MillerCoors recently donated over $100,000 in brewing laboratory equipment to the UW-Madison bacteriology department for student education.
UW-Madison's Office of Corporate Relations initiated the bond with MillerCoors over three years ago.
According to University Business Liason Anjali Sridharan, the corporate relations office contacted alumnus Mike Jones to help with the process.
Jones, senior vice president at Miller Brewing Co., introduced the university to Dr. David Ryder, vice president of brewing and research at MillerCoors.
According to Sridharan in January 2007, Ryder and 15 other MillerCoors members attended a presentation at the university. In a brainstorming session, Ryder said he wanted an educational brewing lab to teach students about the science of brewing.
David is an interesting guy because he has a Ph.D. in biochemistry and he really understands research '¦ he completely understands what the University of Wisconsin-Madison can bring to the table,"" Sridharan said.
Jo Handelsman, chair of the department of bacteriology, said there will be two courses of fermentation offered for students, but only one will be available in the spring 2009 semester.
The course will accept students who have taken the introduction to microbiology course. It will focus on the science and theories behind fermentation.
""Fermentation is a important area for training students in the job market. There is a demand for people that have experience in brewing,"" Handelsman said. ""This will make students more desirable to a place like MillerCoors.""
