Can Egg Consumption Moderate the Inflammatory Response in Division I Collegiate Gymnasts?

Dr. Ruth Litchfield

Community Partner: - Iowa Egg Council

Goals: - Student will be assisting with laboratory and dietary analysis procedures.

Objectives:- Student will assist with ELISA kits to quantify presence of inflammatory markers in serum samples.- Student will assist with scoring food records using Healthy Eating Index (HEI).

Skills or Tools to be used:- ELISA Kits- 5-Day Food Records analyzed using Food Processor and HEI

Expected Engagement with Community Partner:- Student will assist with preparation and presentation (oral or poster) of finding for the community partner.

Virulence, Persistence, and Preventative Measures Against Foodborne Escherichia ColiDr. Melha Mellata

Community Stakeholders: - Food Producers

Goals: - To perform microbiological work on foodborne pathogens to better define their

virulence to humans, persistence in animals/food, and preventive measures against infections.

Objectives:- To characterize virulence and persistence mechanisms used by foodborne E. coli strains.

Skills or Tools to be Used: - Prepare growth media, microbiology supplies, and bacterial cultures.- Learn to use ELISA, PCR, RNA Isolation, and Western Blot tools.- Enhance ability to communicate scientific findings through weekly laboratory research meeting presentations.

Expected Engagement with Community Partner: - Scholar will connect with community partners throughout Iowa that work in the food production industry.- Scholar will be expected to engage with stakeholders by touring food production facilities and gain information in careers in

the food production industry.- Industry partners will contribute to the development of the scholar’s knowledge in industry practices in food production

relating to producing a safe and healthy product.

Identifying the Epigenetic Mechanisms Underlying the Antibesogenic Effects of Dietary Whole Egg ConsumptionDr. Kevin Schalinske, Dr. Stephanie Clark, & Dr. Matt Rowling

Goals: - Test the hypothesis: Weight reduction and decrease in body fat in diabetic rats fed a whole egg-

based diet is the result of the miRNA content found in whole eggs and the ability of the miRNAs to down- regulate obese-prone genes.

- Determine if miRNAs present in whole eggs are absorbed in a rodent model of obesity type 2 diabetes.

Objectives: Determine the miRNA content present in the circulation following 8 weeks of feeding a whole-egg diet using a polygenic

model of obesity. Determine miRNA content in select tissues, such as adipose. Use cell culture models with adipocytes and exosome-encapsulated miRNA in the media to support the in-vivo studies. Examine miRNA-containing exosomes and their impact on gene expression.

Skills or Tools to be Used: Formulate a rodent diet Feed and weigh rats for the 8-week experimental period Collect tissues and blood Cell culture techniques

The Role of Metabolism Genes in Brain Development and AgingDr. Auriel A. Willette

Goals: Learn the basics of neuroimaging and how it is integrated into the field of nutritional sciences. Gain experience processing brain images, collating cognitive data, and conducting analyses on

how genetic variation in individuals predicts brain growth in children and/or brain atrophy in elders, as well as effects on cognitive processes like memory and executive function.

Objectives:- Student will learn how to take 3D and 4D images of brains and process them.- Student will assist post-docs and graduate students with existing projects that integrate brain, nutrition, DEXA, and

behavioral data among thousands of subjects.Skills or Tools to be Used:

- Specialized software for standardizing large 4D datasets of brain activity - Data Collection- Statistical assessment- Ability to follow established SOPs- Literature reviews of nutritional biomarkers available in secondary data sets for use with brain images in statistical analyses

Expected Engagement with Community Partner:- No required engagement- Students have the option to interface with local Alzheimer’s Association chapter or broadly engage with community partners

that have an active interest in the research

Revision of the Balanced Living with Diabetes (BLD) ProgramDr. Sarah L. Francis

Community Stakeholder: Black Iowans

Goals: - Revise the BLD Curriculum developed by Virginia Tech University to meet the needs and

preferences of Black Iowans.- Long term goal is to implement the BLD program through Iowa State University’s Human Sciences

Extension and Outreach.

Objectives:- Identify and test culturally appropriate recipes to coincide with BLD weekly lessons.- Revise the curriculum to meet ISU Human Sciences Extension and Outreach branding guidelines and to meet the “best

practices” of reaching black audiences based on current nutrition education literature.- Pilot test lessons with target audience to gather feedback on structure and content.- Assist with data collection (e.g., focus groups, survey data).

Skills or Tools to be Used:- Test recipes for ease of preparation, taste, and nutrition content- Be comfortable reading and interpreting research articles to identify how to structure sessions- Have interpersonal and collaboration skills- Be flexible- Attention to detail- Comfortable working with diverse audiences- Have a base understanding of effective teaching strategies

Expected Engagement with Community Partner: We will be working closely with Drs. Tera Jordan (HDFS) and Asani Seawell (Pacific University) and black Iowans to complete this research project. The team will meet regularly (via zoom) to discuss our progress. The research team will host pilot sessions with members of the target audience to gather input about the session structure and content in mid- to late-July. This information will be used to finalize the curriculum. In Fall 2018 the research team will seek additional grant funding through internal and external RFPs to pilot test the program.

Influence of Plant-Derived Extracts with Non-thermal Technologies on Microbial and Physio- Chemical Characteristics of Foods

Dr. Shannon Coleman and Dr. Aubrey Mendonca

Community Stakeholder: Consumers and poultry industry

Goals: - Evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of essential oils against enteric pathogens in marinated chicken breast meat and skin at

refrigerated temperatures

Skills or Tools to be Used:- Preparation of growth media, microbiology supplies, and bacterial cultures- Learn microbiological procedures:

o Aerobico Salmonella entericao Campylobacter jejuni

Development of Baked Products with Resistant Starch- Impact on QualityDr. Terri D. Boylston

Goals: - To develop baked products with increased resistant starch content with acceptable sensory quality attributes.

Objectives:- Determine maximum level in which resistant starch can be incorporated into selected baked products (biscuits, cookies,

muffins)- Measure sensory quality (color, texture, flavor) of baked products with increased resistant starch content using instrument

and sensory methods.

Skills or Tools to be Used: - Product development- Instrumental analysis of color, texture and flavor- Sensory evaluation- Chemical analysis of resistant starch content

Expected Engagement with Community Partner: - Interact with nutrition students and faculty to engage the public about the health benefits of resistant starch