Who We Are

It is the goal of the members in Dr. Kranz lab to support each other's development, personal, and professional success. To accomplish that goal, we help each other, learn from each other, and laugh with each other. Although each member of the group has his/her own project to complete, collaboration and sharing are strongly encouraged.

Dr. Kranz
Dr. Kranz is German but has lived in the United States for more than a decade. She was granted American Citizenship and her and her two children travel regularly to Europe to keep the family ties. Dr. Kranz actively maintains research connections in various countries in Europe and a number of her students have traveled to Europe in the past to work on collaborative projects. Dr. Kranz likes to cook and bake and she enjoys traveling, knitting, reading, and dancing with her children.
Sibylle Kranz, PhD, RD
Associate Professor

Mary Brauchla, MPH
Second-year Doctoral Student The important role of nutrition in the pediatric population led me to begin my graduate work at Purdue. I am currently blending my previous experience in public health with a greater understanding of nutrition and its application to young children. My responsibilities include literature searches as well as contributing to manuscripts and grants, collecting dietary recalls that are part of a large study, conducting taste tests in the local child care centers, and collaboration with other lab members. At this time, my main contribution in Dr. Kranz's lab is to assist other lab members with their projects - I plan to begin my own research project within the next year and I will count on the other lab members to support me as well.

My name is Elisa Marie Bastian. I completed my Master degree in Nutrition Science with focus on Clinical Nutrition at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany. After working for two years in the field of Clinical Research in Germany, I joined the Department of Nutrition Science at Purdue University. I am the lab manager of Dr. Kranz' lab group and responsible for planning, coordinating and supervising research activities related to child/adolescent nutrition. My work includes dietary recalls, taste testing, data collection, data analysis and dissemination.

Elisa Marie Bastian, MS
Lab Manager

Lyndsey Huss
Dietetic Intern/Admitted Grad Student

In the spring of 2011, I conducted a research study under Dr. Kranz for the College of Health and Human Sciences Honors Program where we discovered that the timing of dessert, but not portion size, had an impact on young children's food intake at lunchtime. Currently, I am a dietetic intern in Purdue University's Coordinated Program in Dietetics. For my last rotation of the internship, I am in Dr. Kranz's Lab calculating diet quality in a sample of child care center menus from Guatemala. In May 2012, I will obtain my Bachelor of Science, and this summer I will be taking the Registered Dietitian Exam. I have been accepted into Purdue University's Interdepartmental Nutrition Graduate School Program, and this coming fall, August 2012, I will be a first-year doctoral student under Dr. Kranz.

I am a Junior in the Nutrition Science Department studying dietetics and pre-medicine. My study is focuses on school aged children and their fiber intake, regularity, dietary patterns and health related quality of life. I have been a part of the lab group for almost a year and spend my time doing dietary recalls, taste testing, data entry and literature searches.
Kate Reidenbach, Junior
Undergraduate Honors Student

Laura Schmidt
Undergraduate Honors Student

I am attending Purdue University to obtain undergraduate majors in both Dietetics and Nutrition, Fitness, and Health. I have a strong interest in child nutrition, which led me to this lab to participate in various studies based around children. After experiencing what these studies have to offer, I decided to join the honors program and begin my project. My study is being conducted in children 2-5 years of age to determine whether or not young children can self-regulate their food intake amounts and if they consume more food when served larger portions.

My name is Lindsey Newman. My interest in research began in my sophomore year and then through experience I decided I wanted to start my own project. My study focuses on food appearance and taste in preschool children. Using different types of foods I will see how varying food colors and taste can affect a child's food preference.
Lindsey Newman
Undergraduate Honors Student

Alexandra Krohn
Undergraduate Honors Student

Childhood nutrition is something that impacts everyone as they grow, and research in this field can lead to vast improvements in the information that is currently known. This is why I recently joined Dr. Kranz' lab group. I also love working with children, which makes this a great experience and a lot of fun. Currently, I work with the other members of the lab team to assist them with their research and studies. With their help and guidance, I am learning the skills and techniques necessary to complete my own study. I will hopefully be starting my research project in the next year, and cannot wait to get started.

