Field Experiences in Food, Nutrition,
and Health for Undergraduates
Human Biology, Health & Society (HBHS)
Nutrition, Food & Agriculture (NFA)
Nutritional Sciences (NS)
Structured learning experiences in the real world help students
link theory to practice. Students also learn about communication, team work,
setting goals, client needs, and the social, economic and political forces that
influence professionals who work in the food, nutrition and health fields. Students
can earn credit for a planned field experience through NS 402, Supervised Fieldwork.
Examples of NS 402 Field Experiences:
- Nutrition and fitness: Advanced nutrition students serve as nutrition
counselors to student athletes and members of local fitness clubs.
- Community nutrition: Students work with local Cooperative Extension
professionals and others in developing and pilot testing educational programs
for adults and children.
- Nutrition and business: Students intern with a local software firm
to learn about developing and testing food composition data bases, dietary
assessment instruments, and food management programs for use by the health
care industry.
- Nutrition and health care: Students examine how nutritionists and
other health care practitioners treat and counsel patients with different
conditions and the many factors that influence how these professionals conduct
their work.
Guidelines for NS 402:
- The experience must be planned in advance with a faculty member and have
explicit goals and expected outcomes.
- The experience must have ongoing faculty involvement in all phases through
regular conferences in person, by phone, or by e-mail.
- The experience must have a reflective component, such as analysis of a journal
or systematic record of the experience to allow the student to consider feelings
and attitudes about the experience as well as understandings about applications
of classroom learning to practice.
- The student's work must be evaluated by the faculty member and the bases
on which the grade will be determined must be agreed on in advance. Grades
may be based on journals, papers, oral presentations, input from field supervisors,
and/or other materials developed as part of the experience.
- The number of credits must be determined in advance. For 1 academic
credit, the student should be working in the placement or on materials relevant
to the placement an average of 3-4 hours per week for 14 weeks. This time
is in addition to that spent with the faculty member.
- All registrations for NS 402 must be processed using the College
of Human Ecology Special Study form, available from the DNS Academic Affairs
Office, 309 MVR or the registrar of the College of Human Ecology. This form
must be signed by the student, the faculty supervisor, and the Assistant Director
of Undergraduate Studies in the Division of Nutritional Sciences.
Other Field Experiences:
The Urban Semester Program in New York City is another excellent opportunity
to gain field experience. Information about this program is available through
the Human Ecology Career Development Center, 159 MVR Hall.
For general information contact the Division of Nutritional
Sciences' Office of Academic Affairs at aadns@cornell.edu,
607/255-2628 or 4410, or at 335 or 309 MVR Hall. |
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Webmaster Gail Canterbury
Updated July 6, 2004