L to R: Tiffany Chen, Dana Ikeda, and Kiera Nealon presenting their research poster at the 2019 Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics hosted its annual Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE®) this year from October 26-29. Four Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) students, who are members of both the Student Ambassadors from the New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health (IFNH) and the Rutgers Dining Services Healthy Dining Team, traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to represent the IFNH at the world’s largest meeting of food and nutrition professionals. Over 10,000 registered dietitian nutritionists, researchers, healthcare professionals, exhibitors and industry leaders came together to meet and hear directly from experts in the field on the latest evidence-based nutrition research, new developments in public policy and legislation, the most up-to-date consumer food and nutrition education initiatives and recent product development from companies around the country.
The four members of the IFNH Student Ambassadors, Jessica Carr (SEBS 2020), Tiffany Chen (SEBS 2021), Dana Ikeda (SEBS 2020) and Kiera Nealon (SEBS 2021), presented their original research conducted under the supervision of the IFNH Student Ambassador director, Peggy Policastro. Tiffany, Dana, and Kiera showcased their research poster, “Love it or Lose it: Assessing Whether College Students Can Correctly Categorize Food Items as a Source of Healthy or Unhealthy Fats,” during a 60-minute poster session on the third day of FNCE®. Throughout the four-day conference, Dr. Policastro and her students explored the latest innovations in food and nutrition at the Expo and attended multiple educational sessions covering various nutrition and health-related topics. The IFNH Student Ambassadors had a wonderful time at FNCE® and look forward to next year’s conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.
