PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A multi-million dollar gift is helping a local university advance research on nutritional sciences and its effect on early childhood cognitive development.
On Tuesday, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Foundation announced it received a $2 million gift from donors Christopher and Susan Salm. The money will allow the university to fund its first first full-time researcher and accompanying support staff to study nutrition and its effect on early childhood cognitive development.
Officials say the Salm Professorship in Nutritional Sciences “could have a profound impact on the health and well-being of young children in the region and beyond.”
This research, along with studies in brain health and development through nutrition, aims to complement UW-Green Bay’s work to position Phoenix Innovation Park as a research hub in Northeast Wisconsin.
“We are honored by this opportunity to give back and we want to support this vital research,” said Christopher Salm in a news release. “We know that specific nutrients have a profound effect on cognitive development and can change the health of a population. Let’s give it our focus.”
Susan Salm added, “Many of us share a fascination with food and fitness, particularly young people. Let’s harness that energy and enthusiasm. This is one way to feed the need of students to recognize their purpose in life and hopefully, change the world for the better.”
UW-Green Bay describes the Salm Professorship as follows:
Powered by the belief that every child would benefit from optimal cognitive development stemming from adequate nutrition in the first years of life, the Salm Professorship will support UW-Green Bay’s leading nutrition program. This dedicated research professor position will allow UW-Green Bay to collaborate with community partners that are part of the dynamic agriculture, food, and nutrition industries that contribute substantially to the regional economy. In addition, it will fuel further innovation and technological advances in maximizing the power of good nutrition.
Christopher Salm graduated from UW-Madison with a bachelor’s degree in meat and animal science before earning his master’s degree and Ph.D. at Purdue University in muscle biology and bioengineering. He has worked in the industry for many years, including at Oscar Mayer, Johnsonville Sausage and ConAgra (Armour-Swift-Eckrich).
In 2003, Chris and Susan teamed up with three of Chris’ brothers to found Salm Partners in Denmark, Wisconsin. In 2015, Salm co-founded Ab E Discovery, a venture designed to aid university scientists in the commercialization of their discoveries and inventions that are focused on animal agriculture and human health. From that start-up, three more businesses resulted: AbE Manufacturing, Ovation Foods and CoVigilance.
The Salms have three married children and seven grandchildren.
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