UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Two faculty members in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, Ali Demirci and Juliana Vasco-Correa, recently received awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).

Demirci, professor of agricultural and biological engineering, received the 2024 International Food Engineering Award for significant contributions to developing non-thermal food processing methods for food decontamination and process development of value-added products.

Demirci, an ASABE fellow, is a graduate studies committee chair and teaches courses and conducts research in food engineering and bioprocessing. He also is the professor-in-charge of the CSL Behring Fermentation Facility at Penn State. Demirci has developed undergraduate and graduate courses to strengthen a growing food and bioprocessing engineering emphasis within the department’s biological engineering curriculum.

Demirci’s research focuses on microbiological engineering, creating value-added products via microbial fermentation and inactivation, and controlling pathogenic microorganisms in foods and environments through novel non-thermal processing methods. His research on pulsed ultraviolet light and electrolyzed oxidizing water for the decontamination of foods is well-known worldwide.

As a 25-year member of the society, Demirci has been a leader in the processing systems technical community and served on the Publications Council for several years. He also has been an associate editor for ASABE journals since 2008 and is a member of two U.S. Department of Agriculture multistate research committees.

During his career, Demirci has authored or co-authored more than 180 refereed journal articles and 40 book chapters; he also has edited three books. He has presented at regional, national and international conferences and holds two U.S. patents with another pending. He has received numerous awards, including the Northeast Agricultural/Biological Engineering Conference Young Engineer of the Year award and Distinguished Service award. He also received an ASABE Superior Paper Award, the Outstanding Associate Editor Award and the Alex and Jesse C. Black Award for Excellence in Research at Penn State.

Vasco-Correa, assistant professor of bioproducts systems analysis, is the 2024 recipient of the Gale A. Holloway Professional Development Award for her outstanding early career engagement and leadership in the society’s professional activities, mentoring and technical achievements.

Vasco-Correa’s major responsibilities at Penn State include leading a research program in process systems engineering for bio-based systems and teaching undergraduate and graduate-level courses.

Vasco-Correa is dedicated to involving students and early-career professionals in the many facets of the society. In 2023, she mentored and sponsored a team of graduate and undergraduate students who participated in the Bioprocessing Startup Competition and placed second. She is the ASABE Student Club co-adviser at the University. Vasco-Correa regularly sponsors graduate and undergraduate members of her lab to attend and present at the ASABE annual meeting and also hosts student rehearsal sessions for presentations.

During her 11-year membership with the society, Vasco-Correa has served as secretary, vice-chair and chair of technical committees, and a representative on numerous other committees. Her other involvement with the organization includes arranging oral poster sessions, judging student presentations, mentoring students as part of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color mentorship program and the speed networking for women in ASABE, and reviewing for the society’s journal.

Vasco-Correa’s work in bioprocessing, biomass conversion, anaerobic digestion and waste valorization has been published in 17 peer-reviewed articles and presented at more than 130 venues. She also has been awarded prestigious fellowships, such as Fulbright and Schlumberger Faculty of the Future fellowships.

ASABE is an international scientific and educational organization dedicated to advancing engineering applicable to agricultural, food and biological systems.