Dr. Huang Scholarship Fund Reception

This October we had the privilege to honor Dr. Yaowen Huang and present him with a new scholarship fund in his honor: The Dr. Yaowen Huang Family Food Science and Technology Graduate Fellowship Fund. This fund will provide support for graduate students in the Department of Food Science and Technology, continuing the impact that Dr. Huang has had on this department and its students.

Dr. Huang began working for the university in the Marine Science program in 1982, and started working for the Department of Food Science and Technology in 1988 as an associate professor. He taught countless classes and mentored many graduate and undergraduate students during his time here, such as Food Product Development, where he collaborated with students on making award-winning products like sweet potato puffs and pasta, peanut chips and a bread-free breakfast sandwich.

His research has also been a long-lasting facet of our department. Dr. Huang was the first to study the edible properties of cannon ball jellyfish, a topic that is still being researched by our graduate students and has become very renowned and successful.

Dr. Huang received many awards during his tenure here. To name a few, in 2009 he was named the new national president of Phi Tau Sigma, the honorary society for food science and named a Fellow of the Institute of Technologists. In 2010, D.W. Brooks Award for Excellence in Global Programs.

The scope of Dr. Huang’s success not only lies in his own accomplishments, but also those of his students. Jaideep Singh Sidhu, a former student and CAES Alumni Board President, is currently serving as the Commercialization Director of Flavor Supply at the Coca Cola Company. Faustine Sonon, another former student, is currently a Senior Team Leader in Advanced Analytics & Automation at Chick-fil-A Corporate.

Our department is so proud of the accomplishments and dedication of Dr. Huang. We were so thankful for the opportunity to present this scholarship in front of friends and family this semester.