Food Resource Management Mediates the Relationship Between Participation in a SNAP-Ed Nutrition Education Program and Diet Quality.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the mediating effects of food resource management skills (FRM) on the relationship between participation in a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) nutrition education program and diet quality. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of data from a propensity score-matched sample of participants (n = 396) and nonparticipants (n = 111) in a SNAP-Ed nutrition education program. ANALYSIS: Independent-samples t tests were used to compare entry, exit, and gain scores in FRM and diet quality between participants and nonparticipants. Structural equation modeling was used to examine direct and mediated relationships among participation, FRM, and diet quality. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Food resource management was measured as a summated rating scale, and diet quality measured as Healthy Eating Index and program participation. RESULTS: Mediated effect of FRM on the relationship between participation in a SNAP-Ed program and diet quality was statistically significant (P < 0.01). The effect size for the mediation effect indicated that about 70% of program participation on diet quality was transferred by FRM skills. The hypothesized model had acceptable fit indices as model χ2 was nonsignificant (P = 0.31), all fit indices were above 0.9, and the root mean square of error approximation was low at 0.02. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Participation in a SNAP-Ed program enhanced participants' FRM, which in turn enhanced their diet quality.

Healthy Choices for Every Body Adult Curriculum Improves Participants' Food Resource Management Skills and Food Safety Practices.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of the University of Kentucky's Healthy Choices for Every Body (HCEB) adult nutrition education curriculum on participants' food resource management (FRM) skills and food safety practices. METHODS: A quasi-experimental design was employed using propensity score matching to pair 8 intervention counties with 8 comparison counties. Independent-samples t tests and ANCOVA models compared gains in FRM skills and food safety practices between the intervention and comparison groups (n = 413 and 113, respectively). RESULTS: Propensity score matching analysis showed a statistical balance and similarities between the comparison and intervention groups. Food resource management and food safety gain scores were statistically significantly higher for the intervention group (P < .001), with large effect sizes (d = 0.9) for both variables. The group differences persisted even after controlling for race and age in the ANCOVA models. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The HCEB curriculum was effective in improving the FRM skills and food safety practices of participants.

Targeting change: Assessing a faculty learning community focused on increasing statistics content in life science curricula.

Transformation of research in all biological fields necessitates the design, analysis and, interpretation of large data sets. Preparing students with the requisite skills in experimental design, statistical analysis, and interpretation, and mathematical reasoning will require both curricular reform and faculty who are willing and able to integrate mathematical and statistical concepts into their life science courses. A new Faculty Learning Community (FLC) was constituted each year for four years to assist in the transformation of the life sciences curriculum and faculty at a large, Midwestern research university. Participants were interviewed after participation and surveyed before and after participation to assess the impact of the FLC on their attitudes toward teaching, perceived pedagogical skills, and planned teaching practice. Overall, the FLC had a meaningful positive impact on participants' attitudes toward teaching, knowledge about teaching, and perceived pedagogical skills. Interestingly, confidence for viewing the classroom as a site for research about teaching declined. Implications for the creation and development of FLCs for science faculty are discussed. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 44(6):517-525, 2016.

Effect of time on perceived gains from an undergraduate research program.

The current study examines the trajectories of student perceived gains as a result of time spent in an undergraduate research experience (URE). Data for the study come from a survey administered at three points over a 1-yr period: before participation in the program, at the end of a Summer segment of research, and at the end of the year. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to examine the effect of time on perceived gains in student research skills, research confidence, and understanding of research processes. The results suggest that the students experienced different gains/benefits at developmentally different stages of their UREs. Participants reported gains in fewer areas at the end of the Summer segment compared with the end of the yearlong experience, thus supporting the notion that longer UREs offer students more benefit.

Fat dogs and coughing horses: K-12 programming for veterinary workforce development.

Workforce development strategies to educate, inform, and diversify the veterinary profession of the future must begin with children in elementary school. This article provides a description of the Fat Dogs and Coughing Horses program, which takes a multifaceted approach toward informing young students, beginning in first grade, about the interesting work and career opportunities available in the field of veterinary medicine. The program, a collaboration among Purdue University and Indiana public schools, is supported by a Science Education Partnership Award from the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs, a component of the National Institutes of Health. The overall goal of the program is to provide formal and informal educational opportunities for students, parents, teachers, and the public about the science involved in keeping people and their animals healthy. Examples of health concerns that impact both people and their pets are used to inform and excite children about careers in the health sciences. The program resulted in (1) curricula for students in Grades 1-3, 6, and 9; (2) four children's books and a set of collectible cards which highlight veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and research scientists who work with animals; and (3) four traveling museum-level quality exhibits. Preliminary assessment data has shown that the implementation of the curricula enhanced student science learning and science attitudes and interests. The program provides evidence that partnerships among professionals in veterinary medicine and K-12 education can result in impactful workforce development programs.

Human Brains Engaged in Rat Brains: Student-driven Neuroanatomy Research in an Introductory Biology Lab Course.

Inquiry-based laboratory instruction has been shown to actively engage students in the content and skills being taught. These courses are further intended to teach students not only what is known, but also the process by which investigators come to know it. We sought to take this approach one step further and incorporate novel research questions into an inquiry-based laboratory model early in the undergraduate course of study. In this research-based introductory laboratory course, first-year students acquired basic lab skills not just for their own sake, but rather within the context of a research question of a member of the faculty. Student projects investigated potential neuroanatomical changes in animal models of dyslexia and aging and included measurements of neuron numbers and levels and distribution of neuronal proteins. Students played an active role in designing and implementing an experimental plan, explored data analysis techniques, and reflected on the results that they obtained in scholarly forms such as research papers and a departmental poster session. Student feedback on this approach has been extremely positive, and the data collected were research quality preliminary data that are being actively pursued for further study. Based on our encouraging experiences, we conclude that designing an introductory course around novel research, including some assessments modeled after scholarly practices, provides motivation and excitement for the students, instills good scientific habits, and can potentially benefit departmental research.