UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State’s Department of Nutritional Sciences will host an event showcasing its work, goals and impact March 16.
The event, which will feature keynote speakers, a tour of the department’s facilities, giveaways and research posters, will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. in Chandlee Laboratory and the Bennett Pierce Living Center.
A new statement to describe this impact will also be unveiled. “Our science, your health,” speaks to the department’s overriding goal of providing better health through its cutting-edge research, education and outreach, said Gordon Jensen, professor and head of the department.
“We wanted a statement that we could use to represent the department,” he said. “We aim to highlight that our endeavors are evidence-based and that the ultimate goal of each of them is to improve the health of people worldwide.”
“The phrase also captures the diversity of interests within our department from faculty conducting ‘basic mechanistic’ research in the laboratory to those who conduct more applied research in the community, in schools or at the ‘bedside,’” he said.
It is Jensen’s hope that the March 16 event generates more excitement about the department’s offerings across campus, the community and beyond.
“We have a lot to share,” he said. “The event is great example of a broad department effort working towards a common and important goal.”
American Society for Nutrition Executive Officer John Courtney said communicating the value of nutrition science to improving health within the state, country and around the world relies on sound science.
“As a leader in nutrition research, Penn State is perfectly positioned to champion how nutrition research benefits personal health,” he said. “ASN applauds Penn State and commends the excellent leadership of Gordon Jensen and their top quality nutrition faculty. We are equally committed to the creation, translation and dissemination of the best nutrition science that advances health.”
Keynote speakers for the event include Katherine Tucker, professor of nutritional epidemiology in the Department of Clinical Laboratory and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, who will present “Nutrition and Health Disparities in Puerto Rican Adults”; and Alice Lichtenstein, the Stanley N. Gershoff Professor of Nutrition Science and Policy at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, who will present “Encouraging Healthy Dietary Patterns – Changes in our food environment.”
The event is open to students, faculty, staff and alumni. Click for more information on "Our science, your health."