There are several undergraduate research opportunities available in the Community Nutrition Research Lab for the coming semesters and summer. Details follow below, along with information about the relevant contacts for these opportunities.
“Healthy Fathers, Healthy Kids”: A community-based childhood obesity prevention program for low-income fathers and their preschool aged children
Seeking student assistants: Spring 2017, Summer 2017, and/or Fall 2017
Tasks include:
- Leading nutrition activities with preschool age children (experience with Husky Reads and/or preschool children preferred)
- Scheduling and reminders with fathers
- Nutrition related assessments
- Data entry and quality assurance
- Technology enhancements (messaging, etc.) between sessions
- Transportation would be needed if field experience (nutrition activities with children or nutrition related assessments) is desired; programs will most likely be during evening hours in other towns within Connecticut
Contact: Dr. Amy Mobley (amy.mobley@uconn.edu) if interested; attach a resume and cover letter. The researchers will not reply to inquiries that do not include these attachments.
Food Insecurity Project: A mixed methods investigation into the experience of household hunger and food insecurity in families
Seeking student assistants: Spring 2017, Summer 2017, and Fall 2017
Tasks include:
- Data entry and quality assurance
- Transcription
Project TEAMS: A couples’ behavioral weight loss intervention
Seeking student assistants: Spring 2017, Summer 2017, and Fall 2017
Tasks include:
- Data entry and quality assurance
- Diet record analysis in NDSR
- Healthy Eating Index calculation
Contact: Jaime Foster, MS, RD (jaime.foster@uconn.edu) if interested; attach a resume and cover letter. The researchers will not reply to inquiries that do not include these attachments.
Messaging Project
We will be developing nutrition and health related messages for parents of 0-2 year olds focused on feeding practices. Once we are able to develop a set of messages, we will test the messages on parents throughout Connecticut and work on the best way to distribute this information.
Seeking student assistants: Spring 2017, Summer 2017, and Fall 2017
Tasks include:
- Focus group assistant
- Interview scheduling and reminders
Contact: Becca Heller, RD (rebecca.2.heller@uconn.edu) if interested; attach a resume and cover letter. The researchers will not reply to inquiries that do not include these attachments.
Dietary Guidelines and Fruit, Vegetable, and Whole Grain Studies
This completed project involved interviewing low-income participants in Connecticut to assess their diet, focusing on the plant-based food groups. An intervention was done to increase intake of these foods by providing specific behaviors and strategies to complete during the week, and then a follow-up interview took place with the participant.
The “Whole Grains Detective Challenge” was a display for participants to view and identify whether or not the foods on display were whole grain. An additional interview took place specifically with the low-income participants about factors influencing how they identified whole grain foods, and also if health reasons, family members, cost, and skills influence whole grain consumption.
Seeking student assistants: Spring 2017
Tasks include:
- Data entry or cross check for the fruit, vegetable, and whole grains intervention behaviors
- Diet record cross check for the fruit, vegetable, and whole grains study
- Data entry to determine Healthy Eating Index Scores
- Crosscheck of the Whole Grains Detective Challenge surveys
Contact: Molika Chea, MS, CHES (molika.chea@uconn.edu) if interested; attach a resume and cover letter. The researchers will not reply to inquiries that do not include these attachments.
Farm to School Research
Investigates how local food purchasing, school gardens, and hands-on nutrition education influences grade-school aged children’s health and behavior.
Seeking student assistants: Spring-Fall 2017
Tasks TBD
Contact: Jesse Chiero, MS (jesse.chiero@uconn.edu) if interested; attach a resume and cover letter. The researchers will not reply to inquiries that do not include these attachments.