Leon Spicer

author of Encyclopedia of Biotechnology in Agriculture and Food

February 4, 2013

Dr. Leon Spicer received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in animal science from the University of Minnesota and University of Idaho, respectively, and his Ph.D. degree in dairy science from Michigan State University. Before joining the OSU faculty in 1988, Dr. Spicer served as an Instructor at the M.S. Hershey Medical Center, The Pennsylvania State University. In 2005, Dr. Spicer was Visiting Professor at Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA. Dr. Spicer's research has focused on improving reproductive efficiency in dairy cattle and has taken both applied and basic approaches to better understand nutritional and metabolic regulation of ovarian function. Leon's outstanding research reputation has lead to numerous invited talks in the USA and six countries, as well as invitations to review grants for numerous USA and international granting agencies. Dr. Spicer is a member of several scientific societies including the American Society of Animal Science and served as President of OSU's Chapter of Sigma Xi, and has served on six editorial boards and reviewed hundreds of journal articles for more than forty scientific journals. Dr. Spicer has been a prolific researcher and writer, publishing over 429 articles, abstracts and reports which include 152 peer-reviewed research papers.

The primary focus of the Encyclopedia of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology is on the science and applications of molecular biology for agriculture and foods. The entries describe the concepts and processes used as new tools for the production of raw agricultural materials and the manufacturing of foods products, as well as concerns associated with these applications.

Applications of molecular biology throughout the food chain will continue to evolve and future applications will have many positive impacts of the quantities and quality of foods. This reference should provide readers from many different backgrounds with the opportunity to gain a better understanding of current applications, and the potential applications of the future. A total of 175 chapters cover many areas related to biotechnology as applied to agriculture and food including topics on the science associated with cloning of animals, genetic modification of plants, enhanced quality of foods, regulations associated with applications of biotechnology, interpretation of biotechnology in the news and media, the biotechnology/ environment interface, consumer acceptance of the products of biotechnology, and overviews on topics such as risk assessment, food security, and genetic diversity.

URL: https://library.okstate.edu/news/celebratingbooks/2013-honorees/leon-spicer

Last Updated: 12 January 2022