Undergraduate Researcher of the Year 2009
College of Agriculture

Katie Brown, a Dietetic major has been heavily involved in undergraduate research, focusing mainly on freshmen health.  She began working with Dr. Heidi Wengreen during her first semester at Utah State University, assisting with the Freshman Health Study.  Katie was able to observe trends that contribute to freshman weight gain.  During her sophomore year, Katie used these findings to make a positive difference at Utah State by spearheading the design, implementation, and teaching of a basic nutrition workshop entitled Healthy Food Choices 101 to over 500 incoming freshmen as a part of the orientation course, Connections.

A second Freshman Health Study conducted in a case/control design suggested that those students who received the workshop were less likely to gain 5 pounds than those who did not receive this education (p<0.05).  Healthy Eating 101 was received well by both faculty and students and will be included in Connections again this upcoming school year.

Katie also worked with Dr. Kinkead’s Connections Class of undergraduate Research Fellows on a service learning project to design and produce basic nutrition education posters focused on helping students make healthy food choices.  Thanks to Katie’s coordination, USU’s Research Office, Nutrition and Food Science department, the Wellness Center and Dining-Services worked together on this project.  These posters are now being displayed in the Junction, Aggie Marketplace, the Wellness Center, and the Honors floor of on-campus housing.

Katie has presented findings from her research at Research Day at the Capitol (2007, 2008) and the annual Utah Dietetic Association Conference (2008).  She also shared her findings at the American Dietetic Association’s Annual Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo Fall 2008.