Member Spotlight
Richard Bruno Examines Medicinal Properties of Green Tea
Does green tea ward off weight gain? Dr. Richard Bruno, Ph.D., R.D. and Associate Professor of Human Nutrition, hopes to find out. Read more
Sequencing Tomatoes: David Francis Breeds High Beta-Carotene Varieties
Dr. David Francis, Professor at The Ohio State University in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, is examining carotenoid profiles of vintage and contemporary tomato (S. lycopersicum) varieties to identify sources of high beta-carotene. Read more
New Faculty Member Irene Hatsu
Irene Hatsu recently joined the faculty of the College of Education and Human Ecology at the Ohio State University, teaching in the Department of Human Sciences Administration. Get to know Irene in our newest member spotlight. Read more
Purchased Breast Milk Putting Babies at Risk
Many new mothers are resorting to buying human breast milk online when they cannot provide their own milk. In 2011, there were over 13,000 ads posted to donate, sell, or purchase human breast milk in the U.S. Results from a 2012 FIC Seed Grant project led by Sarah A. Keim, PhD, principal investigator in the Center for Biobehavioral Health at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, found more than three-fourths of breast milk samples purchased over the Internet contained bacteria that can cause illness, and frequently exhibited signs of poor collection, storage or shipping practices. Read more
The Sweet Taste of Weight Loss
The sweet flavor of raspberries is not only delicious to taste but may be the answer to our weight loss woes. Christopher Simons, Food Innovation Center member and assistant professor in food science and technology, decided to further explore this raspberry ketone weight loss phenomenon through his latest Seed Grant project. Read more
Improving Nutrition from the Grocery Store to the Doctor’s Office
In an effort to overhaul the way our healthcare system approaches nutrition and chronic diseases, Food Innovation Center member and associate professor of medical dietetics and family medicine Christopher Taylor saw the opportunity to create a novel approach to alleviate barriers associated with nutritional counseling. Read more
Designing the Future of Food Innovation
In post-industrial Ohio, residents in urban areas face accumulating vacant land and multiple barriers to food security. Residents of urban areas are experiencing unemployment and inadequate access to basic food sources such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Food Innovation Center member and Assistant Professor in the Knowlton School of Architecture, Katherine Bennett, decided to take initiative towards empowering the community. Read more
Berries and Biofilms: Purnima Kumar Shows Us How Healthy Eating Can Improve Oral Health
Could eating black raspberries reduce your risk for oral cancer? This is just one of the exciting innovative research questions under investigation by Food Innovation Center member and Associate Professor in the Division of Periodontology, Purnima Kumar. Read more
Daren Knoell Leads the Way for Zinc Research
Daren Knoell, a full professor in the College of Pharmacy and College of Medicine, has been an independent thinker since forging a unique path after receiving his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Nebraska. Instead of following classmates into industry or clinical practice, Knoell decided to pursue bench science by completing a year of clinical residency training followed by 3.5 years of postdoctoral fellowship training at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). Read more
Michelle Kaiser Embraces Collaboration to Increase Food Security
Joining the FIC was an easy decision for Michelle Kaiser, a newly appointed Assistant Professor in the College of Social Work. Kaiser had already been collaborating with FIC member Colleen Spees during her doctoral candidacy at the University of Missouri on "Food Choices and Health Status of Food Insecure Families in Central Ohio." Read more
Jiyoung Lee Fights for Safer Foods
With her recent FIC Seed Grant to improve local food security and health in urban environments with hydroponic food systems, in addition to her grant awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency to study safer drinking water coming in from Lake Erie, Food Innovation Center member Jiyoung Lee keeps busy with her research. Read more
Bucci Seeks Collaboration while Paying it Forward in Haiti
Terri Bucci, director of the Haiti Empowerment Project and Food Innovation Center member, has recently returned from Haiti for her fourth time since last January. Read more
Gunther Improves Children's Nutrition One Simple Supper at a Time
Coming from a long family history of giving back, Food Innovation Center member Carolyn Gunther feels right at home directing the second year pilot test of her successful Simple Suppers (a project which benefits from FIC funding) at Ohio State University's Schoenbaum Family Center. Read more
Scharff Analyzes the Economic Costs and Risks of Foodborne Illnesses
Growing up just outside of Washington D.C., FIC member and Associate Professor of Consumer Sciences, Robert Scharff has always been interested in policy issues. As a former FDA economist, he worked on food safety issues which set the stage for most of his research. Read more
Barnard contributes to finding a cure for pets with cancer
Cancer is a major cause of death in pets - 45% of dogs that live to ten years of age die of cancer, and is the cause of one in four deaths regardless of age. Sandra Barnard, veterinary oncologist at The Ohio State University, hopes that her research will decrease this number drastically. Read more
Miller helps those with diabetes make behavioral change
Why do people choose highly processed cereals at the grocery store instead of regular oatmeal? It may seem to you that both are common breakfast foods, but according to Carla Miller, they differ greatly in how they affect your blood glucose. Read more
Grewal helps communities create sustainable food systems
What do Prince Charles and Parwinder Grewal have in common? Both have an interest in urban agriculture and community farming. As Prince Charles tours a community farm near Washington D.C., Parwinder Grewal is striving to promote urbanagriculture in cities throughout Ohio. Read more
McDowell leads programs to help thousands make healthier eating choices
Translation of scientific breakthroughs into practical applications has become a “hot topic” and national priority. Joyce McDowell, an inaugural member of the Food Innovation Center is no newcomer to converting science into public good. Read more
Herbert Ockerman honored for international contributions
News March 2011: Ockerman is elected a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists, the honorary society of food science. Herbert Ockerman, a founding member of the Food Innovation Center, is a 2010 recipient of the Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Award from Ohio State. Read more
Harrison on the front lines of vitamin A research
Earl Harrison, a charter member of the Food Innovation Center, has made his mark at Ohio State as a Dean's Distinguished Professor of Human Nutrition since 2006. Read more
