May 2022 Newsletter

Note from the Department Head
Welcome to the first edition of our Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences annual newsletter. My name is Heidi Wengreen and I am honored to be the current Head of our Department. I am a proud graduate of the NDFS program having earned both a BS degree and a PhD in Dietetics in our department.

The purpose of our alumni newsletter is to let our esteemed alumni know about the great things that are going on in our department. We want to catch you up on our programs and the success of our faculty and students. NDFS aims to provide students with the skills necessary for them to make a difference in the world through food, health, and nutrition.

Please enjoy reading more about what our faculty, staff, and students have accomplished this past year! 2021-2022 was a year full of uncertainty, but the circumstances of the day haven't slowed us down one bit. I look forward to a bright future ahead!

Heidi Wengreen

A Look at NDFS
32 faculty and instructors
11 degree programs
220 undergraduates & 127 Graduate students
68 book chapters and peer reviewed articles published in 2021-2022
2 Million in funding from external sources this year

Faculty Highlights
Jill Henderson and Nikki Kendrick: Outstanding Dietetics Educator Award
Dawnetta Mahnken: USU Advisor of The Year and Outstanding New Advisor of The Year
Silvana Martini: Named AOCS 2022 President
Prateek Sharma: ADSA Foundation Scholar Award

Coming and Going Faculty
Retiring:
Dr. Ron Munger (June 2021)
Dr. Don McMahon (August 2021)
Dr. Chuck Carpenter (June 2022)
New Faculty:
Dr. Stephan van Vliet (January 2022)
Dr. Abiodun Atoloye (July 2022)
Faculty Directory

Student Highlights
Madeline Peterson, Dietetics (2022), Scholar of the Year and CAAS valedictorian
David Dang, Doctoral Student Researcher of the Year
Scholarship recipients of Idaho Milk Processors
Josie Sorensen German Internship
MPH Student's published work

Alumni Highlights
Ram and Panna Chaudhari received the Old Main Society Distinguished Service Award
Daniel Brandley working to become a family practice doctor
Mackenzie Rockwood was named Young Dietitian of the Year by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Marisa Christensen works for nonprofit in India

Program Updates
Food Science BS
Nutrition Science BS
Dietetics
MPH
MDA
MFSQ
MS/PhD
Dietetics Internship

Clubs Update
Food Science Club awarded $5,000 for their creation of a cranberry hot sauce

Student Support
Thanks to generous donations from alumni and other supporters, we awarded more than $240,000 in student scholarships. This was a record scholarship year for our department!
Contribute to NDFS Academics

100 Years of Aggie Ice Cream
Celebrating the Creamery's 100th birthday
Crumbl's Aggie Blue Mint flavor

Aggie Chocolate Factory
Working with the world's best beans
Single source premium chocolate
Willy Wonka Project
Aggie Chocolate Factory tour

Thank you for an amazing academic year!