“I was never so busy until I retired.” If the saying doesn’t sound familiar, then you haven’t met Aurora Saulo, Professor Emerita of the Dept. of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences.
In January, Aurora was awarded the Theresian Achievement Award in Science and Medicine from St. Theresa’s College in Quezon City, Philippines. The award recognizes “innovation and social entrepreneurship,” especially her approaches in helping the United Brands Co. develop its first commercial banana essence recovery system.
Aurora established a written protocol for a certification course for a Better Process Control School conducted outside the U.S., which was recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This enables certificate holders to develop products outside the U.S. that are in compliance with the rigid standards of our food safety laws, thus allowing these products to enter our market.
In March, Aurora received the Outstanding Partnership Award in honor of Myron Solberg from the Institute of Food Technologists. The international award recognizes “world-class excellence in food science and leadership abilities, leading to the successful development or sustenance of a cooperative organization” in industry, government, or academia.
IFT president Noel Anderson cited Aurora’s “work at United Brands, the University of Hawaiʻi, and efforts on the global certification of a Better Process Control School with the FDA,” while her peers noted she “provided exemplary leadership and originality on all food frontiers.”
In her spare time, Aurora continues to communicate and educate the community, via published articles, on current issues in foods using science-based information.
Keep on truckin’!