View source for Edwin Michael Foster

{{Short description|American microbiologist}}
'''Edwin Michael Foster''' (January 1, 1917, [[Alba, Texas]] – February 11, 2013, [[Madison, Wisconsin]]) was an American microbiologist, specializing in food microbiology. He was the president of the [[American Society for Microbiology]] (ASM) in 1970.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1128/br.34.3.217-221.1970|title=Unde et quo |year=1970 |last1=Foster |first1=E. M. |journal=Bacteriological Reviews |volume=34 |issue=3 |pages=217–221 |pmid=4394153 |pmc=378354 }} (ASM presidential address)</ref>
==Biography==
Foster grew up in poverty on a small cotton farm in East Texas.<ref name=obitUWM>{{cite web|url=https://ecals.cals.wisc.edu/2013/04/22/in-memoriam-edwin-michael-foster/|date=April 22, 2013|title=In memoriam: Edwin Michael Foster|website=eCALS, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin Madison }}</ref> At North Texas State Teachers College (now named the [[University of North Texas]]), he graduated in 1936 with a bachelor's degree and in 1937 with a master's degree in biology. At the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]] (UWM), he graduated in 1940 with a Ph.D. in agricultural bacteriology.<ref name=BioDict>{{cite book|editor=Cattell, Jaques|title=American Men of Science: A Biographical Dictionary|page=810|year=1949|publisher=The Science Press|location=Lancaster, Pennsylvania|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ea9CC4lCicQC&pg=PA810}}</ref> His Ph.D. thesis ''The bacteriology of brick cheese during ripening''.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V61RAAAAMAAJ&q=brick+cheese+ripening | page=8| title=Summaries of Doctoral Dissertations, University of Wisconsin | year=1940 | publisher=University of Wisconsin Press }}</ref> was supervised by William Carroll Frazier.<ref name=obitUWM/> From 1940 to 1941 Foster was an instructor in agricultural bacteriology at UMW. From 1941 to 1942 he worked as a bacteriologist in Texas.<ref name=BioDict/> From 1942 to 1943, he was a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Sanitation Corps. From 1943 to 1945 he was a U.S. Army captain in the [[Chemical Warfare Service]] (CWS).<ref name=BioDict/> During his CWS service, he was stationed at [[Fort Detrick#History|Camp Detrick]] and worked on biowarfare. The 2007 [[PBS]] ''[[American Experience]]'' documentary ''The Living Weapon'' mentions his CWS service.<ref name=obitUWM/><ref>{{cite web|title=''The Living Weapon'', transcript from broadcast of ''American Experience''|website=Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), WGBH|date=February 5, 2007|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/weapon/#transcript}}</ref> In late 1945 he became an assistant professor of agricultural bacteriology at UWM. There he was promoted to associate professor in 1946 and full professor in 1952, retiring as professor emeritus in 1987.<ref name=meatproducts>{{cite web|title=Edwin Michael Foster|website=Meat Science & Animal Biologics Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison|url=https://meatsciences.qa.webhosting.cals.wisc.edu/directory/edwin-m-foster/}}</ref> In 1966 he arranged for the Food Research Institute to move from the [[University of Chicago]] to UWM. He was the institute's director from 1966 to 1986 and expanded its size and scope. In 1975 the institute became its own department, named the Department of Food Micriobiology and Toxicoloy, at UWW. The new department was chaired by Foster from 1975 to 1986.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Memorial Tribute to Edwin Michaal 'Mike' Foster|date=May 21, 2013|website=Food Research Institute, University of Wisconsin–Madison|url=https://fri.wisc.edu/files/Program_PDF/final_program_Memorial%20Tribute%20to%20Mike_rev14May2013.pdf}}</ref><ref name=obitUWM/><ref name=meatproducts/>
Foster did research on the bacteriology of cheese and the microbiology of several important subjects in food science: meat products, refrigerated foods, and the bovine [[rumen]].<ref name=BioDict/> He was a leading expert on the bacteriology and biochemistry of sodium nitrate in meat products. His research in the 1950s and 1960s on the bacteriology involved in vacuum-packaging and plastic-packaging of meat products enabled meat processors to greatly extend the shelf life of [[Meal, Ready-to-Eat|ready-to-eat]] meat products.<ref name=meatproducts/>
