Babcock Hall

Babcock Hall

1605 Linden Drive

Built in 1951, expanded in 1990, current renovation/expansion expected to be completed in 2022.

Babcock Hall houses the Department of Food Science and the Center for Dairy Research, as well as the Babcock Hall Dairy Plant and the Babcock Hall Dairy Store. The building is named after Stephen Babcock, a UW­­­–Madison agricultural chemist who developed the first reliable butterfat content milk test in 1890. The centrifuge that Babcock used is on display inside the main entrance.

The Department of Food Science has been a part of the UW–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences for more than 100 years. Originally housed in Hiram Smith Hall from its founding, the Department of Food Science moved into Babcock Hall when the building opened in 1951. Work in the department involves dairy, fruit, vegetable, confections and fermented foods. Course work and research areas include food safety, processing, chemistry, microbiology, engineering and human health. The Babcock Hall Dairy Plant and the Babcock Hall Dairy Store support the department’s instruction, research and outreach missions. A second floor observation deck overlooks the dairy plant. Visit babcockhalldairyplant.wisc.edu for a viewing schedule. Website: www.foodsci.wisc.edu.

The Center for Dairy Research (CDR) was established in 1986 and is funded largely by dairy industry partners. The center conducts basic and applied research that supports use of cheese and other milk components as ingredients or finished products. Also, the center conducts numerous short courses, notably the Wisconsin Master Cheese Makers program, and works with individual businesses, small and large, on new product development. Website: www.cdr.wisc.edu