FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Steven C. Ricke, who holds the Donald "Buddy" Wray Endowed Chair in Food Safety in the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and serves at the director of the Center for Food Safety, has been selected as an American Society for Microbiology Distinguished Lecturer. He will serve two years in the position and will deliver lectures at society's meetings around the nation during that time.

The American Society for Microbiology is the oldest and largest single life science membership organization in the world. The society's Distinguished Lecturers are chosen through a competitive nomination process and are expected to deliver at least three lectures at the ASM branch association meetings throughout the U.S. They also interact with students from many universities in fulfilling their duties.

"My guidance of students and postdoctorates stems directly from the mentoring I received from a wide range of individuals during my own graduate training," Ricke said. "Since joining the Food Science Department at the University of Arkansas, I have incorporated this philosophical background in designing a food microbiology research program that instills in students and postdocs the scientific fundamentals that provides them with the tools to understand and apply integrated microbiology concepts to real world questions raised by the food industry and the public sector. My vision is that individuals equipped in such a manner are in the best position to succeed whether they are quality control managers in food processing plants, serving with government regulatory agencies dealing with food safety issues or managing their own research programs in a related discipline."

Ricke's two-year term as a lecturer will begin July 1. His lecture topics during that time will include Salmonella in the gastrointestinal tract, foodborne Salmonella in food production systems, the current status and future prospects of prebiotics and antimicrobial strategies for foodborne pathogen reduction in organic foods.

Ricke holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. degree from the University of Wisconsin. He was a professor at Texas A&M University until 2005 when he came to Arkansas to hold the endowed chair and to direct the Center for Food Safety. His expertise is focused on the pathogenic characteristics of foodborne Salmonella. Over his professional career he has served as an editor for five books, editor-in-chief of two scientific journals, co-authored more than 350 peer-reviewed research and review articles as well as more than 50 book chapters and has delivered more than 150 talks to a wide range of audiences.