ASEV Selects Dr. Sara Spayd of North Carolina State University to Receive Its Highest Honor
Davis, Calif., March 21, 2019…Professor Emerita Dr. Sara Spayd of North Carolina State University, Raleigh, has been selected to receive the American Society for Enology and Viticulture’s (ASEV) Merit Award for 2019. Dr. Spayd will be presenting the Merit Award Presentation, “Grape and Wine Industry, Research, Extension and Education: It Takes Villages,” at the 70th ASEV National Conference on June 20, 2019 in Napa, California.
Dr. Spayd was an Extension Viticulture Specialist at the Department of Horticultural Sciences at North Carolina State University, Raleigh. Prior to that, she was an Extension Food Scientist/Food Scientist at the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Washington State University, Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center.
She has been a member of ASEV (National) since 1980, holding various positions that include serving as the 2011-2012 President, and chairing multiple symposia and committees. She received three Best Viticulture Papers Awards (1994, 2002 and 2009). She’s currently a member of the ASEV Eastern Section. Other previous membership and committee services include the ASEV Northwest Chapter, American Society for Horticultural Science, Institute of Food Technologist (National and Lewis and Clark Section), Sigma Xi, Gamma Sigma Delta, Central Washington Wine Technical Group and Washington State Grape Society. Dr. Spayd’s research and extension work has generated over 50 international and national speaking engagements that resulted in international vineyard consultations and several awards, including the Krezdorn Award and National Food Processors Award in addition to the three Best Viticulture Paper Awards. She is well known for her deep commitment to her community and mentoring students as early as high school.
“Dr. Sara Spayd embodies what ASEV was designed to do: develop research, create a network, share the knowledge and mentor new leaders. She’s an exemplary colleague who’s produced decades of brilliant research, was actively involved in multiple projects and could be depended on to get you results. But the one thing that stands out about Sara is her ability to bring along students into the industry. With her warm infectious charm, she introduces and guides them into careers and networks they would have never thought to investigate. She introduced me to ASEV and is why I am part of the Society. That is her legacy,” said Jim Harbertson, ASEV Past President, Washington State University, Tri-Cities.
Dr. Spayd graduated from the University of Arkansas with a master’s degree (1977) and a doctorate (1980) in Food Science, both under the mentorship of Dr. Justin Morris. She was the first student to receive a doctorate from the newly named Food Science Department.
Each year, the ASEV presents the Merit Award, its highest honor, to an individual who has contributed in a significant manner to the progress and advancement of enology and viticulture in the industry and/or to the Society. The award acknowledges excellence in the fields of education, technology, management, public relations or any discipline related to enology and viticulture.
In 1950, the ASEV National Conference was established as an annual meeting by a committee of industry and academic representatives comprised of founding leaders such as Maynard Amerine, James Guymon, Joseph Heitz, Louis P. Martini, Harold Olmo, Andre Tchelistcheff, A.W. Webb and A.J. Winkler. The event serves as the wine and grape industry’s platform for progress, offering a unique combination of continued professional education to scientific rigor and fundamental practice. The diverse and comprehensive program includes seminars addressing topics of daily experience in the winery and vineyard as well as reports and updates on original research, and enology and viticulture work in progress.
Open to all industry and academic representatives, the ASEV National Conference provides an ideal opportunity for networking among members of all U.S. wine and grape regions as well as international experts and professionals. For the latest information about the 70th ASEV National Conference taking place in Napa, California, on June17-20, visit www.asev.org.
