Science
Research Unit at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Theodore
C. Byerly - Inducted 1990
The late Theodore C. Byerly, a biologist, served as Deputy Administrator of
ARS and was stationed in Washington, D.C. He directed research that produced
many major advances in poultry science, including discovery of the superiority
of selectively bred hybrids in egg and poultry production, and the development
of the Beltsville white turkey. He was a founding director and president of
the Friends of Agricultural Research, Beltsville (FAR-B).
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Gordon
Dickerson - Inducted 1990
Gordon E. Dickerson was a research animal geneticist at the Roman L. Hruska
U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska. His concepts and
procedures in livestock genetics are widely used by breeders to increase production
efficiency of cattle, sheep, swine, and poultry.
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Robert
W. Holley - Inducted 1990
Robert W. Holley was inducted into the Hall of Fame for discovering and characterizing
a class of low molecular ribonucleic acids known as transfer ribonucleic acids
(tRNAs). These act as carriers for specific amino acids during protein
synthesis. Holley's research on tRNAs provided the foundation for more recent
advances in both plant and animal sciences based on recombinant DNA techniques.
Holley worked as a research chemist in the ARS Plant, Soil and Nutrition Laboratory
at Ithaca, New York.
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Virgil
A. Johnson - Inducted 1990
The late Virgil A. Johnson was a research leader at ARS' Wheat
Research Unit in Lincoln, Nebraska. He developed superior bread wheat cultivars
and improved wheat germplasm. He co-developed 28 improved wheat cultivars that
have set new productivity and performance standards for hard red winter wheat
in the United States and in similar wheat-producing countries, such as Turkey
and South Africa. These cultivars have occupied as much as 25 percent
of the entire U.S. wheat acreage.
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George
F. Sprague - Inducted 1990
The late George F. Sprague contributed significantly to the development of
methods for identifying and producing superior corn hybrids that are
widely considered to be among the greatest plant breeding achievements of the
20th century. Sprague developed Stiff Stalk Synthetic, which became one of
the most important germplasm line sources. He retired from ARS as investigations
leader of the Corn and Sorghum Investigations Unit in Beltsville, Maryland.
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John
H. Weinberger - Inducted 1991
The late John H. Weinberger retired from the Horticultural Crops Research
Laboratory in Fresno, California, where he worked as a research horticulturist.
He earned a place in the Hall of Fame for his lifelong research contributions
to developing fruit varieties and fruit-breeding technology. During his career
at ARS, Weinberger developed and released 37 fruit varieties. Flame Seedless,
a table grape he released in 1973, is now the second most important seedless
grape produced in the United States.
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Walter
H. Wischmeier - Inducted 1991
The late Walter H. Wischmeier served as national research investigations
leader of ARS' Soil and Water Conservation Research Division in West Lafayette,
Indiana. He developed the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), which has been
widely used for decades worldwide in natural resource conservation and management.
According to the International Soil and Water Conservation Society, USLE is
regarded as the "primary tool of conservationists for planning purposes."
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Raymond
C. Bushland - Inducted 1992
The late Raymond C. Bushland conducted pioneering research that helped lead
to screwworm eradication using the sterile insect technique. His research also
helped lead to the control of human body louse, the vector of epidemic typhus.
Typhus is particularly a problem among military and civilians in wartime conditions.
Before retiring, Bushland worked as a research entomologist with ARS' Screwworm
Research Laboratory in Mission, Texas.
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Lyman
B. Crittenden - Inducted 1992
Lyman B. Crittenden worked at ARS as research leader of the Avian Disease
and Oncology Laboratory in East Lansing, Michigan. He was inducted into the
Hall of Fame for his research contributions to retroviral genetics, transgenic
animal development, and genome mapping in poultry. He led a 10-year group effort
that developed improved methods for detecting and reducing the effects of
avian leukosis virus in poultry. He led a program that resulted in development
of the first transgenic chickens.
