Graduate Program in Nutrition

Current Graduate Students

Alexandria D. Blatt, RD, LDN

Ph.D. Student

Advisor: Dr. Barbara Rolls

Email: adb208@psu.edu

Research Interests

Effects of protein and energy density on satiety and energy intake.

Education

BS - Penn State University

MS - Case University

Smita N. Chopade

MS Student

Advisor: Dr. Claudia Probart

Email: snc3@psu.edu

Research Interests

Improving elementary aged students' whole wheat food selection choices.

Education

BS (Chem) - University of Mumbai

MS (Lib Sc) - Case University

Courses Taught

NUTR 360 - Fall 2006

NUTR 399 - Summer 2007

NUTR 499 - Summer 2007

Darcy Gungor

MS Student

Advisor: Dr. Cynthia Bartok and Liann Birch

Email: deg182@psu.edu

Research Interests

How different patterns of infant growth relate to childhood obesity.

Body composition in children and adults.

Early feeding practices and infant growth

Education

BA (Biology) - Elmira College

Sijie Hao

Ph.D. Student

Advisor: Dr. Okhee Han

Email: szh141@psu.edu

Research Interests

Molecular mechanism of iron export from intestinal basolatheral membrane

Education

BS (Biology) - Fundan University, Shanghai, China

Kristina Harris

Ph.D. Student

Advisor: Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton

Email: kah1034@psu.edu

Research Interests

The effects of whole grains on visceral adiposity, vasular function, and glucose metabilism/insulin resistance.

Effects and mechanics of omega-3 fatty acids on inflammatory markers and manifestaions in humans.

Education

BA - Augustana College

Awards/Fellowships/Grants

  • Penn State NASA Space Grant Consortium Fellowship (2008-2009)

Lamis H. Jomaa

Ph.D. Student

Advisor: Dr. Claudia Propart

Email: lamis@psu.edu

Research Interests

Childhood obesity prevention through promoting school nutrition policies and the involvement of students in developing and maintaining healthy school environments

Education

MS (Nutritional Sciences) - The Pennsylvania State University

Lebanese RD - Americal University of Beirut Medical Center, Dietetic Internship

BS (Nutrition and Dietetics) - American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Courses Taught

Instructor - NUTR 100, Contemporary Nutrition, Summer 2008

TA - NUTR 399 - Summer 2007

TA - NUTR 499 - Summer 2007

TA - NUTR 360 - Spring 2009

Awards/Fellowships/Grants

  • Ardeth and Norman Frisbey International Student Award, The Pennsylvania State University, Spring 2008
  • Scholarship of Engagement Emerging Scholar, Annual Outreach Scholarship Conference, Fall 2008
  • Fulbright Scholarship, US Department of State, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, 2006 - 2008

Rachel Kramer

Ph.D. Student

Advisor: Dr. Barbara Rolls

Email: rak945@psu.edu

Research Interests

The effects of energy density and portion size on the regulation of energy intake in adults.

Education

BS (Nutrition) - La Salle University

RD - St. Louis Veteran's Affairs Dietetic Internship

Paige Elizabeth Miller

Ph.D. Student

Advisor: Dr. Terry Hartman

Email: pem136@psu.edu

Research Interests

Epidemiological aspects of nutrition in relation to cancer prevention and control

Education

MS (Nutritional Sciences) The Pennsylvania State University

BA (Public Policy Studies) - Duke University

Courses Taught

Instructor - NUTR 100, Contemporary Nutrition, Summer 2008

TA - NUTR 100 - Fall 2005 - Spring 2006

TA - NUTR 451 - Spring 2006

TA - NUTR 380 - Fall 2006

TA - HRIM 385 - Fall 2007

TA - NUTR 360 - Spring 2007

Awards/Fellowships/Grants

  • Elected Executive Committee Member of the Student Interest Group, Graduate and Professional Education Committee, American Society for Nutrition, 2008 - 2010
  • Nutrition and Dietetics Alumni Society Travel Award, The Pennsylvania State University, Experimental Biology, 2008
  • Travel Award, Student Competitive Research, Department of Nutritional Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, 2008
  • Travel Award, Student Competitive Research, Department of Nutritional Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, 2007

