Source: UNIV OF ALABAMA submitted to NRP
FROM THE BENCH TO THE COMMUNITY: FOOD AND NUTRITION RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATES
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1032265
Grant No.
2024-67037-42691
Cumulative Award Amt.
$600,000.00
Proposal No.
2023-08720
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2024
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2028
Grant Year
2024
Program Code
[A7401]- Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates
Recipient Organization
UNIV OF ALABAMA
BOX 870344
TUSCALOOSA,AL 35487
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
In this project, we aim to develop the REEU program to recruit and train talented and motivated undergraduate students, especially those from underrepresented groups, across the state of Alabama. The overall goal of this project is to prepare competent students of diverse backgrounds to join the future workforce in food and nutrition fields, by providing resources, training, and hands-on research experiences at the University of Alabama. The main recruiting target consists of underrepresented students from minority-serving institutions and community colleges, where they typically lack opportunities to conduct research in the fields of food and nutrition. Over the four-year grant period, the specific objectives are:Objective 1: We will recruit and enroll food and nutrition undergraduate students (n=40) with at least 60% of students from underrepresented groups.Objective 2: Mentored students (n=40) will complete a 10-week summer research experience with at least 75% of students applying to advanced training programs and/or graduate programs in the areas of food science, nutrition, medicine, or other closely related fields.Built upon the success from our previous internally funded REU program, we will expand our efforts by (1) recruiting a larger and more diverse pool of underrepresented students; (2) collaborating with additional departmental mentors to offer a wider spectrum of research opportunities; (3) enriching students' campus and off-campus experiences through more group activities; and (4) strengthening our program evaluation plan to track students' academic success longitudinally.
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
50%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
5017299101020%
7015010101020%
7025010101020%
7036099302020%
7246099302020%
Knowledge Area
703 - Nutrition Education and Behavior; 724 - Healthy Lifestyle; 702 - Requirements and Function of Nutrients and Other Food Components; 501 - New and Improved Food Processing Technologies; 701 - Nutrient Composition of Food;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other; 7299 - Research equipment and methods, general/other; 5010 - Food;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education; 1010 - Nutrition and metabolism;
Goals / Objectives
The overall goal of this project is to prepare competent students of diverse backgrounds to join the future workforce in food and nutrition fields by providing resources, training, and hands-on research experiences at UA. The main target of this program is to recruit underrepresented students from minority-serving institutions and community colleges where students otherwise lack the opportunities to conduct research in food and nutrition.Specific objectives are: 1) Over the four-year grant period, we will recruit and enroll food and nutrition undergraduate students (n=40) with at least 60% of students from underrepresented groups; 2)Over the four-year grant period, mentored students (n=40) will complete a 10-week summer research experience with at least 75% of students applying to advanced training programs and/or graduate programs in the areas of food science, nutrition, medicine, or other closely related fields.
Project Methods
The used methods in this project are listed below:In Objective 1, we will promote our REEU program to students in universities across Alabama, especiallyHBCUs, community colleges, and small, regional universities, such as Stillman College, Shelton State Community College, Oakwood University, Alabama State University, Alabama A&M University, Tuskegee University, Samford University, and University of West Alabama,because they all offer majors in food, nutrition, or closely-related fields.Upon the application deadline, the project team will meet and review all application materials. We have established our selection criteria and procedure. The PDs will meet to discuss all applicants, make admission decisions, and match each student with a researcher or research team.In Objective 2, we will develop the 10-week REEUprogram that will be student-centered, focusing on research training and mentoring, highlighting diverse campus experiences, and aiming to attract and excite students to develop a research career in food and nutrition. The program is designed to include the following phases:pre-program meetings;mentor-mentee matching;moving in and orientation; conducting research; weekly workshops; andnetworking activities.

