James Fleet, PhD, was named a Distinguished Professor of Nutrition Science by the Purdue Board of Trustees on December 15, 2012.

The Science of Nutrition zipTrips program aired lived on November 15, 2012 across the country is now available via archive.  http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/ziptrips/Programs/nutrition.html

7,763 students from 116 schools were registered, 95 of them were in Indiana.  In addition, schools in 26 states and two countries viewed the program.

The Ingestive Behavior Research Center (IBRC) promotes interdisciplinary collaborations among a variety of researchers that investigate the environmental and biological controls of food and fluid intake. Common activities among student and faculty members of the IBRC include seminars, symposia, journal clubs, and a core curriculum for graduate training. Many courses in the IBRC curriculum focus on mechanisms relating to appetite, metabolism, and neuroendocrinology of food intake. Every other fall, a seminar series on a different topic in ingestive behavior is offered. The Fall 2012 seminar series was a departure from previous series in that it focused on Food Policy. Megan McCrory, an assistant professor and member of the IBRC said that “Students in the IBRC curriculum had expressed interest in learning more about the application and relevance of the knowledge they had acquired about the controls of food intake to current public-health related issues concerning the US food supply. There are many food-related policies currently being debated in the public health arena and we are exposed to them on a daily basis in the media. So I developed this special Food Policy seminar series together with Dennis Savaiano, another faculty member in the Nutrition Science Department who has previous experience teaching about food policy.”

This seminar series addressed the historical context of policies in place which affect food availability and food safety, the impact of those policies on ingestive behavior. Students were asked to consider what changes could be made in existing policies that could better not only the eating environment but public health as a whole.

Guest speakers addressed topics such as the US Farm Bill, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and education (SNAP and SNAP-ed), the use of genetically-modified organisms in the food supply (GMO policy), the front of package food label and processed food, marketing of foods to children, behavioral economics and the effects of food pricing strategies on food purchases and food intake, and public-private partnerships as a means to creating healthy food and eating environments.

Students commented that they enjoyed the course as a whole and now have a greater appreciation and understanding of the complexities of creating or changing food policies. “This course illustrates the inextricable trifecta of nutrition, public health, and politics. It challenges interdisciplinary students to form and share educated opinions on some of America’s most pressing issues in the arena of food and health.” says Selena Baker, a doctoral student completing the IBRC curriculum.

Students from the Department of Nutrition Science enthusiastically volunteered for the Child Wellness Day held on October 26, 2012. The event is organized through the School of Nursing to provide well-child examinations, immunizations and health education for children of Purdue University graduate students. Ten dietetic students and two exchange students from Ireland worked with nursing students to provide nutrition education to parents and their children. The dietetic students focused on sugar sweetened beverages and had displays showing the amount of sugar in popular drinks. Health and safety topics were also addressed by pharmacy students and the West Lafayette police department and hearing screening was provided by the students from Speech and Audiology. The event provided an excellent opportunity for students from different departments at Purdue University to work together and provide a valuable service to graduate students and their children.

For more information, contact Dinah Dalder, dalder@purdue.edu.

Information and Indiana educational resources focused on eating healthy, managing money or parenting are available at a new Purdue University website. The College of Health and Human Sciences Extension site features research-based information and programs such as "Where Does Your Money Go," "Family Nutrition Program," "Dining with Diabetes," "Have a Healthy Baby," "Parenting Counts" and "Captain Cash." The site is available at http://www.purdue.edu/hhs/extension/

"With the New Year right around the corner, many people will be looking for ways to improve their health and finances, and this is a great resource," said Angie Abbott, program leader for the College of Health and Human Sciences Extension and assistant director of the Cooperative Extension Service. "For example, if your family is looking to get some financial goals for 2013 or for ways to decrease sugar and salt in their diet, Purdue Extension provides hands-on education in your local community in addition to online resources such as video recipes, calories logs and budget tip sheets."

People looking for a local contact to help them with healthy food choices, physical activity, money management, health care, and parenting can use the "Find an Educator" feature to connect with an Extension specialist in their county.

On November 1, 2012 we lost one of our most loyal alumna, Sue Palmore of Woodstock, IL.  Jon Story, Nutrition Science faculty member, fondly recalled  Sue for this issue of Food for Thought. “Sue was a 1961 graduate of our department in Foods and Nutrition in Business and spent some of her time as an undergraduate working in the laboratory of Helen Clark.  I first met Sue at an Iowa Dairy Council annual meeting in the mid-70s; she was director of that organization.  I had been sent to speak at that meeting and Sue gave me a ride back to Des Moines to visit my sister.  Sue often told the story of our meeting and always reminded me of her “mustard accident” when we stopped for a sandwich on the way, something tha embarrassed her a great deal apparently.  When I ended up taking a job and Purdue and learned of her connection here, we had a means of staying touch.

After her work with the Dairy Council, Sue worked for several companies doing education in the form of video production and eventually formed her own company, ITwo, which did video production and translation.  She used that expertise to provide the CFS recruitment video during the time Don Felker was dean.  Sue served as a Purdue Old Master in 1984, became a CFS Distinguished Alum in 1994 and was a member of the first Foods and Nutrition Hall of Fame class in 2005.  Along the way she served as a member of the CFS Alumni Board and as president of that organization.

Sue is survived by two daughters and four granddaughters, one of whom is a freshman at Purdue this fall.  During the years I’ve been at Purdue, Sue would drop by and plop down in my office and say, “Jon, how’s it going?”  And we would hash things out and maybe go get lunch.  Sue’s survival for more than four years with pancreatic cancer is testimonial to her spirit and will to live.  She was a great friend and confidant and will be missed by all those who knew her.”