Contacts:
Juming Tang, WSU Distinguished Chair of Food Engineering, 509-335-2140, jtang@wsu.edu
Claudio Stockle, chair, WSU Department of Biological Systems Engineering, 509-335-1578, stockle@wsu.edu
Kathy Barnard, Marketing, News and Educational Communications, WSU College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences, 509-335-2806, kbarnard@wsu.edu
By Kathy Barnard, College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences
Food engineer Juming Tang named first WSU distinguished chair in field
PULLMAN, Wash. – Juming Tang, a professor of food engineering who developed a new technology that could revolutionize how food is preserved and processed, is the first Washington State University Distinguished Chair of Food Engineering."Dr. Tang epitomizes the kind of researcher and educator that warrants ‘Distinguished Chair' designation, " said Dan Bernardo, vice president for agriculture and extension and dean of the WSU College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences. "This title reflects the quality, scope and impact of his entire program.”
The new position and title provide additional funding to Tang's research program.
Tang joined the WSU faculty in 1995. His research focuses on developing advanced thermal processing technologies to control pathogens in packaged food. He directs the WSU Microwave Sterilization Consortium, consisting of members from the world's top food processing and packing companies.
His laboratory patented the design for 915 MHz single-mode microwave assisted sterilization technology in 2006 and, three years later, received the first ever U.S. Food and Drug Administration acceptance of microwave sterilization processes. The team received the second FDA acceptance in 2010, making the technology ready for commercialization.
During his time at WSU, Tang has advised more than 30 doctoral students and published more than 200 journal articles. He is past president of the International Microwave Power Institute and past chair of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Food Engineering Division. He serves on the editorial board of three international journals in his field.
He was a 2004 NASA Faculty Fellow and has received many awards, including the WSU Graduate and Professional Student Outstanding Advisor Award in 2005, the Anjan Bose Outstanding Researcher Award in 2008, the IFT R&D Award in 2010 and the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers International Food Engineer Award in 2012.