Penn State alumni donors Janet and Frank Dudek have pledged $50,000 to establish an endowment to benefit the Department of Food Science in the College of Agricultural Sciences. The Frank J. Dudek and Janet Glasgow Dudek Excellence Endowment will provide funds for ongoing purchases of departmental lab equipment. Janet received her bachelor's degree in zoology from the College of Science in 1969, and in 1972 completed her master's degree in animal nutrition in the College of Agricultural Sciences. Frank received a bachelor's degree in mineral economics from the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences in 1971, and both went on to receive an MBA degree from George Washington University. Having met while students at Penn State, the couple now resides in Arlington, Va., where Janet works as a private consultant for the pharmaceutical industry and Frank is a pilot for American Airlines. Janet also 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 of Agricultural Sciences. The Dudeks previously established a scholarship for graduate students in food science. 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," said John Floros, head of the department, "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."

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