Back in 2014, the Animal Sciences Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison began to ponder the question: How do we teach meat science in the future? What will a classroom look like, and how will students get the best education possible? What role will technology play in the future? What research will be necessary, and what new technologies can bring additional revenue streams both to the industry in general and the University itself? Those questions ultimately led to the all-encompassing question of, “What kind of building will allow us to set the gold standard for meat science education in the United States?”
What followed was a 6-year (and then some) journey through setting goals, drawing plans, raising funds, hiring contractors and doing construction work (and occasional rework) until the vision was complete. The net result is the Meat Science & Animal Biologics Discovery Building, a new gem on UW-Madison’s campus. With state-of-the-art classrooms, a USDA-inspected meat plant, a biosafety level 2 facility, new animal biologics research capabilities and more, the building represents a $57 million investment into the future of meat science education.