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Arnel
R. Hallauer - Inducted 1992
Arnel R. Hallauer played a major role in developing and evaluating more than
30 maize synthetics and 18 inbred lines that were released to the seed industry
during his years as leader of the ARS maize breeding research project. His
research helped increase the understanding and use of quantitative genetics
in plant breeding and has led to the development of many superior corn hybrids
worldwide. Hallauer retired from the agency as research leader of ARS' Field
Crops Research Unit in Ames, Iowa.
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John
R. Gorham - Inducted 1993
John R. Gorham's scientific research has resulted in the solving
of animal disease control problems and has advanced the basic knowledge of
viral and genetic diseases in humans and animals. He has an international reputation
in slow virus diseases, fur animal diseases, and animal models of human genetic
diseases. Gorham served as a research leader in the ARS Animal Diseases
Research Unit at Pullman, Washington.
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Sterling
B. Hendricks - Inducted 1993
Sterling B. Hendricks was posthumously inducted into ARS' Science Hall of
Fame for his significant contributions as a chemist, physicist, mathematician,
plant physiologist, geologist, and mineralogist. Notably remembered
for his work on plant photobiology, he also pioneered the application of radioisotopes
to the study of phosphate fertilizer transport and intake into plant roots.
He worked at ARS as chief scientist of the Mineral Nutrition Pioneering Research
Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland.
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Clair
E. Terrill - Inducted 1993
The late Clair E. Terrill was a worldwide leader in sheep production research.
He developed a three-pronged strategy for increasing efficiency of meat production
from sheep without increasing feed demands: genetically increase the lamb
crop, remove low-producing adults at a young age and reduce lamb mortality.
He served as National Program Leader for Sheep and Fur Animals Research in
Beltsville, Maryland.
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Charles
N. Bollich - Inducted 1994
Charles N. Bollich led in the development of 16 rice cultivars, many of which
have become driving forces in the United States and a number of Central and
South American countries. Bollich's research has contributed significantly
to rice breeding and genetics and their consequent benefits to American agriculture.
He worked as a research leader at ARS' Rice Research Laboratory in Beaumont,
Texas.
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Chester
G. McWhorter - Inducted 1994
Chester G. McWhorter worked as a research leader of the ARS Application Technology
Research Unit in Stoneville, Mississippi. He earned his place in the Hall of
Fame for contributing to American agriculture through basic and applied research
that has resulted in improved weed management technology leading to increased
yields and reduced production costs. McWhorter's improved weed control technology
is now used in the United States on more than 60 million acres annually.
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Malcolm
J. Thompson - Inducted 1994
Malcolm J. Thompson is internationally recognized for his contributions to
the fields of insect and plant biochemistry. Thompson is notably remembered
for his pioneering discoveries with the group of steroid hormones (ecdysteroids)
that regulate molting in insects and other invertebrates. He worked as a research
chemist at ARS' Insect Neurobiology and Hormone Laboratory in Beltsville,
Maryland.
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Harry
Alfred Borthwick - Inducted 1995
Harry Alfred Borthwick spent many years studying and quantifying the photoperiodic
mechanisms that control flowering in plants. His studies formed the basis for
collaborative research with other scientists that successfully identified and
isolated the photoreceptor for day length detection in plants. He
worked at ARS' Photoperiod Pioneering Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland,
and was posthumously inducted into ARS' Science Hall of Fame.
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William
M. Doane - Inducted 1995
William M. Doane served as a research leader of the ARS Plant Polymer Research
Unit in Peoria, Illinois before retiring. He initiated and conducted research
that created new and useful products that ultimately led to the establishment
of new industries based on agricultural materials. He initiated a research
program that led to discovery and development of Super Slurper, a highly absorbent
starch graft polymer. Today, Doane's polymer can be found in many products,
including seed coatings, wound dressing and disposable soft goods.
