UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Tanuj Motwani of Jaipur, India, a graduate student in Penn State's Department of Food Science, recently won the 2006 Juran Doctoral Award for his research proposal involving development of a technique to monitor a critical aspect of chocolate manufacturing.

The Juran Award is given by the Joseph M. Juran Center for Leadership in Quality at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota. Every year the Juran Center selects and honors doctoral candidates from leading research universities whose research shows the most promise in broadening and fueling thinking and practices in the area of quality-related research in their chosen fields. The award includes a $2,500 stipend and is matched by an additional $2,500 from the Office of the Provost at Penn State.

The Juran Award is quite prestigious, according to John Floros, professor and head of food science. "Joseph M. Juran has been a pioneer in quality control of manufacturing processes, and I am delighted to have one of our food science students receive this important award," he said. "The honor is a testament to Tanuj's in-depth knowledge of the science and engineering aspects of food processing and to his creativity, determination and hard work. The award clearly indicates that the quality of guidance and advice Tanuj received from Dr. Swamy Anantheswaran, his major professor and one of the best food engineers in the country, was first-rate. It makes all of us in the Department of Food Science very proud."

Motwani was thrilled to be recognized for the quality of his work. " It feels great to receive an award from the Juran Center, which is so widely recognized," he said. "Moreover, it motivates me to think and to conduct research along the lines of quality improvement during food processing."

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EDITORS: Contact Tanuj Motwani at (814) 571-3561 or by e-mail at tum123@psu.edu.

Jeff Mulhollem Writer/Editor Phone: 814-863-2719 E-mail: jjm29@psu.edu