Source: UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA submitted to NRP
NOURISH (NUTRITION OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS PROMOTING RESILIENT AND INCLUSIVE SUSTAINABLE FOOD AND HEALTH SYSTEMS)
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1031409
Grant No.
2024-38413-41463
Cumulative Award Amt.
$247,500.00
Proposal No.
2023-05718
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Dec 1, 2023
Project End Date
Nov 30, 2027
Grant Year
2024
Program Code
[KF]- Multicultural Scholars
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
888 N EUCLID AVE
TUCSON,AZ 85719-4824
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The NOURISH Scholarship Program is a combined MSP and SEL 4 year project. Codes: F, N and O-Food Systems. The NOURISH addresses two challenges in the healthcare field. (1) Addressing malnutrition through increased access to healthy and sustainable diets is nuanced and complex. Nutrition, health and other FANH professionals are well-positioned to provide guidance to individuals and in food systems policy initiatives; however, health professionals, including Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs), receive minimal education in their professional curriculum on agriculture and food systems. In this project, we provide experiential learning in agriculture and food systems to nutritional sciences students who intend to pursue dietetics or other FANH professions. (2) Access to graduate and professional school preparation and mentoring. The BS Degree in Nutritional Sciences provides students with a strong foundation of academic coursework; however, no formal food systems education or experience is required in the curriculum and there are no formal peer mentoring programs. In this project, NOURISH Scholars receive ongoing culturally responsive mentoring each semester, attend four leadership workshops, actively participate in professional organizations, and complete eight units of experiential learning curriculum focused on food systems, the role of extension, and food science and safety. The NOURISH Scholars Program is an innovative educational model addressing the two identified challenges by employing culturally responsive approaches to teaching, mentoring, and training, and implementing experiential learning interventions that address minority college students' barriers of awareness, opportunity, and achievement (AOA).
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
70350101010100%
Knowledge Area
703 - Nutrition Education and Behavior;

Subject Of Investigation
5010 - Food;

Field Of Science
1010 - Nutrition and metabolism;
Goals / Objectives
The goal of the NOURISH MSP is to prepare future nutrition and FANH professionals to effectively advance initiatives and policies that increase food access, food security, nutrition, and overall health. Through collaborative efforts in healthcare, food and agriculture industries, and public and private community-serving organizations, the scholars will be trained to navigate the complex challenges associated with achieving health equity in their communities through their work in existing healthcare professions, and careers that do not yet exist. The NOURISH Scholarship Program provides targeted experiences in food systems that compliments the science-intensive pre-health curriculum, to ultimately produce engaged and informed change-makers who appreciate the responsibility of healthcare professionals to advocate for sustainable and resilient food systems as a mechanism of promoting health equity.Objective 1, recruit and select ten highly qualified MSP Scholars; Objective 2, engage Scholars with their community the food system, and research through immersive learning; Objective 3, support Scholars in meeting academic program requirements; Objective 4, develop Scholars' leadership and professional competencies; Objective 5, prepare Scholars for graduate and professional school.
