Wilbur Olin Atwater

Wilbur Olin Atwater
Atwater's USDA portrait
Born(1844-05-03)May 3, 1844
DiedSeptember 22, 1907(1907-09-22) (aged 63)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materWesleyan University (BA)
Yale University (PhD)
Known forAtwater system, studies of human nutrition and metabolism
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry

Wilbur Olin Atwater (May 3, 1844 – September 22, 1907) was an American chemist known for his studies of human nutrition and metabolism, and is considered the father of modern nutrition research and education. He is credited with developing the Atwater system, which laid the groundwork for nutrition science in the United States and inspired modern Olympic nutrition.[1]

Atwater was director of the first United States Agricultural Experiment Station at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut and he was the U.S. Department of Agriculture's first chief of nutrition investigations.[2]

  1. ^ Olympians Owe Gold Standard to 19th Century Chemist, Fox News. By Paul Martin. Published 31 July 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  2. ^ "Wilbur Olin Atwater Papers | Special Collections". specialcollections.nal.usda.gov. Retrieved 2020-04-01.