Fawn S. Patchell

Ph.D. Student

Advisor: Dr. Terry Hartman

Email: fsp5002@psu.edu

Research Interests

Dietary patterns as they relate to cancer and also fertility

Education

BS (Nutritional Scieneces) - The Pennsylvania State University

Kathryn Piehowski, RD, CBDT

Ph.D. Student (3rd year)

Advisor: Dr. Shelly Nickols-Richardson

Email: kep158@psu.edu

Research Intrests

Exploring the negative effects of excess body fat, meaning a disproportional amount of fat mass in relation to lean mass on bone integrity. Specific research focuses on the effect of obesity related inflammation on bone resoption or bone breakdown.

Education

RD (Registered Dietitian) - The Pennsylvania State University

CBDT (Certified Bone Densitometry Technologist) - International Society for Clinical Densitometry

Courses Taught

Instructor - NUTR 456, Community Nutrition - Spring 2008, Fall 2008

Awards/Fellowships/Grants

  • ADA Fellowship - 2008 Billye June Eichelberg Scholarship
  • AADCS Fellowship - Jeannette H. Crum National Graduate Fellowship

Jackie R. Rasband

MS Student

Advisor: Dr. Kasia Kordas

Email: jxr963@psu.edu

Research Interests

Maternal and infant populations. Currently working on a study which looks at the iron status of infants and whether or not it affects their sleep

Education

BA (Spanish) - Brigham Young University

Young Ah Seo

Ph.D. Student

Advisor: Dr. Shannon Kelleher

Email: yzs122@psu.edu

Research Interests

Interested in understanding mechanisms through which zinc transporters are regulated during reproducion, specifically by hormones such as prolactin, and identifying their functionality in processes integral to human health and diseases such as cellular invasion and cancer.

Education

BS (Foods and Nutrition) - EWHA Women's University

LD in Korea

Mastaneh Sharafi

Ph.D. Student

Advisor: Dr. Leann Birch

Email: mxs804@psu.edu

Research Interests

Eating behavior and childhood obesity. Portion size effect on children's energy intake.

Maureen Spill

Ph.D. Student

Advisor: Dr. Barbara Rolls

Email: mks148@psu.edu

Research Interests

Assessing various strategies to reduce teh energy density of meals for pre-school aged children through increasing vegetable consumption. Not only will this research lead to strategies to moderate the incidence of childhood obesity in this country, but also lead to healthier diets for American children.

Education

BS (Food Science) - The Pennsylvania State University

MS (Food Science/Sensory Evaluation) - University of California, Davis

Libo Tan

Ph.D. Student

Advisor: Dr. Catharine Ross

Email: lzt114@psu.edu

Research Interests

How retinoic acide (the active metabolate of vitamin A) regulates the immune response in mouse

Education

BS - Shandong University

Zhiping Yu

Ph.D. Student

Advisor: Dr. Rebecca Corwin

Email: zuy100@psu.edu

Research Interests

The effects of ovarian hormones on binge eating and the neurobiological mechanism of sex difference in binge eating

Courses Taught

TA - NUTR 380 - Spring 2008

TA - NUTR 453 - Spring 2008

TA - NUTR 100 - Fall 2007

Awards/Fellowships/Grants

  • 2008 Grace M. Henderson Graduate Scholarship
  • 2008 Third Place winner of the 2008 Graduate Exhibition Award
  • 2007 Honorable mention of the Penn State Institute for Diabetes and obesity wine and cheese posters competition
  • 2006 Woot-Tsuen Wu Lueng Scholarship in Nutrition

Jamie (Zhiying) Zhang

Ph.D. Student

Advisor: Dr. Terryl Hartman

Email: zzz102@psu.edu

Research Interests

Nutrition and colorectal cancer prevention

Education

MS - The University of Prince Edward Island (Canada)

Courses Taught

TA - NUTR 251 - Spring 2008

TA - NUTR 360 - Spring 2007

Awards/Fellowships/Grants

  • 2006-2007 Woot-Tsuen Wu Lueng Scholarship in Nutrition
  • 2005-2006 The Pennsylvania State University Fellowship