Project Methods
The NOURISH Scholars are juniors and seniors majoring in the SNSW who are enrolled at UArizona-Main Campus. During two, 2-year cohorts of five scholars each, the NOURISH Scholars Program will provide students with the following support and experiences to promote their academic and non-academic success, and their preparation for entry into FANH graduate and professional schools and the workforce: 1) Complete 8 units of hybrid academic coursework with 160 hours of immersive on-site learning in food systems, community food literacy programs, and food related research. These classes involve hands-on learning through agriculture and food systems excursions, urban farming and community food and nutrition education, and research related to food science and safety, and are open to enrollment by students in SNSW in addition to NOURISH Scholars. As part of the NOURISH program Scholars will attend four immersive agriculture and food systems excursions where they will interact with producers, production managers, and other industry business leaders to learn about complex food systems challenges affecting different industries and consumers. The Experiential Learning Cycle applies to our immersive on-site curriculum and our special experiential learning, and is adaptable to all learning styles and having experiential learning opportunities during college is highly correlated with degree completion11. 2) Participate in four culturally responsive NOURISHING Leaders workshops in Tucson, AZ focused on promoting a) productive mentor/mentee relationships b) strengths-based leadership c) exploring career paths in FANH d) graduate and professional school preparation e) Food Systems. Faculty and nutrition professionals from diverse backgrounds will be invited to co-deliver these workshops, and will highlight information such as professional networks for people of color in nutrition and food related fields, food justice in the food system, and others. 3) Attend four, one-on-one academic advising sessions conducted by Academic Advisors in SNSW, where they will receive referrals to academic and non-academic support programs offered at UA. 4) Attend four, small group mentoring sessions supporting preparation for graduate and professional school and career exploration, conducted by graduate students and CO-PD's Linares-Gaffer, Skorupski, and support staff; all mentors will complete inclusive mentor training. 5) Attend four professional meetings to engage in professional communication and networking. 6) Create a final project to present one or more of their experiences in the program to peers, faculty, and stakeholders during a poster presentation at the end of the cohort. Finally, 7) All scholars will be strongly encouraged to utilize various non-academic support services.Special Experiential Learning (SEL): Description. Through this SEL, we seek to develop our first cohort of scholars while engaging them in work that helps to recruit the next MSP cohort and develop the pipeline of future FANH professionals among 4-H participants. The first cohort of NOURISH Scholars will be provided funding and mentoring during their first year of the program to engage in planning a conference with our Cooperative Extension collaborator, the Tucson Village Farm. The conference will be geared towards connecting youth from across Arizona who participate in the 4-H Healthy Living Ambassadors program with our scholars and other undergraduate and graduate students pursuing FANH degrees at the University of Arizona. This conference is called the Kids of Arizona Leadership Experience (KALE) and has been offered once before, but without the engagement of college students. Conference activities will include hands-on gardening and cooking activities, activity-based nutrition and wellness lessons, opportunities to meet with nutrition and other FANH professionals, and a re-imagined poster session where and undergraduate and graduate experiences are described and celebrated.?

Progress 12/01/23 to 11/30/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The NOURISH Target Audience who participated during year 1 are a cohort of five juniors majoring in Nutrition and Dietetics (x4) and Nutrition and Human Performance (x1) at the University of Arizona Main Campus in Tucson, Arizona. In Cohort 1, 4 students come from underrepresented racial and ethnic identities, 2 are first-generation college students, 2 are pell-eligible, and 1 is a veteran of the U.S. Armed Services. Our target audience also included 53 youth ages 12-18 from 5 counties in Arizona, including those in 4-H, who participated in the SEL component of the NOURISH Program led by NOURISH Scholars. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project has provided formal opportunities for training through the course we developed, during which they receive ongoing training on food safety, recipe development, food processing techniques, planting and harvesting, among others. NOURISH Scholars also participated in a Clifton Strengths workshop with graduate dietetics students, facilitated by a specialist in the UA office of Student Engagement and Career Development. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of Year 1 were disseminated at a meeting of the Tucson Village Farm Advisory Board in December 2024, through a presentation delivered by the NOURISH Scholars. PD Linares-Gaffer and co-PD Skorupski also presented about the NOURISH Scholars activities and progress at a "Farmily Meeting", which is a weekly meeting attended by approximately 30 staff and Americorps members who work at TVF. ? What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period we plan to continue Year 1 programming for Cohort 1, and continue working with our collaborators to develop the Food Science syllabus and research project expectations for the Year 2 experience, which the Cohort 1 Scholars will begin in August 2025. We will also do the following activities in advancement of the 5 project objectives: 1) Recruit and select 5 more highly qualified NOURISH Scholars to participate in Cohort 2. 