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FOOD FOR THOUGHT 

MARCH 2012 

Greetings!   

 

Thank you for your continued work in support of the Food Innovation Center.  I hope you'll find the ideas in this article regarding the need for a more informed and nuanced debate regarding the associations between prices, policies, and food security enlightening.  In my mind, this sort of multi-disciplinary approach involving academics from the social sciences and STEM fields is precisely the sort of contribution that the FIC can foster in the future (see also Jensen & Murray's article in Science (2005) on intellectual property and the human genome project or Christakis and Fowler's article NEJM (2007) on social networks and obesity).  Moreover, this sort of opportunity promises to help us all better understand steps to capture a portion of the value we independently create for society through our innovations. 

 

Michael LeibleinIn the coming months, the FIC will be taking steps to foster additional interaction between social scientists and STEM scholars.  I recently emailed an announcement indicating an opportunity to enroll in two 2-day seminars, one on Survival Analysis and the other on Longitudinal Data Analysis, provided by Professor Paul Allison of the University of Pennsylvania.  In the coming months, we anticipate pulling together a repository of food related data that social scientists and STEM scholars may use to investigate associations between organizational, policy, and network variables and food safety outcomes.  Early next year, we anticipate organizing a conference to showcase work examining how business, contracting, economics, and sociology contribute to innovation in the Food Industry.  I hope you'll agree that OSU and the FIC are developing a broad, multi-disciplinary approach to addressing many of the food and nutrition related problems facing our society. I look forward to positive interactions and substantive conversations with FIC members on these topics in the near future.

 

Sincerely,

 

Michael Leiblein

Associate Director, FIC
 
CONGRATULATIONS TO INNOVATION INITIATIVES AWARDEES


This month FIC funded four new multi-college projects up to $50,000 each to address challenges in local food security, food quality, and obesity.
 

 

Congratulations to the teams led by these PIs: 

1.  Michael Bailey, Dentistry: Maternal Obesity and Child Temperament as Predictors of Childhood Obesity: Mediating Role of the Intestinal Microbiota
2.  Jeff LeJeune, Veterinary Medicine: Assessing the Real and Perceived Food Safety Risks of Urban Agriculture Programs
3.  Mark Moritz, Arts & Sciences: Livestock Production and Quality in Anthropogenic Floodplains
4.  Colleen Spees, Medicine: Food Choices and Health Status of Food Insecure Families in Central Ohio

Learn more
 about the awards.
IN THIS ISSUE
INNOVATION INITIATIVES AWARDEES
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
GRADUATE STUDENT TRAVEL AWARDS ANNOUNCED
GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
UPCOMING EVENTS
RESOURCES FOR FOOD RESEARCH, TEACHING, AND OUTREACH
FIC MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

DID YOU KNOW?

FIC investments expand engagement on and off campus

The four teams awarded FIC Innovation Initiatives each have members from at least three colleges, with a total of eight colleges represented across teams. Local and international partners are also involved. 
 

See the projects. 

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT 

Robert Scharff 
  

Robert Scharff analzyes the economic costs and risks of foodborne illnesses.  Find out more...

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GRADUATE STUDENT TRAVEL AWARDS ANNOUNCED
Congratulations to the 16 recipients of the spring 2012 Graduate Student Travel Awards!

These awards were for graduate students currently advised by an FIC faculty member who have worked on research projects consistent with the FIC mission. The awards were designed to help students travel to professional meetings and conferences of national or international significance in the spring and summer of 2012.

  1. Samantha Anzeljc
  2. Daniel Arango 
  3. Allison Atnip
  4. Andrew Barry 
  5. Chongtao Ge
  6. Junnan Gu 
  7. Fabiola Gutierrez-Orozco 
  8. Kom Kamonpatana 
  9. Jia-Yu Ke 
  10. Shinjie Lin 
  11. Fangfei Lou 
  12. KayLoni Olson 
  13. Amber Simmons 
  14. Brooke Starkoff 
  15. Hsueh-Li Tan 
  16. Rumana Yasmeen
     

For more information about these awards, visit http://fic.osu.edu/funding/student-travel/travelawardsspring2012.html

 

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

Exploratory Cancer Prevention Studies Involving Molecular Targets for Bioactive Food Components (R21) PA-10-088
Award Note: Direct costs up to $275,000 over 2 years, with no more than $200,000 in direct costs allowed in any single year.
Deadline: June 16, Oct. 16, Feb 16
Summary:  Exploratory research on the role of nutrition in cancer prevention. Specifically, this FOA seeks to promote cancer prevention research to identify and characterize molecular targets for bioactive food components. For the purpose of this FOA, a bioactive food component is defined as a dietary constituent that has a health benefit by altering one or more cellular processes when provided in quantities over and beyond that needed for basic nutrition.
Link: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-10-088.html

 

Aetna Foundation Obesity Grants
Range of Awards: $50,000 - $250,000
Deadline: Letter of Intent- continuous.  Full proposal -May 15, Aug 15, Nov 15
Summary:  To understand the contributors to obesity, and what supports and sustains better choices that can stave off overeating and reduce inactivity. Grant-making in this area focuses on initiatives that create a better understanding of the root causes of the obesity epidemic.
Link: http://www.aetna-foundation.org/foundation/aetna-foundation-programs/program-areas/obesity.html