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Walter
Mertz, M.D. - Inducted 1995
The late Walter Mertz was an authority in several areas of nutrition. He was
one of the world's most prominent research scientists in the area
of trace elements in human nutrition. He is best known for discovering that
chromium is an essential nutrient involved in carbohydrate metabolism. Mertz
promoted research on dietary risk factors for chronic health disorders. He
was director of the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center in Beltsville,
Maryland.
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Fred
W. Blaisdell - Inducted 1996
The late Fred W. Blaisdell developed improved structures for soil and water
conservation. His research has influenced the design of almost every structure
used to "drop" flowing water in stream channels. His famous and widely used
structure is the Saint Anthony Falls stilling basin, which is used to drop
water from one level to another in a water conveyance channel. Blaisdell was
a hydraulic engineer in ARS' Hydraulic Engineering Research Unit at Stillwater,
Oklahoma.
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Herbert
J. Dutton- Inducted 1996
Herbert J. Dutton retired as chief of ARS' Oilseeds Crops Laboratory in Peoria,
Illinois. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame for research that lead to the
establishment of soybean oil as the predominant edible vegetable oil in the
world. Largely as a result of his research contributions, soybean oil commands
85 percent of the domestic fats and oils market. His research continues to
have an impact on soybean research.
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Charles
Jackson Hearn- Inducted 1996
Research geneticist Charles Jackson Hearn worked in ARS' Horticultural
and Breeding Research Unit at Orlando, Florida, before retiring from the agency.
He developed improved orange, grapefruit, and tangerine varieties used extensively
by U.S. citrus producers. Hearn's varieties represent 40 percent of the nursery-propagated
grapefruit planted in Florida, 72 percent of the tangerines, and 7 percent
of citrus classified as oranges.
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Morton
Beroza - Inducted 1997
Morton Beroza has an international reputation for discovering ingenious and
inventive tools for controlling insect pests safely within their ecological
domain. He developed many environmentally compatible insect control strategies
using insect lures, attractants, repellents, and pheromones.
Beroza invented analytical techniques and apparatus now used by chemists worldwide.
He worked as a chief of ARS' Organic Chemicals Synthesis Laboratory before
retiring.
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R.
James Cook - Inducted 1997
R. James Cook has inspired an ecological approach to controlling diseases
of agricultural crops, particularly wheat and barley. He is recognized worldwide
as the leading authority on biological control of plant pathogens. He is the
first person to find resistance to both "take all" and Rhizoctonia root rot
diseases in a plant closely related to wheat. He served as the research leader
of the ARS Root Disease and Biological Control Research Unit in Pullman, Washington.
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William
L. Ogren - Inducted 1997
Retired plant physiologist William L. Ogren worked in the ARS Photosynthesis
Research Unit at Urbana, Illinois. He is a pioneer in discovering how plants
use sunlight. His research on photosynthesis helped to make it a key factor
worldwide for crop improvement strategies. He worked as a plant physiologist
in the Photosynthesis Research Unit at Urbana, Illinois.
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Thomas
J. Henneberry - Inducted 1998
Thomas J. Henneberry is internationally recognized for his work in pest management.
His research—on the ecology, biology, and control of cotton bollworm,
tobacco budworm, pink bollworm, boll weevil, sweet potato whitefly, and other
pests—has resulted in significant contributions to pest management
systems worldwide. Henneberry worked as laboratory director of ARS' Western
Cotton Research Laboratory in Phoenix, Arizona.
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James
H. Tumlinson, III - Inducted 1998
James H. Tumlinson, III, is a pioneer in the discovery of insect pheromones.
Before retiring, he served as research leader of the ARS Insect Chemistry Research
Unit in Gainesville, Florida. Tumlinson's research led to eradication of the
boll weevil from the southeastern United States. He discovered the chemical
basis of plant-insect-parasite interaction. He also provided leadership in
identifying pheromones from over 40 species in 13 insect families of considerable
economic importance.