2) Engage students in Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 in their community and food system through their participation in the course-based experiences. Cohort 1 will begin their food science experience during their second year in the program, and Cohort 2 will begin their engagement at TVF. 3) We will continue to support students with meeting academic requirements by ensuring that they meet with their academic advisor to discuss course schedules and degree progress. Additionally, we will continue to provide a high level of faculty/instructor support during class meetings and 1:1 meetings. 4) We will develop Scholars' professional and leadership competencies by creating opportunities for them to plan and implement culinary, nutrition and food literacy lessons to the community and peers; engaging them in professional meetings and networking opportunities; inviting them to participate in agricultural immersions alongside graduate students; facilitating leadership activities such as workshops on topics such as how to communicate their experienced in NOURISH on a resume, and many others. 5) We will prepare scholars for graduate and professional school by working with each individual scholar during their senior year throughout every step of the process including program exploration, evaluating themselves against eligibility requirements, preparing their application materials and providing constructive feedback for improvement, writing letters of recommendation, and practicing for interviews. Of note, Co-PD Skorupski is the Director of Professional Programs in our unit, and the course instructor for the Year 1 course taken by Scholars is the coordinator of our Graduate Dietetics Program. PD Linares-Gaffer, co-PD Skorupski, and Instructor Kaydi Williams are all Registered Dietitian Nutritionists holding advanced degrees, making our team particularly well equipped to guide our students through the graduate school process.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? During year one of the NOURISH project, we created program materials including: Program recruitment flyer, application form, applicant selections rubric, applicant interview questions and protocol and participant handbook. We also wrote the syllabus for the required course taken by NOURISH Scholars during year 1, called NSC 395B- Community-Engaged Urban Farming Workshop, a 16 Week, 2 unit class, which was approved by the University of Arizona and added to the permanent course catalog. Objective 1: We successfully recruited and selected five highly qualified MSP Scholars (Cohort 1). Objective 2: We engaged scholars in their community and the food system in the course, NSC 395B. This course was delivered for the first time during fall 2025 at Tucson Village Farm (TVF), a working urban farm and Pima County Cooperative Extension Program serving youth, including 4-H. The objectives for this course are: 1) Demonstrate cultural humility, self-awareness, and an understanding of cultural differences when interacting with community members and classmates. 2) Execute farm-to-table activities, including planting, tending, harvesting, and cooking at a farm. 3) Deliver education sessions and programs to community members at the Tucson Village Farm. 4) Describe how urban farms and community-based programming can be leveraged to support the health and wellness of communities, including patients and clients of healthcare professionals. During this course, NOURISH Scholars spent 3 hours each week directly engaging with community members during youth field trips at TVF. Objective 3: We supported the scholars in meeting academic program requirements. Each week, PD Linares-Gaffer, co-PD Skorupski, and the instructor for NSC 395B, Kaydi Williams, met with Scholars for one hour to discuss course concepts, student reflections on learning, team building, connections between program experiences and their career goals, and their academic performance. Additional coaching and mentoring was provided during these times, and outside during 1:1 meetings. Students also met with their academic advisor to discuss degree progress. Objective 4: We developed scholars' professional and leadership competencies by challenging them with team projects and individual activities. One example was through their SEL, in which Scholars helped plan and facilitate an event called the Kids of Arizona Leadership Experience (KALE), a 1.5 day event focused on teaching youth about nutrition, culinary skills, public speaking, professionalism, and leadership. For this event, Scholars designed and delivered a Smoothie Workshop and lesson, facilitated numerous activities with attendees, and participated in a multi-step evaluation and report of the event. Objective 5: We prepared scholars for graduate and professional school by 1) Having ongoing discussions during our weekly class meetings about Scholars' career goals, and how program activities relate to their professional interests 2) Creating opportunities for Scholars' to work alongside Graduate Dietetics students who are also engaged in experiential learning at the farm, and facilitating mentoring conversations between Scholars and graduate students. We also continuously challenged the NOURISH Scholars to practice soft skills such as public speaking, leading and delegating tasks to teams of interns at the farm, and working on teams to execute assigned projects.

Publications