Liu Receives 2024 CANR Outstanding Up and Coming Alumni Award

Austin Liu will receive the 2024 CANR Outstanding Up and Coming Alumni Award during the annual ANR Awards on Friday, March 1.

Austin Liu headshot

Austin Liu, of Laguna Niguel, California, will receive a Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) Outstanding Up and Coming Alumni Award at the March 1 ANR Awards Program.

The CANR Outstanding Up and Coming Alumni Award honors individuals who have distinguished themselves by obtaining a high level of professional accomplishment and who possess high standards of integrity and character to positively reflect and enhance the prestige of the CANR within 15 years of graduation.

A 2019 graduate from the School of Packaging, Liu is working towards establishing himself as a valued industry leader and contributor. He currently serves as a senior packaging engineer at Abbott, where he seeks to promote patient safety through packaging and microbiological quality. Prior to joining Abbott, Liu supported the healthcare value chain at Johnson & Johnson, Steripack Contract Manufacturing and Packaging Compliance Labs in various packaging engineering and program management responsibilities.  

Highlights of his early day-job career accomplishments include the generation of new contract service revenue streams, execution of validation requirements related to healthcare packaging design and processes, development of co-op programs and managing a diagnostic solutions portfolio in support of global supply chain issues during the pandemic that resulted in a tenfold increase in US plant revenue within eight months.

In Liu’s moonlighting career, his commitment to developing the next generation of packaging professionals and advancing healthcare packaging shines. Inspired by his experience at the School of Packaging, Liu has continually found ways to give back and support opportunities for current students since graduating through his industry connections, mentorship and generous philanthropic support.

Shortly after graduation, Liu provided graduate students at the School of Packaging with funds to support fees associated with open-source publications, increasing equitable publishing access for students. He has also funded students to attend various industry conferences, enhancing networking opportunities and furthering their personal development. He is currently in the process of establishing an endowment at the School of Packaging that will support students focused on healthcare packaging.

Liu has also demonstrated service to the healthcare packaging industry through various capacities in standards development, grassroots research and development and professional development organizations.

This includes serving through leadership roles or active participation in the Medical Device Packaging Technical Committee (MDPTC), Kilmer Innovations in Packaging (KiiP), Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), ASTM International D10 (Packaging) and F02 (Primary Barrier Packaging) Technical Committees.  

 

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