He was an internationally recognized expert on food microbiology.<ref>{{cite news|title=Obituary. Foster, Dr. Edwin Michael "Mike"|date=March 24, 2013|newspaper=Wisconsin State Journal (madison.com)|location=Madison, Wisconsin|url=https://madison.com/news/local/obituaries/foster-dr-edwin-michael-mike/article_7513d35e-9260-11e2-b1d9-0019bb2963f4.html}}</ref> His directorship of the Food Research Institute established UWM as a world-class center of food research.<ref name=meatproducts/>
Foster was elected in 1964 a fellow of the [[American Association for the Advancement of Science]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Historic Fellows|website=American Association for the Advancement of Science|url=https://www.aaas.org/fellows/historic}} (Search on last-name=Foster & year=1964.)</ref> In 1982 he was the W. O. Atwater Memorial Lecturer.<ref>{{cite web|title=Previous Atwater Lecturers, W. O. Atwater Memorial Lecture|website=Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture|url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/lectures/atwater-previous-lecturers/}}</ref>
In 1941 he married Winona Lively (1919–2006). They were parents of a son, Michael Stewart Foster.<ref name=meatproducts/>
==Selected publications==
* {{cite journal|doi=10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(41)70226-2|title=The Bacteriology of Brick Cheese. I. Growth and Activity of Starter Bacteria during Manufacture |year=1941 |last1=Garey |first1=John C. |last2=Foster |first2=Edwin M. |last3=Frazier |first3=William C. |journal=Journal of Dairy Science |volume=24 |issue=12 |pages=1015–1025 |doi-access=free }}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2621.1951.tb17382.x|title=Effect of Different Artificial Casings on the Microbial Changes in Refrigerated Liver Sausage |year=1951 |last1=Steinke |first1=P. K. W. |last2=Foster |first2=E. M. |journal=Journal of Food Science |volume=16 |issue=1–6 |pages=289–293 }}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(52)93794-6|title=The bacteriology of sweet-curd brick cheese |year=1952 |last1=Zorn |first1=R.A. |last2=Butzi |first2=F.F. |last3=Foster |first3=E.M. |journal=Journal of Dairy Science |volume=35 |issue=12 |pages=1067–1075 |doi-access=free }}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2621.1952.tb16795.x|title=The Bacteriology of Refrigerated Ground Beef |year=1952 |last1=Kirsch |first1=R. H. |last2=Berry |first2=F. E. |last3=Baldwin |first3=C. L. |last4=Foster |first4=E. M. |journal=Journal of Food Science |volume=17 |issue=1–6 |pages=495–503 }}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1128/jb.71.3.333-338.1956|title=Characteristics of Organisms Isolated from the Rumen of Cows Fed High and Low Roughage Rations |year=1956 |last1=Bauman |first1=H. E. |last2=Foster |first2=E. M. |journal=Journal of Bacteriology |volume=71 |issue=3 |pages=333–338 |pmid=13306705 |pmc=357799 }}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2621.1960.tb17931.x|title=Spoilage of Vacuum-Packed Sliced Processed Meats During Refrigerated Storage |year=1960 |last1=Allen |first1=J. R. |last2=Foster |first2=E. M. |journal=Journal of Food Science |volume=25 |pages=19–25 }}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1128/jb.85.1.53-61.1963|title=Incorporation of Isobutyrate and Valerate into Cellular Plasmalogen by ''Bacteroides succinogenes'' |year=1963 |last1=Wegner |first1=G. H. |last2=Foster |first2=E. M. |journal=Journal of Bacteriology |volume=85 |pages=53–61 |pmid=13999496 |pmc=278089 }}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1128/am.13.6.1023-1025.1965|title=Effect of Vacuum Packaging on Growth of ''Clostridium botulinum'' and ''Staphylococcus aureus'' in Cured Meats |year=1965 |last1=Christiansen |first1=Lee N. |last2=Foster |first2=E. M. |journal=Applied Microbiology |volume=13 |issue=6 |pages=1023–1025 |pmid=5325416 |pmc=1058389 }}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1128/jb.91.3.919-924.1966|title=''Clostridium botulinum'' Type E in Fish from the Great Lakes |year=1966 |last1=Bott |first1=Thomas L. |last2=Deffner |first2=Janet S. |last3=McCoy |first3=Elizabeth |last4=Foster |first4=E. M. |journal=Journal of Bacteriology |volume=91 |issue=3 |pages=919–924 |pmid=5326102 |pmc=315978 }}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.4315/0022-2747-29.11.342|title=Latest Developments in Research on Botulism |year=1966 |last1=Foster |first1=E. M. |last2=Sugiyama |first2=H. |journal=Journal of Milk and Food Technology |volume=29 |issue=11 |pages=342–347 }} 1966
