Texas Tech University

USDA REEU Nutrition BEST

The Nutrition Bench-to-Community Engaged Scholars in Texas (Nutrition BEST) program will fund underrepresented students from South Plains College (SPC) and Texas Tech University (TTU) to engage in bench and/or community-based research focused on community nutrition, agriculture, health and obesity prevention, all of which are areas of high priority in rural West Texas. 

Leadership for the Nutrition Best Program is comprised of faculty and staff from several entities. For a description of the leadership, view our Nutrition BEST Leadership page.

The objectives of Nutrition BEST REEU Program at TTU are to:

  • Increase the number of historically underrepresented students completing baccalaureate degrees in foods, nutrition and agriculture
  • Develop the next-generation of a highly skilled and trained diverse workforce in nutrition and agriculture with high impact practices through research, extension and experiential learning

The goal of the Nutrition BEST REEU Program is to enhance learning in overall research methods including:

  • Basic nutrition science

  • Community-based research

  • Literature

  • Imaging

  • Data analysis

  • Machine learning application

Learn more about our students.

Apply by Clicking Here!

Participants in the program receive:

  • A Nutrition BEST Fellowship through a federally funded training grant from the United States Department of Agriculture
  • Paid research and internship experiences
  • Preparation for graduate school and/or entry into the workforce through a hands-on experience working with academic researchers and industry professionals
  • Mentoring by a multidisciplinary team of experts from TTU, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, TTU Health Science Center and the University of Tennessee Extension
  • Involvement in supportive and educational environments for women and underrepresented minorities

To participate, students must be: 

  • A current full-time student at either TTU or SPC
  • From an underrepresented group (African American, Hispanic American, Native American or Pacific Islander)
  • A major/minor or interest in foods, nutrition and agricultural areas 
  • Interested in entering graduate school or the workforce in food, nutrition and/or agriculture upon graduation
  • Have a GPA higher than 3.0
  • A sophomore (SPC or TTU) or junior (at TTU) before the program begins
  • Committed to being actively involved in a two-year interactive program, both at SPC and/or TTU
  • Committed to participating in the evaluation of this project. This includes completing a series of surveys and interviews about your experiences.

Apply by Clicking Here!

Funding for this program is provided by the USDA Research Education and Extension program for Undergraduate Students (REEU) program (Award Number #:2021-68018-34615).

Partnerships

  A&M AgriLife        USDA         University of Tennessee

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OR&I logo   TTU logo    TrUE logo

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