Weber... so what ?
Purdue honors Gary M. Weber with distinguished ag alumni award
Purdue University | Updated: February 29, 2012
Gary Weber's position as president of Bioniche Food Safety-USA builds on an already distinguished career dedicated to improving agriculture. He has been particularly effective as a communications link between the scientific community and consumers, regulators, elected officials, supply chain participants, and the media.
As executive director of regulatory affairs with the National Cattlemen's Association, he served as the organization's primary spokesman during the 1996 crisis of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Europe, as well as subsequent BSE incidents. His work was instrumental in supporting the beef industry, in assuring continued consumer and supply chain confidence, and in preventing disastrous outcomes for beef-producing families.
Weber became well-respected in the media for his honesty and willingness to hear both sides of an issue. He appeared in interviews on all major television networks, on the Oprah Winfrey Show twice and in many publications including Drovers.
He has testified to both House and Senate committees regarding research and Extension, food safety, and BSE. He has written more than 40 issue updates and technical and scientific reviews of proposed animal health and food safety rules, in addition to four refereed journal publications. His work has taken him to Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, and Syria.
Weber has been invited to address a long list of organizations and advisory groups and to participate in scientific and policy dialogues at highly prestigious institutions. As one of his nominators wrote, "He has never wavered from confronting the tough challenges in agriculture, where he has stood on a foundation of sound science, common sense, and the ability to communicate highly technical information to diverse audiences."
He has been supportive of various animal science programs, from speaking in undergraduate classes on career development or developing large-scale research collaborations. For his outstanding achievement in animal sciences, the Purdue College of Agriculture is proud to present the Distinguished Agriculture Alumnus Award to Gary M. Weber.
The Distinguished Agricultural Alumni Award was created in 1992 to recognize mid-career alumni of Purdue's College of Agriculture. Honorees must have a demonstrated record of outstanding accomplishments, have made significant contributions to his/her profession or society in general, and exhibit high potential for future professional growth. Selections are made by a committee comprised of the Dean of Agriculture, associate deans, assistant dean, department heads and unit directors. Typically, ten or fewer alumni are selected to receive the award. Dr. Weber, along with nine other recipients will be recognized in a convocation on Friday, March 2, 2012, on the West Lafayette campus