The international horticultural community has lost a world-renown researcher in antioxidant research. Dr. Shiow Ying Wang passed away in August 2014 due to brain cancer. Dr. Wang retired in 2011 after 35 years of working as a plant physiologist and biochemist at the Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Beltsville, Maryland. Prior to joining the USDA, she worked at the Mid-Columbia Experiment Station in Hood River, Oregon for 7 years. Originally from Taiwan, she received her B.S. from the National Taiwan University, her M.S. from the University of California-Davis, and Ph.D. from the Oregon State University.
Early in her career, Dr. Wang worked on ethylene physiology, the effect of growth regulators on crop production, and the detrimental effects of environmental pollution on the quality and production of tree fruits.
Later in her career, she devoted her research to health promoting constituents in fruits and vegetables. She devised and refined various methods to extract, purify, isolate and measure different bioactive compounds in fruits and vegetables, studied the effects of preharvest and postharvest factors on antioxidant compounds in berry crops, and evaluated the efficacy of various treatments on increasing antioxidant content in strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Collaborating with colleagues in the medical field, Dr. Wang also demonstrated the free radical scavenging capacities of antioxidants and provided evidence that intake of antioxidants could reduce the risk of certain cancers in animals. She worked tirelessly to study the possible anti-cancer properties and other health benefits of the berry fruits.
Dr. Wang’s work received international recognition and awards. Her research papers were awarded “The American Society for Horticultural Science Fruit Publication Award” and were selected among “Hot Articles” in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Her research was featured in Chemical and Engineering News by the American Chemical Society and also reported in Chemistry in Britain. In addition to publishing more than 160 scientific journal articles and several book chapters, she was also a frequently sought after speaker at national and international conferences. One of her last speaking engagements was at the 2012 International Postharvest Symposium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as the keynote speaker.
Dr. Wang was active in professional societies and previously served as Chair for the “Food Quality, Safety and Health Properties” and “Asia Horticulture” working groups of the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS). She organized colloquiums and workshops on “Food Quality and Safety in Relation to Human Health” and “International Horticultural Development” for the ASHS annual meetings. She served on the editorial review board of Tree Physiology and the screening committee for fruit publication award for ASHS.
During the course of her career, Dr. Wang mentored many visiting scientists and postdoctoral fellows from all over the world including Brazil, Chile, China, Korea, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Spain, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey. Many of these scientists returned to their own countries to become successful scientists and leaders in their fields.
Dr. Wang will be deeply missed by her colleagues, collaborators, visiting scientists, postdoctoral fellows and students. She will always be remembered for her kindness, smile, work ethic, and contributions to the advancement of horticultural science.
Dr. Shiow Ying Wang is survived by her husband, Horticulturist Dr. Chien Yi Wang; her daughter, Jean; her son, Ken; and her grandchildren: Matthew, Madeline, Kai and Willa.
