Donated by the Joseph Drown Foundation, the award will fund the upgrading of the center's state-of-the-art food sciences laboratory, the maintenance of program expenses, lecturer honoraria, as well as stipends and fellowships for student interns and researchers. It also will support faculty, equipment and administration.

"Without the continued generous support of the Joseph Drown Foundation, it would not be possible for the center to achieve the distinction of being one of the leading centers of excellence in the field of nutrition, food science and dietetics," said Tung-Shan Chen, founding director of the Marilyn Magaram Center.

The center's programs focus on student and professional education, community outreach and academic research, said Chen. "The grant enables the center to continue its offering of these programs that benefit students, community and professionals," he said.

The grant will help support programs such as the center's Childhood Obesity Prevention program, which combats obesity with educational health fairs and pamphlets; its Metabolic Syndrome Conference, a professional symposium to educate and provide health care professionals with resources to prevent metabolic syndrome; its Brown Bag Film series, featuring educational films about nutrition and science; its Nutrition Lecture series addressing important nutritional and health issues; and various internship programs which allow students to apply their acquired knowledge toward educating the community and designing nutritional diets and meals.

"The grant is a very important part of upgrading the food science lab," said Helen Castillo, dean of the College of Health and Human Development. "It will provide us with the funds to maintain this state-of-the-art facility and provides new opportunities for students to attain a quality education in food science. Continuing research efforts and community outreach projects are a part of the plans in place for this significant grant. We are most appreciative to the Joseph Drown Foundation and its board members who have assisted us in attaining the mission of the center and the college."

The Magaram Center in the department of Family and Consumer Sciences is dedicated to providing current nutrition and lifestyle information to enhance the knowledge and health of the community. The center's staff and students examine food and its effects on people of all ages, the physical changes food undergoes in processing and preservation, and the behavioral aspects of food consumption.

The facility includes a food science lab featuring four kitchen models-- two commercially oriented and two set up to resemble residential use--and food sensory evaluation booths in which researchers can test consumer acceptance of new foods.