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Allene
R. Jeanes - Inducted 1999
Allene R. Jeanes was posthumously inducted into the ARS Science Hall of Fame
for her microbiological, chemical, and engineering research contributions that
created urgently needed, life-saving industrial polymers made from agricultural
commodities. She and a colleague proposed a project for producing dextran and
converting it into synthetic blood plasma. The fluid that resulted from her
team's efforts was used on the battlefields of Korea and Vietnam to save countless
lives. She worked as a research chemist with ARS' National Center for Agricultural
Utilization Research in Peoria, Illinois.
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Charles
W. Stuber - Inducted 1999
Charles W. Stuber was inducted into the Hall of Fame for pioneering the use
of molecular markers in identifying, mapping, and manipulating quantitative
trait genes. His research stimulated interest in DNA-based marker technology
for improving crop traits, led industry giants to revolutionize many of their
crop breeding procedures, and influenced animal breeding technology. He worked
as a research geneticist and research leader in ARS' Plant Science Research
Unit at Raleigh, North Carolina.
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Richard
L. Witter - Inducted 1999
Richard L. Witter is a world-renowned authority on avian tumors—particularly
Marek's disease, a devastating illness that costs the poultry industry millions
every year. His research formed the basis for HVT vaccine, a herpesvirus isolate
from turkeys that is used worldwide to help combat Marek's disease.
It is estimated that the vaccine has saved the poultry industry more than $100
million each year since it was introduced in 1971. Witter worked as a veterinary
medical officer at ARS' Avian Disease and Oncology Laboratory in East Lansing,
Michigan.
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Virginia
H. Holsinger - Inducted 2000
Virginia H. Holsinger is known for her research on dairy products,
especially whey and whey beverages. Her work on formulated foods for emergency
use and food donation has enriched the health of needy people worldwide. She
is most widely known for developing the enzyme treatment that makes milk digestible
by lactose-intolerant individuals. Holsinger, now retired, was
research leader of the ARS Dairy Products Research Unit in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania.
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Marvin
E. Jensen - Inducted 2000
Marvin E. Jensen developed the first practical models of soil-water balance
needed to improve irrigation scheduling using computers. His work increased
the efficiency of water and energy use, resulting in savings for farmers
and consumers. Jensen's work spawned modern scientific irrigation scheduling.
He served as a National Program Leader of Water Management Research in Beltsville,
Maryland, before retiring from ARS.
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Harley
W. Moon - Inducted 2000
Harley W. Moon contributed to a fundamental understanding of intestinal diseases
in livestock, and he developed effective control programs for these diseases.
Moon discovered that some strains of Escherichia coli,
which are common in the intestines of humans and animals, can produce diarrhea.
His research opened the way for methods to control E. coli infection.
He was director of ARS' Plum Island Foreign Animal Disease Laboratory
in Greenport, New York.
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Lawrence
A. Johnson - Inducted 2001
Lawrence A. Johnson is recognized as the world authority on sex preselection
in mammals, having developed the only validated method for selecting the sex
of offspring at conception. Sex preselection has given the livestock industry
the ability to manage the proportions of male and female offspring in their
breeding herds. Johnson has also made outstanding contributions to semen preservation
and artificial insemination in swine. He retired from ARS as research leader
of the Germplasm and Gamete Physiology Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland.
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William
E. Larson - Inducted 2001
William E. Larson is an authority on soil and its importance to agriculture
and the environment. He is widely respected for his understanding of and
respect for soil as a natural resource and for his stewardship. He recognized
early the fundamental nature of organic matter in creating soil quality. He
served as national technical leader for ARS' Tillage/Residue Management Investigation
in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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William
L. Mengeling - Inducted 2001
William L. Mengeling is one of the world's foremost veterinary virologists.
