USDA Gives Award to UMaine Engineer
Contact: Media contact: Nick Houtman, Dept. of Public Affairs, 207-581-3777
ORONO, Maine — United States Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman has presented the department’s most prestigious award to Darrell Donahue of Old Town, a University of Maine engineer, for his role in a multi-state research project. Donahue’s research is leading to new technology that maintains quality in harvested wild blueberries.
Donahue, associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, is one of 26 researchers in 13 states working on the project, Technology and Principles for Assessing and Retaining Postharvest Quality of Fruits and Vegetables. He has focused on the use of near-infrared spectroscopy to assess fruit quality.
Associate Dean Steve Goodwin of the University of Massachusetts, the group’s administrative advisor, accepted the award on behalf of its members at a ceremony on June 13 at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, DC.