About the Food and Nutrition REU program
Supported by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the Food and Nutrition REU program at the University of Alabama is dedicated to preparing competent students of diverse backgrounds with the skills and experience needed to excel in the future workforce in food and nutrition fields. Each summer, admitted fellows will gain access to invaluable resources, expert training, and immersive hands-on research opportunities on the UA campus.
Institutional Support Overview
The University of Alabama is the largest public university in the State of Alabama. UA has been recognized by The Carnegie Foundation as a university with “Very High Research Activity” status, also known as the R1 category in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UA is committed to increasing and diversifying enrollment at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. To support this goal, the UA Graduate School launched the Strategic Graduate Partnerships Initiative (SGPI). This initiative provides funding for innovative summer pilot research experiences, creating clear pathways for students to transition into graduate programs at UA.
The Department of Human Nutrition, Hospitality and Sport Management at UA has been educating food and nutrition professionals for over seventy-five years and strives to contribute to the generation of new knowledge in the area of food and nutrition and to apply this knowledge to improving the quality of life of individuals, families, and communities. The department offers the Food and Nutrition undergraduate degree program, as well a Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Human Nutrition. Outstanding undergraduate students can apply to the MS program through the Accelerated Masters Program (AMP), allowing them to take both undergraduate and graduate courses simultaneously. Both the MS and PhD programs focus on translational nutrition, training students in bench-to-bedside-to-community research.
The department has a total of ten research faculty members who are active in food and nutrition research and education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Admitted fellows in the ten-week summer REU program will be paired with one of ten research faculty members who will serve as their research mentor. They will also collaborate closely with graduate research assistants throughout the program.