After almost 20 years of working with soybeans and their byproducts, an ISU professor has been elected as president of a chemistry society because of his accomplishments.

Larry Johnson, director of the Center for Crop Utilization and professor of food science and human nutrition, was elected president of the American Oil Chemist Society, which studies new methods of oil extraction from vegetables.

“This is a group of my peers [who elected me,]” Johnson said. “It’s a culmination of my activities in this field, and the pinnacle of my career.”

Johnson has been involved with the American Chemist Society as a board member before his nomination and promotion to president.

“Larry has been on the board of the American Oil Chemist Society for years and was elevated [to president] by people who work on vegetables and their co-products,” said Earl Hammond, university professor emeritus of food science and human nutrition.

Johnson said he thinks his involvement in the American Oil Chemist Society committees and his guidance of the three scientific publications put out by the American Oil Chemist Society helped him gain the recognition to be nominated and then elected as president.

“Over the 20 or so years I’ve been involved with the American Oil Chemist Society, I’ve been on various committees, and I guess they thought I would be a good leader,” Johnson said.

He said he was involved with the remodeling of the Food Sciences Building with special appropriations gained by Neil White. He said he was involved in writing the proposal and participated in the design of the building.

Pamela White, interim dean of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, said she has known Johnson since he arrived at Iowa State, has taught a food lipids class with him, worked with him on research and co-edited a book called “CORN: Chemistry and Technology.”

“This is great that he has been elected as the president of American Oil Chemist Society,” White said.

“It bodes well with ISU for our faculty to serve on nationally recognized societies.”

The American Oil Chemist Society is comprised of people in the academic fields, businesses, and industries such as Cargill, ConAgra, or General Mills, White said.

“We share information on the latest developments on fat, oils and related materials, including soaps and detergents,” White said. “The findings of the American Oil Chemist Society are ways to improve the quality of oils we use in the foods we eat.”

Johnson said he would be in charge of the management of the American Oil Chemist Society’s resources, services provided and how to provide them.

“There is a lot of planning involved in how to make this more than an American society,” Johnson said.