I had the thrill of being taught food chemistry by a living legend, the man who wrote the book that has long been the bible for food chemists. … (Owen) certainly made us all better scientists, even us food microbiologists.
The Owen R. Fennema Professorship in Food Chemistry
Support Food Science Faculty
You are invited to help ensure the Department of Food Science continues to attract top faculty, who will inspire tomorrow’s food scientists and advance the field.
Owen Fennema
Food Science Champion
A university is only as great as its faculty, and Owen Fennema represented the best of the University of Wisconsin-Madison for almost 40 years. A tireless advocate for advancing the field of food science, Fennema has been called the father of food chemistry. His textbook, “Fennema’s Food Chemistry,” has been published in four editions and multiple languages. His impact on food technology was far reaching:
- Revealing the nature, influence and control of water and ice in foods that led to several hundred scholarly publications and book chapters and about 60 theses and dissertations by the graduate students he mentored.
- Providing exemplary teaching to earn the William V. Cruess Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Institute of Food Technologists, a UW-Madison Distinguished Teaching Award and a Fulbright distinguished lecturer award.
- Serving as president and treasurer of the Institute of Food Technologists before becoming editor-in-chief of the institute’s peer-reviewed journals and reversing their decline to produce a publication that is well-respected by food science scholars.
To learn more about gift opportunities, contact:
- Daryl Lund, emeritus professor, Department of Food Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, at: dblund@wisc.edu or 608-250-0659.
- James Behnke, former chief technical officer and senior vice president, the Pillsbury Company, at: jamesrbehnke@yahoo.com or 775-831-1988.
- Barb McCarthy, UW Foundation, at: barb.mccarthy@supportuw.org or 608-308-5347.
The Owen R. Fennema Professorship in Food Chemistry
Funds from the Owen R. Fennema Professorship in Food Chemistry will give an outstanding professor new resources to pursue research, attend professional meetings, travel, support undergraduate research and hire graduate research assistants. Generous donors already have contributed 20 percent of the $1 million goal. Your gift, no matter the size, will honor Owen Fennema’s commitment and contribution to food science and will be an investment in the future of our profession.