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1128/am.16.2.401-405.1968|title=Role of Curing Agents in the Preservation of Shelf-stable Canned Meat Products |year=1968 |last1=Duncan |first1=Charles L. |last2=Foster |first2=E. M. |journal=Applied Microbiology |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=401–405 |pmid=5645422 |pmc=547417 }}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1128/am.16.2.406-411.1968|title=Effect of Sodium Nitrite, Sodium Chloride, and Sodium Nitrate on Germination and Outgrowth of Anaerobic Spores |year=1968 |last1=Duncan |first1=Charles L. |last2=Foster |first2=E. M. |journal=Applied Microbiology |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=406–411 |pmid=5645423 |pmc=547418 }}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1128/am.16.2.412-416.1968|title=Nitrite-induced Germination of Putrefactive Anaerobe 3679h Spores |year=1968 |last1=Duncan |first1=Charles L. |last2=Foster |first2=E. M. |journal=Applied Microbiology |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=412–416 |pmid=5645424 |pmc=547419 }}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1128/am.16.1.133-137.1968|title=Survival and Outgrowth of ''Clostridium botulinum'' Type E Spores in Smoked Fish |year=1968 |last1=Christiansen |first1=Lee N. |last2=Deffner |first2=Janet |last3=Foster |first3=E. M. |last4=Sugiyama |first4=H. |journal=Applied Microbiology |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=133–137 |pmid=4865899 |pmc=547331 }}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1001/jama.1969.03160370076025|title=Botulinus Toxin |year=1969 |last1=Dack |first1=Gail M. |author-link=Gail Monroe Dack |author2=Foster, E. M. |journal=JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association |volume=210 |issue=11 |page=2092 }}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1093/jaoac/54.2.259|title=The Control of Salmonellae in Processed Foods: A Classification System and Sampling Plan |year=1971 |last1=Foster |first1=E. M. |journal=Journal of AOAC International |volume=54 |issue=2 |pages=259–266 |pmid=5162617 |doi-access=free }}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.4315/0362-028X-43.6.450|title=Inhibition of Botulinum Toxin Formation in Bacon by Acid Development |year=1980 |last1=Tanaka |first1=N. |last2=Traisman |first2=E. |last3=Lee |first3=M. H. |last4=Cassens |first4=R. G. |last5=Foster |first5=E. M. |journal=Journal of Food Protection |volume=43 |issue=6 |pages=450–457 |pmid=30822950 |doi-access=free }}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.1111/j.1753-4887.1982.tb06833.x|title=How Safe Are Our Foods? |year=1982 |last1=Foster |first1=E.M. |journal=Nutrition Reviews |volume=40 |pages=28–34 }}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.4315/0362-028X-45.2.152|title=Fate of ''Salmonella typhimurium'' and ''Staphylococcus aureus'' in Meat Salads Prepared with Mayonnaise |year=1982 |last1=Doyle |first1=M. P. |last2=Bains |first2=N. J. |last3=Schoeni |first3=J. L. |last4=Foster |first4=E. M. |journal=Journal of Food Protection |volume=45 |issue=2 |pages=152–156 |pmid=30866198 |doi-access=free }}
* {{cite journal|doi=10.4315/0362-028X-46.5.453|title=Determining the Safety of Enzymes Used in Food Processing |year=1983 |last1=Pariza |first1=M. W. |last2=Foster |first2=E. M. |journal=Journal of Food Protection |volume=46 |issue=5 |pages=453–468 |pmid=30913657 |doi-access=free }}
==References==
<references/>
{{Presidents of the American Society for Microbiology|state=collapsed}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Edwin Michael}}
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:2013 deaths]]
[[Category:American bacteriologists]]
[[Category:American food scientists]]
[[Category:University of North Texas alumni]]
[[Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni]]
[[Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty]]
[[Category:Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science]]
[[Category:People from Wood County, Texas]]