FAYETTEVILLE — Griffiths Atungulu, director of the Arkansas Rice Processing Program, was recently honored for his contributions to science with the 2024 Andersons Cereal and Oilseeds Award of Excellence.
The award was presented by NC-213: The U.S. Quality Grains Research Consortium on Feb. 28 in Kansas City, Missouri. NC-213 is a project team of engineers, scientists and economists from land-grant universities and government research centers. The group was founded in 1978 and has become “the premiere committee for providing scientific knowledge for issues related to quality and marketing of grains and oilseeds,” the NC-213 website states. The Andersons Agriculture Research Fund supports NC-213.
The Andersons Cereals and Oilseeds Award of Excellence, created in 1999, recognizes individuals or teams that have made “superior contributions to science or education related to cereals and oilseeds.”
Atungulu is an associate professor and agricultural engineer for grain processing and post-harvest system engineering in the food science department for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. He conducts research through the Division of Agriculture’s research arm, the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, and teaches courses through the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food, and Life Sciences.
“This recognition is not solely a reflection of my efforts but a tribute to the collective contributions of my students, staff, supervisors, mentors, colleagues, friends and family,” Atungulu said. “I am truly humbled by this acknowledgment.”
Jeyam Subbiah, professor and head of the food science department for the Division of Agriculture, congratulated Atungulu on the prestigious award and his “outstanding research contributions in the area of rice processing” industry.
“Dr. Atungulu’s work is relevant and of great value to Arkansas and the global rice industry, as rice is a major crop in our state and around the world,” Subbiah said. “He deserves this recognition, and I am proud of his achievements.”
Rusty Bautista, Ph D., grain quality senior scientist and seed technology lead for RiceTec Inc., called Atungulu a “strong, world-class researcher” whose work can be linked to making advances in many areas of rice processing.
“Dr. Atungulu's research continues to make significant improvements within the rice industry and beyond — all contributing to a safe and sustainable supply of rice globally,” Bautista wrote in his recommendation letter for the award. “There have been significant advances in the world of research that would not have been possible without leading research from Dr. Atungulu and his team over the years.”
Bautista pointed to Atungulu’s work in improving methods of making instant and parboiled rice from contemporary cultivars, “developing innovative radiant drying, insect disinfestation, and microbial decontamination technologies” and “pioneering rice cooling for improved rice quality and mitigation of yellowing.”