UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Robert Beelman, professor of food science, and Kathleen Kelley, associate professor of horticultural marketing and business management, have been named recipients of the Arthur W. Nesbitt Faculty Program Development Award by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Representing a $150,000 commitment by alumnus Nesbitt, this endowed award supports faculty research, teaching or extension activities in agribusiness, dairy science or food science. The Nesbitt Award also aims to attract additional funding for the selected faculty members' programs.

According to Robert Steele, dean of the college, Beelman is receiving the Nesbitt Award for his work on food processing, especially the examination of potato processing for fresh-market sales. Kelley is receiving the award for her research on viable outlets for Pennsylvania-grown apples and value-added apple products.

Beelman received his bachelor's degree in biology from Capital University, and his master's and doctoral degrees, both in food technology, from Ohio State University. Kelley earned a bachelor's degree in botany and plant pathology, a master's degree in horticulture, and a doctorate in horticulture/botany and plant pathology simultaneously from Michigan State University.

"I'm hopeful this award will allow me to extend to potato products the technology we have developed to produce minimally-processed mushroom products (specifically washed, sliced mushrooms)," says Beelman, who is chair of Penn State's Plant and Mushroom Products Impact Group. "This funding will allow one of my graduate students to work on an independent study project for the summer, with the ultimate goal of helping the potato industry in Pennsylvania."

Kelley notes that her Nesbitt Award funding will be used to investigate the market for Pennsylvania-grown, organic apples. "We plan to implement research studies to help determine consumer demand for apples and value-added apple products," she says. "In addition, the funding will be used to support travel to on-farm markets and farmers' markets so that we can talk with growers and intermediaries and learn more about the potential to market these products through various outlets."

Steele calls both faculty members "very deserving" of the Nesbitt Award. "They have established a distinguished record of scholarship in teaching, research and extension," he says. "This very special award will provide funding to help them attract additional external resources to support their innovative and relevant programs."

Nesbitt graduated from Penn State in 1950 with a degree in agricultural economics. He has had a long career in the agriculture industry, including serving as chairman, president, chief executive officer and director of Nasco International, a distributor of teaching aids, agricultural supplies and laboratory sampling products.

Prior to joining Nasco, he spent two years with Penn State Cooperative Extension in Clarion County and seven years as secretary of the Pennsylvania Holstein Association, which, under his guidance, became a model for other state associations. In addition, he was a director at Gehl Co., a manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment.

Nesbitt served as a Penn State trustee from 1987 to 1988. A supporter of the university since 1979, he also has been a volunteer leader in Penn State fund-raising activities, first for the Snider Agricultural Arena and then for the university's first capital campaign, The Campaign for Penn State. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 1987, and an Alumni Fellow in 1979. He currently is CEO of Awnward LLC and resides in Fort Atkinson, Wis.

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EDITORS: Contact Robert Beelman at 814-863-2964 or by e-mail at rbb6@psu.edu; contact Kathleen Kelley at 814-863-2196 or by e-mail at kmk17@psu.edu

Jeff Mulhollem
Writer/editor
814-863-2719
Jjm29@psu.edu