GNO members and Graduate Advisor Dr. Reed participated in a Health Fair held at the South Plains Food Bank on June 27, 2017.

Table of Contents

Meet NS Department Associate Chair

Mrs. Lydia Kloiber is the Associate Chair of the Nutritional Sciences Department, an Assistant Professor of Practice, and the Director of NS Undergraduate Program. Mrs. Kloiber received her Bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University, and completed the dietetic internship and obtained her masters degree from University of Kansas Medical Center. Mrs. Kloiber has been a Registered Dietitian for more than 20 years. She worked as a clinical dietitian focusing on critical care and neonatal nutrition, and consulting dietitian for long-term care facilities and rural hospitals before she joined Texas Tech University as a faculty member.

Mrs. Kloiber teaches several undergrad courses at TTU including Intro to Dietetics, Sciences of Nutrition, and Medical Nutrition Therapy I, etc., and is involved in developing online courses for TTU NS undergraduate program and graduate program. She also teaches online graduate courses such as Carbohydrates, Protein and Lipids, and Nutrition Support. Mrs. Kloiber had served as the Director of the Didactic Program for Dietetics at TTU from 2007 to 2015, before she was promoted to be the Associate Chair in the Department of Nutritional Sciences. In Spring 2017, Mrs. Kloiber received the very prestigious 'Texas Distinguished Dietitian Award' from the Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (TAND), which is the highest honor bestowed on a member by the Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The award is designed to recognize and honor a Texas dietitian who has made outstanding and significant contributions to the Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, as well as to the profession of dietetics.

Department Announcements

New Faculty Appointments

Lab Updates

Behavioral Medicine & Translational Research Lab (Dr. Binks)

• The BMTR lab is recruiting study subjects for a study looking at comfort levels during moderate exercise. Call/email if interested: 806-742-5194, bmtrlab@ttu.edu.
• New Lab Member: Wei-Lin Huang joined the BMTR lab as a masters student. She obtained her Bachelor's degree in Nutritional Sciences from Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan. Before joining TTU, Wei-Lin worked as a registered dietitian in National Taiwan University Hospital and was involved in a clinical research study looking at nutrition status in patients with Rett syndrome.

Student Achievements

• Rownock Afruza, Ph.D. student
  • Received the TTU Presidential Graduate Fellowship from the Office of the President for the 2016-2017 school year. 
• Yujiao Zu, Ph.D. student
  • Selected as the July 2017 Graduate Student of the Month in the College of Human Sciences. 
• Mandana Pahlavani, Ph.D.
  • Placed first for Outstanding Dissertation Award 2017 in CGS Biological Life Sciences. Dissertation title: Cellular and Molecular Basis for Omega 3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Regulation of Brown Adipose Tissue.
• Ana Florencia Moyeda Carabaza, M.S. student<
  • Received the SNEB Foundation Scholarship to attend the 50th SNEB Annual Conference in Washington, DC.

• Wei-Lin Huang, M.S. student
  • Received the TTU Nutritional Science General HS Scholarship for the 2017-2018 school year.
• Shao-Hua Chin, Ph.D. student
  • Received the TTU Pres Doc Ex TA Spring Scholarship for the 2017-2018 school year.

Research Funding

• Title: A new culprit for heart failure – Control of BCAA metabolism in cardiac function.
  • Funding Source: TTU System President's Collaborative Research Initiative
  • Total Amount: $50,000
  • Funding Period: 9/1/2017 – 8/31/2018
  • Principal Investigators: Andrew Shin
• Title: Neural Correlates of a Nutritionally Balanced Total Meal Replacement, 3 week Dietary Exposure: An fMRI Study – Extended Data Analysis Supplement
  • Funding Source: Nestlé Health Science
  • Total Amount: $10,000
  • Funding Period: 1 year
  • Principal Investigators: Martin Binks
• Title: Plaque-targeted nanocarriers for atherosclerosis diagnosis and treatment.
  • Funding Source: TTU System President's Collaborative Research Initiative
  • Total Amount: $44,553
  • Principal Investigators: Shu Wang

Patents, Publications, Invited Lectures and Boards

Patents Obtained

• Nikhil Dhurandhar
  • Japan # 6175076
  • Title: Enhanced glycemic control using Ad36E4orf1 and AKT1 inhibitor.
  • Date: July 14, 2017

Students' Oral Presentations

• Amin MR, Murimi M, Moyeda Carabaza AF. Factors Associated with Stunting among 0-23 Months Old Children in Rural Bangladesh. Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior 50th Annual Conference; 2017 Jul; Washington, DC.

Professors' Oral Presentations

• Murimi M, Moyeda Carabaza AF. Effective Nutrition Interventions for Sustainable Maternal and Child Health: Lessons from the Countries that Achieved their MDG 4 and 5 Targets. Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior 50th Annual Conference; 2017 Jul; Washington, DC.