Progress 09/01/24 to 08/31/25

Outputs
Target Audience:Our primary audience included food and nutrition faculty and researchers who mentor undergraduate students in conducting research. It also included undergraduates seeking research opportunities and graduate program administrators (such as program coordinators and directors) involved in student recruitment and program management. Changes/Problems:No major changes were made during this reporting period. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Over our 10-week summer REEU program, 10 undergraduate fellows received training in food and nutrition research. This included building foundational research skills, gaining hands-on experience with lab equipment, and contributing to ongoing projects in basic, clinical, and community nutrition research. Each fellow was guided by a research mentor and graduate assistant to design and execute an independent research project. These REEU fellows attended our weekly journal club, learning skills to critically assess scientific literature. Additionally, they attended several professional development workshops, including Professional Etiquette Workshop, Imposter Syndrome Panel, Transition to Graduate School Panel, Graduate School Workshop, Poster Presentation Prep Workshop, Resume Workshop, and Interview Workshop. The program also provided two graduate students with the opportunity to serve as co-mentors, developing their own skills in research guidance and student mentorship. Lastly, two doctoral students had the opportunity to mentor students and receive assistance in either the development of a method to use in the lab or with data management and analysis. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the second year of the project, we will recruit a new cohort of at least 10 REEU fellows for summer 2026. We will strengthen our recruitment effort at universities that lack sufficient research resources for undergraduates seeking research opportunities.Additionally, we will also enhance the 10-week program by expanding the number of faculty mentors and incorporating more innovative research projects.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1. In our inaugural year,we received 76 applications from students across the US.Among applicants, 19 were admitted, and 10 accepted and completed the program.These 10 fellows were from 10 different colleges or universities, including Tennessee State University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Tuskegee University, Brigham Young University, Florida State University, Stillman College, SUNY University at Buffalo, Purdue University, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and University of Alabama. Among these 10 universities, 3 are HBCUs (Stillman College, Tuskegee University, and Tennessee State University). Objective 2.Surveys were completed pre- and post-REU to determine expressed intention to apply to advanced degrees. At present, we cannot state how many students applied for advanced degrees in our field. The pre-REU and post-REU survey was completed by nine and seven participants, respectively. At baseline (before the REU), participants were asked about their interest in attending graduate school, their confidence in their ability to succeed, and the likelihood of attending graduate school. On average, participants rated themselves between "very interested" and "extremely interested" in attending graduate school (4.33 on a 5-point scale). Their ratings for confidence in their ability to succeed in graduate school were slightly lower (4.0 on a 5-point scale).However, on average, the participants rated themselves as somewhat or extremely likely to apply to graduate school (4.5/5), but less likely to apply to The University of Alabama (3.4/5). Although students had outstanding GPAs, they reported the following concerns, where 1=not at all concerned and 5=extremely concerned: being academically prepared (2.8/5), being qualified (3.3/5), being able to conduct research (2.8/5), and completing a thesis or dissertation (3.0/5). One of the greatest concerns was being able to afford graduate school (4.3/5). Lastly, we asked these students to rate several attributes against their peers.They rated their academic ability, drive to achieve, and science ability in the 25th percentile or better.However, they rated their research ability at the 50th percentile. At follow-up, interest in attending graduate school in their field of study did not wane.REU students continued to report their interest as "very interested" and "extremely interested" (4.2/5).Confidence in the ability to succeed in graduate school improved from 4.0/5 to 4.3/5. Desire to apply to graduate school and specifically to UA remained at somewhat likely (4/5) and 3.9/5, respectively. The program addressed many student concerns. Students' scores on concerns fell (lower is better) including: being academically prepared (2.1/5), being qualified (2.4/5), being able to conduct research (2.4/5), and complete a thesis or dissertation (2.6/5), However, concerns about how to pay for graduate school were similar to baseline (4.1/5-very concerned). Lastly, we asked the students to compare themselves to their peers again.They rated their academic ability, drive to achieve, and science ability at or above the top 25% of their peers. Scores in research ability had moved from 3.5/5 to 3.7/5. In other words, most of the students rated their research abilities at or above the top 25% of their peers.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Emma Douglas, Katie Fisher, Xiran Shu, Raju Ahmmed, Lingyan Kong. Steep by steep: phenolic content and antioxidant capacity within tea brews. 2025 University of Alabama Strategic Graduate Partnerships Initiative Poster Competition. July 24, 2025.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Katie Fisher, Raju Ahmmed, Lingyan Kong. Structure and digestibility of modified and native pea starch. 2025 University of Alabama Strategic Graduate Partnerships Initiative Poster Competition. July 24, 2025.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Daniel Le, Kyungseo Won, Nolan McKibben, Libo Tan, and Han-A Park. The Role of Maternal Lutein Supplementation on the Brain of Offspring with Retinopathy. 2025 University of Alabama Strategic Graduate Partnerships Initiative Poster Competition. July 24, 2025.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Rouya Mirzaei, Temitope Olafuyi, Zhi Zheng, Sayma Alam, Nolan McKibben, Libo Tan. Maternal-Neonatal Transfer of Lutein in the Golden Mouse Model for Carotenoid Research. 2025 University of Alabama Strategic Graduate Partnerships Initiative Poster Competition. July 24, 2025.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Temitope Olafuyi, Rouya Mirzaei, Sayma Alam, Nolan McKibben, Libo Tan. Tissue Deposition of Lutein in Maternal ISX-/-BCO2-/-Mice. 2025 University of Alabama Strategic Graduate Partnerships Initiative Poster Competition. July 24, 2025.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Bridget Goins, Ashley Heinrich, Joy Douglas. TBI to Table: A Case Study in Traumatic Brain Injury. University of Alabama Strategic Graduate Partnerships Initiative Poster Competition. July 24, 2025.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Laira Gomer, Joy Douglas, Linda Knol, Ashley Heinrich. HOME is Where the Health is: Exploring Supplement Use in Individuals Living with Traumatic Brain Injury. University of Alabama Strategic Graduate Partnerships Initiative Poster Competition. July 24, 2025.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Melodie Loya, Linda Knol. Food Prescription to Plate: Early Outcomes Across Preliminary Food is Medicine Research. University of Alabama Strategic Graduate Partnerships Initiative Poster Competition. July 24, 2025.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Nye Fowler, Ashley Heinrich, Joy Douglas. Food Choice Influence in an Individual with Moderate-to-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury. University of Alabama Strategic Graduate Partnerships Initiative Poster Competition. July 24, 2025.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2025 Citation: Emily Wolff, Laira Gomer, Bridget Goins, Joy Dougas. Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Indirect Calorimetry using the BreezingTM Device. University of Alabama Strategic Graduate Partnerships Initiative Poster Competition. July 24, 2025.