Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Alabama is among the top few states in the prevalence of chronic diseases, attributed to high poverty rate, low education attainment, and a shortage of food and nutrition professionals, especially in the West Central region. There is a growing demand for a better trained workforce in the integrated field of food science and human nutrition to alleviate these public health issues in this region of Alabama. The long-term goal of this project is to enhance the capacity for education and research in food and nutrition sciences across the West Central Alabama region by fostering multi-institutional collaborations and integrating resources to empower current and future workforce. In the planning phase, our short-term objectives are to 1) identify potential institutional partners by surveying their curricular offerings, organizing campus visits and strategic meetings, and 2) host an education and research symposium in food and nutrition sciences. This project aligns with multiple HEC program goals, including:1) to attract and support undergraduate and graduate students in national needs areas;2) to facilitate cooperative initiatives between two or more institutions; and3) to increase the number and diversity of students who will pursue a degree in food and nutrition sciences.This project is the first ever initiative to establish multi-institutional partnerships in food and nutrition sciences education in the West Central Alabama region. Training more food and nutrition professionals, especially those from underrepresented groups, will have a direct benefit on improving the healthcare outlook and health of the residents in Alabama and beyond.
Animal Health Component
40%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
40%
Applied
40%
Developmental
20%
Goals / Objectives
The long-term goal of this project is to enhance the capacity for education and research in food and nutrition sciences across the West Central Alabama region by fostering multi-institutional collaborations and integrating resources to empower current and future workforce. Training more food and nutrition science professionals, especially those from underrepresented groups, will have a direct benefit on improving the healthcare outlook and health of the residents in Alabama. In the planning phase, our short-term objective is to identify potential institutional partners by surveying their curricular offerings, organizing campus visits and strategic meetings, and hosting an education and research symposium in food and nutrition sciences. Through the planning phase, we expect to the gather necessary components to apply for an HEC Collaborative Grant with our identified partner institutions.
Project Methods
The used methods in this project are listed below:In Objective 1,to identify potential partner institutions and programs, we will conduct the following procedures:1) Comprehensive mapping of programs.We will survey degree offerings in these higher education institutions in the West Central Alabama region, regarding their education in food and nutrition sciences, and closely related fields, such as biology, biochemistry, and dietetics. 2) Initial screening.We will collect all available curricula of food and nutrition science and closely related programs from publicly-available course catalogs. 3)Reaching out for details. A short list of institutions and degree programs will be generated by this initial screening. 4)Formal communications. PDs will formally express the intent of the proposed collaboration and outline potential benefits for all parties involved. 5) Visit and meeting arrangements. PDs will plan visits to the perspective programs and schedule strategic meetings with the program leadership and faculty.In Objective 2,we plan to host a symposium to gather stakeholders, including university faculty, industry and community professionals, state and local government leaders, and undergraduate and graduate students, to exchange idea on enhancing the food and nutrition education and research in the West Central Alabama region. The following procedures will be implemented: 1)Determination of theme. We will express our intention to host a symposium during our strategic meetings with potential partners. 2)Program development. We plan to arrange keynote speakers, invited speakers, panelists, voluntary presentations, and student posters in this symposium. 3)Host the symposium by the PD team.