Bernard J. Liska (May 31, 1931 – November 11, 2002) was an American food scientist who was involved in the creation of the Food Science Department at

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

West Lafayette, Indiana West Lafayette () is a city in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, about northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from its sister city, ...

. He also served as president of the Institute of Food Technologists in 1984–85 and was scientific editor of the '' Journal of Food Science'' from 1970 to 1981.

Early life and career

A native of

Hillsboro, Wisconsin Hillsboro is a city in Vernon County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,397 at the 2020 Census. The city is located within the Town of Hillsboro. Hillsboro is known as the Czech Capital of Wisconsin. Geography Hillsboro is located ...

, Liska earned his

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

M.S. A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

and

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

degrees from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

. After earning his Ph.D., he joined the faculty at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

as an assistant professor of dairy science before joining Purdue University as an assistant professor of food science in 1959.

Career at Purdue

Liska joined Purdue in 1959, and was named director of the Food Science Institute in 1968. He then became director of the Agriculture Experiment Station in 1975, and dean of the School of Agriculture in 1980. During his tenure as dean, Liska strengthened the basic sciences of the school, before stepping down in 1985. The Department of Food Scienc

was established during Liska's tenure in 1983. He remained at Purdue as professor of food science until his 1997 retirement.

Research interests

Liska's research focused on food chemistry, food microbiology, and

sanitation Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation systems ...

. All told, he would have 95 papers published in ten different journals.

Professional service

Liska was a member of the American Dairy Science Association,

American Dietetic Association The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is a 501(c)(6) trade association in the United States. With over 112,000 members, the association claims to be the largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. It has registered dietitian nutr ...

, and Institute of Food Technologists, among others. His greatest service was with the latter, where he served as president in 1984–85 and was scientific editor of the ''Journal of Food Science'' from 1970 to 1981.

Awards

*Fellow – Institute of Food Technologists (1979). *Certificate of Distinction – Purdue University School of Agriculture (1995). *Outstanding Food Science Award – Purdue University Department of Food Science (2001).

Death

Liska died in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

on November 11, 2002.

Selected work

*McGee, C.E., G.S. Born, J.E. Christian, and B.J. Liska. (1969). "Improved extraction procedure for 2,3,5-trilodobenzoic acid from milk and milk products." ''Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology.'' 4(5): 306–310.

References

*"In Memoriam: Bernard J. Liska." ''Food Technology.'' December 2002: p. 16. *Nelson, Philip E. "Memorial Resolution. Bernard J. "Bernie" Liska. Former Dean of the School of Agriculture. Professor Emeritus of Food Science. May 31, 1931 – November 11, 2002." In ''Purdue University Faculty Senate Minutes – 27 January 2003.'' West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University. pp. 29–30.

External links

List of IFT Fellows
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liska, Bernard J. American food scientists Dairy educators American agriculturalists Fellows of the Institute of Food Technologists Purdue University faculty University of Florida faculty University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences alumni People from Florida People from Hillsboro, Wisconsin 1931 births 2002 deaths People from Lafayette, Indiana