Lauren Boyer
Honors Student 2010-2011

Jennifer Zuercher
Postdoctoral Research Associate August 2010 - August 2011

Cliona McHugh
Visiting Undergraduate Research Scholar Fall 2011


Dr. Kranz Dr. Kranz is German but has lived in the United States for more than a decade. She was granted American Citizenship and her and her two children travel regularly to Europe to keep the family ties. Dr. Kranz actively maintains research connections in various countries in Europe and a number of her students have traveled to Europe in the past to work on collaborative projects. Dr. Kranz likes to cook and bake and she enjoys traveling, knitting, reading, and dancing with her children.		Sibylle Kranz, PhD, RD Associate Professor
Mary Brauchla, MPH Second-year Doctoral Student	The important role of nutrition in the pediatric population led me to begin my graduate work at Purdue. I am currently blending my previous experience in public health with a greater understanding of nutrition and its application to young children. My responsibilities include literature searches as well as contributing to manuscripts and grants, collecting dietary recalls that are part of a large study, conducting taste tests in the local child care centers, and collaboration with other lab members. At this time, my main contribution in Dr. Kranz's lab is to assist other lab members with their projects - I plan to begin my own research project within the next year and I will count on the other lab members to support me as well.
My name is Elisa Marie Bastian. I completed my Master degree in Nutrition Science with focus on Clinical Nutrition at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany. After working for two years in the field of Clinical Research in Germany, I joined the Department of Nutrition Science at Purdue University. I am the lab manager of Dr. Kranz' lab group and responsible for planning, coordinating and supervising research activities related to child/adolescent nutrition. My work includes dietary recalls, taste testing, data collection, data analysis and dissemination.		Elisa Marie Bastian, MS Lab Manager
Lyndsey Huss Dietetic Intern/Admitted Grad Student	In the spring of 2011, I conducted a research study under Dr. Kranz for the College of Health and Human Sciences Honors Program where we discovered that the timing of dessert, but not portion size, had an impact on young children's food intake at lunchtime. Currently, I am a dietetic intern in Purdue University's Coordinated Program in Dietetics. For my last rotation of the internship, I am in Dr. Kranz's Lab calculating diet quality in a sample of child care center menus from Guatemala. In May 2012, I will obtain my Bachelor of Science, and this summer I will be taking the Registered Dietitian Exam. I have been accepted into Purdue University's Interdepartmental Nutrition Graduate School Program, and this coming fall, August 2012, I will be a first-year doctoral student under Dr. Kranz.
I am a Junior in the Nutrition Science Department studying dietetics and pre-medicine. My study is focuses on school aged children and their fiber intake, regularity, dietary patterns and health related quality of life. I have been a part of the lab group for almost a year and spend my time doing dietary recalls, taste testing, data entry and literature searches.		Kate Reidenbach, Junior Undergraduate Honors Student
Laura Schmidt Undergraduate Honors Student	I am attending Purdue University to obtain undergraduate majors in both Dietetics and Nutrition, Fitness, and Health. I have a strong interest in child nutrition, which led me to this lab to participate in various studies based around children. After experiencing what these studies have to offer, I decided to join the honors program and begin my project. My study is being conducted in children 2-5 years of age to determine whether or not young children can self-regulate their food intake amounts and if they consume more food when served larger portions.
My name is Lindsey Newman. My interest in research began in my sophomore year and then through experience I decided I wanted to start my own project. My study focuses on food appearance and taste in preschool children. Using different types of foods I will see how varying food colors and taste can affect a child's food preference.		Lindsey Newman Undergraduate Honors Student
Alexandra Krohn Undergraduate Honors Student	Childhood nutrition is something that impacts everyone as they grow, and research in this field can lead to vast improvements in the information that is currently known. This is why I recently joined Dr. Kranz' lab group. I also love working with children, which makes this a great experience and a lot of fun. Currently, I work with the other members of the lab team to assist them with their research and studies. With their help and guidance, I am learning the skills and techniques necessary to complete my own study. I will hopefully be starting my research project in the next year, and cannot wait to get started.
Lauren Boyer Honors Student 2010-2011	Jennifer Zuercher Postdoctoral Research Associate August 2010 - August 2011	Cliona McHugh Visiting Undergraduate Research Scholar Fall 2011

Who We Are

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