AMES, Iowa — A newly renovated food science teaching laboratory, made possible by a charitable contribution from Mary A. Kelleher Nelson and R.W. Nelson and Kemin Industries, will be dedicated July 12 at Iowa State University.
The dedication ceremony for the Kemin Food Science Laboratory, which is open to the public, will begin at 9 a.m. in Room 1951, Food Sciences Building, followed by a ribbon cutting and tours of the new lab. The Food Sciences Building is located at 536 Farm House Lane on campus.
Mary Nelson graduated from Iowa State in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in home economics and education. In 1961, the Nelsons co-founded Kemin Industries, a global ingredient manufacturing company based in Des Moines. Kemin develops food and feed ingredients that enhance the safety, quality and nutrition around the world.
The donation included funds for the lab renovation and new instrumentation to update the teaching capacity. The new facility will be used for undergraduate food chemistry and food analysis lab classes and food microbiology lab classes.
“Students will work in groups to conduct weekly hands-on activities, including instrumental analyses. Having the advanced equipment, thanks to Kemin, will make a huge difference to the students,” said Tong Wang, a professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition.
Kemin has been dedicated to using applied science to improve the quality of life for more than half a century. As a global company touching 3.5 billion people every day with its products, Kemin is committed to improving the quality, safety and efficacy of food, feed and health-related products to feed a growing population and be a resource for others in need.
Kemin maintains top-of-the-line manufacturing facilities where more than 500 specialty ingredients are made for humans and animals in the global feed and food industries, as well as the health, nutrition and beauty markets. The company provides product solutions and options to customers in more than 120 countries.
A privately held, family owned and operated company, Kemin has more than 2,000 global employees and operates in 90 countries including manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, India, Italy, Russia, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.
The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Iowa State University is among the top programs in the nation, currently enrolling 539 undergraduates and 73 graduate students. Co-administered by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Human Sciences, the department offers five undergraduate majors (culinary food science, food science, dietetics and nutritional science); two programs to earn concurrent bachelor’s and master’s degrees; and a program to earn concurrent bachelor’s degree in food science and master’s in business administration. The department offers graduate degrees in food science and technology and in nutritional sciences.