The 2018 Edward & Mary Mather Outstanding Food Safety Student Award was given to Wayne Melichar, a May 2019 graduate of the MSFS program. 

Mr. Melichar was presented with the award by Dr. Patty Weber, Director of the Online Food Safety Program, Dr. Melinda Wilkins, Associate Professor of the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine, and Dean Birgit Puschner, College of Veterinary Medicine.

Mr. Melichar earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences from Western Illinois University. Wayne spent a number of years working as a sanitarian and quality assurance specialist. He is currently a Senior Manager of Food Safety with Feeding America, where he’s worked for the last 7 years and is based in the Chicago area.

For his applied project, Wayne wrote a consultative report for Feeding America entitled: An Assessment of Food Pantries Transporting Refrigerated and Frozen Retail Food Donations.

The Edward & Mary Mather Outstanding Food Safety Student Award (Mather Award) recognizes students that have excelled in the design and implementation of an applied food safety project, a component of the requirement of the Master of Science in Food Safety degree. The food safety applied projects for each calendar year’s graduates are reviewed by a panel of faculty judges for originality, quality, and application to a solution for a food safety problem. The awardees receive a plaque and cash award.

The award is made possible through the support of Dr. Ed and Mrs. Mary Mather. Dr. Ed Mather was the founding Director of the Online Master of Science in Food Safety degree program.