Oral History Interview, Mark Cook (1394)

Abstract

In his four April 2014 interviews with Bob Lange, Mark Cook details his three decades of service to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Beginning with an account of his family’s background and early days in Louisiana, he recalls the influences that shaped his teaching and interests in nutritional science. Emphasizing his entrepreneurial nature, he also discusses new research he conducted in poultry nutritional science, mycotoxins, CLA, and biomarkers. During the last half of the interview, he recounts significant innovations he helped generate in poultry science education at UW, the relationships between industry and the university (technology transfer), and general university service. Throughout, Cook shares his perspectives on the strengths of UW as a teaching institution, his perceptions of major UW figures, and his opinions on how to integrate pure science and commercially viable innovation. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the UW-Madison Oral History Program.