University Park, Pa. -- Penn State alumni Janet and Frank Dudek have pledged $50,000 to endow a fund that will support purchases of lab equipment for the Department of Food Science in the College of Agricultural Sciences. The endowment will be named for the donors in recognition of their generosity.
This summer the Department of Food Science will move into a new, $46 million building, the largest of its kind in the nation. This new facility will include a medium-size food manufacturing plant, three small-scale processing pilot plants, an outreach center, a modern sensory analysis laboratory, two teaching laboratories and many research laboratories. During the next year or two the department plans to outfit all these spaces with state-of-the-art equipment for teaching, research and outreach activities.
"Janet and Frank's generous support will make such equipment purchases easier to fund, which will improve the quality of research being performed in our labs for years to come and have a tremendous impact on the educational experience of our present and future students," said John Floros, head of the department.
The Dudeks met while undergraduates at Penn State. Janet Dudek received her bachelor's degree in zoology in 1969 from what is today's Eberly College of Science, and in 1972 completed her master's degree in animal nutrition in the College of Agricultural Sciences. Frank Dudek received a bachelor's degree in mineral economics from the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences in 1971. Both Janet and Frank went on to earn MBA degrees from George Washington University.
The Dudeks now reside in Arlington, Va., where Janet works as a private consultant for the pharmaceutical industry and Frank is a pilot for American Airlines. Janet also has served on the College of Agricultural Sciences' volunteer committee for Penn State's Grand Destiny Campaign, is a long-time member of the Food Industry Group and is a member of the Armsby Honorary Society, which honors alumni and friends who have demonstrated a commitment to the college. The Dudeks previously established a scholarship for graduate students in food science.