Innovations in Gender Equality (IGE) to Promote Household Food Security (USAID)
Range of Awards: $50,000 - $1,500,000.
Deadline: Concept Paper- Apr. 6, 2012.  Full proposal - Oct. 31,2012
Summary: To pilot and collect evidence of impact from innovative interventions that increase women's' leadership in the agriculture sector, improve women's access to and utilization of technology to increase agricultural productivity, increase labor saving technologies, strengthen gender equality in land, credit and other policies, and enhance nutritional outcomes for women and children.
Link: http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=127833


RWJ Foundation Round 7 and New Connections Grants
Range of Awards: Round 7 - Up to $170,000; New Connections - Up to $100,000
Deadline: Round 7 - Concept papers submitted any time prior to Aug. 9, 2012.  Deadlines for invited full proposal: May 31, July 31, Oct. 4, 2012.  New Connections - Concept paper due May 22, 2012. Deadline for full proposal: July 31, 2012
Summary: These programs support research on environmental and policy strategies with strong potential to promote healthy eating among children to prevent childhood obesity, especially among lower-income and racial and ethnic populations at highest risk for obesity.
Link: http://www.rwjf.org/applications/solicited/cfp.jsp?ID=21393&cid=XEM_A5779


USDA Scientific Cooperation Research Program
Funding note: Up to 4 awards at $40,000 each
Deadline: April 18, 2012
Summary: The objective of SCRP is to reduce global poverty and hunger by supporting applied scientific research, extension, or education projects that aim to address challenges faced by smallholder farmers in emerging economies. All proposals should focus on addressing agricultural challenges to smallholders. The definition of smallholders differs between countries and agro-ecological zones. All proposals must include foreign collaborations with institutions in emerging economies that have diplomatic relations with the United States.
Link: Click here

 
UPCOMING EVENTS

SAVE THE DATE: 9TH ANNUAL RUSSELL KLEIN SYMPOSIUM

 

Date and Time: June 1, 2012; 9:00am-4:00pm 

 

Location: Biomedical Research Tower, The Ohio State University 

 

Description:  The Russell Klein symposium provides students an opportunity to present their research and interact with nutritional scientists. The program will include a full day of invited speakerswho are experts in their respective fields, and student presentations. All students are welcome to present a poster in all fields related to nutrition and all members of the campus community are welcome to attend. The Food Innovation Center will be a co-sponsor of the event.

 

 

 
RESOURCES FOR FOOD RESEARCH, TEACHING, AND OUTREACH

 

Growing Healthy Food and Farm Policy, a report from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, examines selected 2008 Farm Bill policies relevant to public health. The report analyzes policies and programs concerning the provision of healthy foods, food systems, production practices, research, and education. Read the report  
 

Farm Bill Budget Visualizer, also from Johns Hopkins, allows analysis of Farm Bill spending since 2008 through interactive "treemap" technology. Watch a brief "how-to" video or head straight to the tool. The visualizer is intended to help build understanding of how the provisions and budgets within the farm bill tie into the nation's public health, environmental sustainability, and other priority concerns.

WHO Global Database on Body Mass Index (link) provides national and sub-national adult underweight, overweight and obesity prevalence rates by country, year of survey, and gender. The data is presented interactively as maps, tables, and graphs. View a sample interactive global map. WHOobesity

FIC MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

CARLA MILLER SAYS 'DO YOUR BEST' IS NOT A GOOD ENOUGH GOAL TO IMPROVE DIABETES DIET

Carla Miller  A specific goal to eat a set number of daily servings of low-glycemic-index foods can improve dietary habits of people with Type 2 diabetes, according to new research. 

 

Study participants were given a goal to eat either six or eight daily servings of foods with a low glycemic index - carbohydrates that are digested slowly and are less likely to spike blood-sugar levels than would carbohydrates with a high glycemic index. 

 

Overall, most participants reached the eight-serving goal, partly because researchers discovered that many people were already consuming about six servings of low-glycemic-index foods each day.

 

The participants also ate about 500 fewer daily calories and added vegetables, fruits and nuts and seeds to their diet - all foods that are on the low end of the glycemic index.

 

Participants' confidence about being able to meet these dietary recommendations was key to their ability to reach the goal. People who had more confidence about the goal were more committed, and higher commitment levels led to a better likelihood that they would reach the goal.  Read on...

 

 

MONICA GIUSTI NAMED 2011 OUTSTANDING WOMAN IN TECHNOLOGYMonica Giusti

Monica Giusti, an assistant professor in Ohio State University's Department of Food Science and Technology, has been named Outstanding Woman in Technology by TechColumbus for her pathbreaking work on beneficial compounds of fruits and vegetables.

 

Giusti was honored Feb. 2 during TechColumbus's 2011 Innovation Awards ceremony. The awards recognize forward-thinking individuals, companies and technology teams in the central Ohio region for their achievements and contributions in technology leadership and innovation. TechColumbus is a public-private partnership whose mission is to accelerate the advancement of central Ohio's innovation economy through advocacy, venture acceleration and seed funding.

 

"We are extremely pleased that TechColumbus has recognized the creative talents of Monica Giusti by naming her Outstanding Woman in Technology," said Steve Slack, director of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), which supports Giusti's work. OARDC is the research arm of Ohio State's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). 

 

Read the full article.

 

 

 

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 614-292-0229.

Food Innovation Center | The Ohio State University  

203 Bricker Hall | 190 North Oval Mall

Columbus, OH 43210-1358

p: 614-292-0229 | f: 614-292-3658 | e: [email protected] | w: http://fic.osu.edu 

Director: Ken Lee; Associate directors: Steven Clinton, Mark Failla, Michael Leiblein, and Steven Schwartz 

 

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