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MSU names a new department head
MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University has named Sam K. Chang as the new head of the Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion.
Chang has been a professor in the Department of Cereal and Food Sciences at North Dakota State University since 1997. Before joining NDSU in 1984, he served as a research fellow at the University of Arizona and associate professor and head at the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan.
“Dr. Chang has an extensive background in research, particularly in the processing and benefits of legumes, including soybeans,” said George Hopper, dean of MSU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “His research experience, coupled with his teaching and service skills, make him an asset to the university.”
Gary Jackson, MSU Extension Service director, noted Chang’s service to professional organizations.
“Dr. Chang has been elected as a fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists and serves on the Advisory Board of the American Council on Science and Health,” Jackson said. “His record of service to universities, communities and his profession will serve Mississippi State well into the future.”
Chang earned his doctorate and master’s degrees in food science and technology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition from the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan.
During his tenure at NDSU, he worked with others to produce five new cultivars for edible beans, a venture that generated revenue for the university.
MSU’s Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion is part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Many of the department’s faculty hold appointments with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and the MSU Extension Service. The department offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in culinology, food science and technology, human nutrition and health promotion.
Hopper, who is also the director of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, noted Chang’s official start date will be June 1, pending approval by Mississippi’s Institutions of Higher Learning.