His contributions to controlling viral diseases of swine have had extensive
effects on the international swine industry. He developed the main test used
in eradicating hog cholera from the United States, leading to savings of $100
million a year in the swine industry. Before retiring from ARS, he served
as research leader of the Virus and Prion Diseases of Livestock Research Unit
in Ames, Iowa.
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George
Inglett - Inducted 2002
George Inglett is one of the foremost international experts in food science
and technology. He developed Oatrim, Z-Trim, Nutrim, Soytrim--derivatives from
oats, barley, and soy--as fat replacements that provide a fraction of fats'
calories to consumers, but still taste good. These products offer many nutritional
benefits to consumers. Inglett is a research chemist at ARS' National Center
for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Illinois.
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K.
Darwin Murrell - Inducted 2002
K. Darwin Murrell led USDA's comprehensive research program on trichinellosis,
which combined the efforts of many ARS laboratories and other institutions.
The program's significant advances in the epidemiology, immunity, diagnosis,
and systematics of Trichinella led to a significant reduction in the
threat posed by this disease in the United States. Murrell's leadership of
laboratory and agency-level programs established and advanced agency research
objectives. He retired from ARS as deputy administrator.
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Stuart
O. Nelson - Inducted 2002
Stuart O. Nelson, an agricultural engineer in ARS' Quality Assessment
Research Unit at Athens, Georgia, is the world authority on dielectric properties
of agricultural products and their measurement. His research on the dielectric
behavior of granular and pulverized materials led to the first reliable technique
for measuring moisture in grain. In the United States, grain moisture content
is measured almost exclusively by his methods.
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Edward
B. Bagley - Inducted 2003
Edward B. Bagley contributed foundational research to the science of rheology,
the study of flow and deformation of matter. He is best known for his role
in developing the starch-based copolymer Super Slurper. Super Slurper can absorb
up to 2,000 times its own weight in water. The product has become part of a
wide variety of products including baby powders, diapers, batteries, and fuel
filters. Bagley, now retired, was a research leader at ARS' National Center
for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Illinois.
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Janice
M. Miller - Inducted 2003
Janice Miller is a veterinary medical officer with ARS' National Animal Disease
Center in Ames, Iowa. She is a leader in investigating the biology, causes,
and transmission of bovine leukemia and other serious diseases of ruminants.
She developed tests for bovine leukemia, bovine tuberculoses, and several other
major cattle diseases, greatly reducing their threat to U.S. livestock
production and exports.
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Donald
K. Barnes - Inducted 2004
Geneticist Donald K. Barnes pioneered the improvement of alfalfa by developing
the means to breed the crop for pest resistance and improved nitrogen nutrition.
This enabled farmers to depend less on chemical fertilizer. But Barnes'
greatest achievement was to reduce by more than one-third the seed required
to establish and maintain more than 20 million acres of alfalfa around the
world. Furthermore, he almost singlehandedly mentored a generation of alfalfa
geneticists. Barnes, now retired, led the Plant Science Research Unit in St.
Paul, Minnesota.
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Ruth
Rogan Benerito - Inducted 2004
Ruth Rogan Benerito, a chemist, is recognized as one of the foremost
inventors of the 20th century. Through her pivotal role in developing
wrinkle-free cotton fabrics, she helped make cotton fiber competitive
with synthetics. Her basic research in the physical chemistry of cellulose
opened up vast potentials in the manufacture of wood and paper
products as well as those made from cotton. Benerito was research
leader at the Cotton Chemical Reactions Laboratory in New Orleans, Louisiana.
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Keith
E. Gregory - Inducted 2004
Keith E. Gregory greatly expanded the potential of beef cattle breeding through
an understanding of heterosis or "hybrid vigor." He developed a breeding system
based on composite cattle—lines that mix traits from different breeds
to meet criteria such as feed availability, climate or market characteristics.
This crossbreeding increases production through better survival and growth
of calves, higher reproductive rate and longer breeding life. Gregory was a
geneticist at the Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay
Center, Nebraska.
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