Robert A. Beck Scholarship

This $1000 scholarship was established by the Department and the Food Science Industrial Advisory Board in honor of Professor Emeritus Robert A. Beck, PhD. It is open to any Food Science junior, senior, or graduate student, and is awarded annually based on exceptional scholarly achievement as well as involvement with the food science community.

Applications must be received by the middle of January. Applicants should submit their transcript or degree audit, as well as a letter in which they (1) talk about what drew them to the field of food science, (2) describe their achievements in food science, (3) discuss their professional goals and the contributions they want to make to the food industry, and (4) explain how they plan to promote the growth of the Food Science program at FSU. Applications will be evaluated by program faculty and the Advisory Board.

ABOUT ROBERT A. BECK

Robert A. Beck, Professor EmeritusPhD Analytical Biochemistry, Clark Univeristy
MS Food and Resource Chemistry in Environmental Health Sciences, University of Rhode Island
BA Biology, Framingham State College

Dr. Beck joined the Framingham State faculty in January 1973. He was a distinguished professor, researcher, and consultant to various local food companies. A dedicated educator, he was the long-time advisor for Framingham State's MS program in Food Science and Nutrition Science. He was internationally known for his work with vitamin B12, and was a recipient of the Institute of Food Technologists Northeast Section Research Award. As the director of Framingham State's Institute for Food Science, Technology & Nutritional Biochemistry, he acquired over the years $1.7 million in research funding from external sources. The construction of the Food Science Pilot Plant was made possible through a grant he received from the National Science Foundation. He both published and reviewed numerous articles for scholarly journals, and co-authored with distinguished Framingham State colleague Dr. Charles Zapsalis the 1242-page comprehensive text Food Chemistry and Nutritional Biochemistry, published in 1985. Dr. Beck retired in June 2010.