Professors' Posters

• Dhurandhar NV, Kaplan L, Golden A, et al. Divergence in perception and attitudes among people with obesity, healthcare professionals, and employers create barriers to effective obesity management. Results of the national action study. 24th European Congress on Obesity. Porto, Portugal. May 2017. Obesity Facts 2017, Vol 10, Suppl 1, 118.
• Look M, Golden A, Kyle T, Dhurandhar NV, et al. Insights and perceptions of obesity management in older people with obesity: Results of the ACTION (awareness, care, and treatment in obesity management) study. 24th European Congress on Obesity. Porto, Portugal. May 2017. Obesity Facts 2017, Vol 10, Suppl 1, 128.
• Look M, Golden A, Dhurandhar NV, et al. Insights and perceptions of obesity management in people with obesity: Results of the national ACTION study. 24th European Congress on Obesity. Porto, Portugal. May 2017. Obesity Facts 2017, Vol 10, Suppl 1, 188.
• Kahathuduwa C, Davis T, O'Boyle M, Binks M. Effects of Meal Replacement vs. Food-based Diet on Human Brain Task-related fMRI Connectivity. Proceeding 25th Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior; 2017 Jul; Montreal PQ, Canada.
• Kahathuduwa C, Davis T, O'Boyle M, Binks M. Changes in Food Craving Inventory and Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire subscales predict changes in functional magnetic resonance imaging food-cue reactivity in a 3-week calorie restriction intervention. Proceeding 25th Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior; 2017 Jul; Montreal PQ, Canada.

Journal Articles

• Dhurandhar NV. Health policies for obesity: how to get there! Int J Obesity 2017 41(6): 829-30.
• Pahlavani M, Ramalho T, Koboziev I, LeMieux MJ, Jayarathne S, Ramalingam L, Ribeiro LF, Moustaid-Moussa N. Adipose tissue inflammation in insulin resistance: review of mechanisms mediating anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Journal of Investigative Medicine. In Press.
• Pahlavani M, Kalupahana NS, Ramalingam L, Moustaid-Moussa N. Regulation and Functions of the Renin-Angiotensin System in White and Brown Adipose Tissue. Comprehensive Phyiol. In Press.
• Islam N, Li S, Ren G, Zu Y, Warzywoda J, Wang S, Fan Z. High-frequency electrochemical capacitors based on plasma pyrolyzed bacterial cellulose aerogel for current ripple filtering and pulse energy storage. Nano Energy. 2017:40:107-114.

Invited Lectures by Professors

• Dr. Mary Murimi
  • Separating Facts from Myths Towards Strategic Communication on Health and Nutrition Issues in Africa. 'Health and Nutrition – Differentiating the Facts from the Myths and Health Communication Strategies.' Nairobi, Kenya. June 23, 2017.
  • The Division of International Nutrition Education from the Society of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 'Food-Based Dietary Guidelines: Best Practices in Global Development and Implementation.' Washington, DC. July, 21, 2017.
• Dr. Andrew Shin
  • Seoul National University. 'Gut-brain communication for the control of appetite and nutrient metabolism.' Seoul, South Korea. July 3, 2017.
  • Asan Medical Center. 'Gut-brain communication for the control of appetite and nutrient metabolism.' Seoul, South Korea. July 7, 2017.

Miscellaneous Board and Other Appointments

• Dr. Shu Wang has been elected as the vice president of the North America Chinese Society for Nutrition (NACSN).

Meetings

• Dr. Nikhil Dhurandhar
  • Patient Advisory Board meeting. Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Zurich, Switzerland. June 2017.

In the Media

Professors in National Media

Dr. Martin Binks

• Today's Dietitian on June 4, 2017 entitled 'Dynamics of Diabetes: Is Sitting the New Smoking?'

Dr. John Dawson

• Science Alert on July 22, 2017 entitled 'Nutrition Science Isn't Broken, It's Just Wicked Hard'

GNO Events

Meet NEW GNO Officers

The GNO has selected the incoming officers for the school year 2017-2018. Congratulations to ALL!

Health Fair

• GNO members and Graduate Advisor Dr. Reed participated in a Health Fair held at the South Plains Food Bank on June 27, 2017. Over 30 health-related agencies had booths, and approximately 200 clients of the Food Bank and other community members attended. GNO members interacted with attendees at a booth that featured a "Re-think your Drink" display and provided educational handouts for healthier food and physical activity choices.

Move-in Day Fundraising

• GNO participated in the move-in program which was hosted by the Resident Hall Association (RHA) on August 19 to 21, 2017. The move-in program assisted in cleaning up campus and organizing recycle materials during the move-in process of 6000 freshman at Texas Tech. As one of the volunteering organizations, GNO received funds from RHA for the hard work done by GNO members!

Other Announcements and Notices

Obesity Research Cluster

• Join the ORC Listserv
  • Sign up for the email list to receive the seminar reminder and ORC events information.

ShortCourses

Technology Support offers ShortCourses on computer packages every semester. The categories include Adobe Creative Suites, Microsoft Office, statistics software, and web development and publishing. Visit their website for the list of offered courses during the semester and for registration.

• List of offered classes: http://goo.gl/4NqO8F
• Register: https://goo.gl/ezcCcU

Graduate Center Satellite Services for Graduate Students

• Library Research Assistance: Mon & Tue 2 pm - 4 pm.
• Writing Center: By appointment- https://goo.gl/OzEPnr
• Statistical Consulting Service: By appointment- http://ttu.mobi/stats

Editor of Nutrition Matters at Texas Tech

• Editor - Shao-Hua Chin, B.S.