Prof. Dev: Healthy Children, Healthy Communities: Supporting Nutrition, Feeding, and Health in Rural Child Care

FYRE students will receive training and work alongside graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, Extension professionals, and faculty mentors. Responsibilities may include:

1. Learning about early childhood nutrition and responsive feeding 
   Students will read brief, beginner-friendly materials about child nutrition, family child care homes, responsive feeding, and rural health.
2. Supporting dietary data entry using NDSR 
   Students will be trained to enter child dietary observation data into the Nutrition Data System for Research, or NDSR. This may include entering foods, beverages, portion sizes, meal and snack information, and other dietary intake details from structured study records. Students will receive step-by-step training and will work under close supervision to ensure accuracy.
3. Supporting research organization and data quality 
   Students may help organize study materials, check forms for completeness, compare data entries using structured checklists, identify missing information, and support documentation for study records.
4. Assisting with community-engaged research activities 
   Students may help prepare provider-friendly materials, recruitment packets, handouts, or simple communication materials for child care providers and families.
5. Supporting coding or review of study materials 
   With training, students may assist with reviewing child care mealtime materials, organizing observation notes, or helping prepare data for analysis. Students will not be expected to conduct advanced analysis independently.
6. Participating in lab meetings and professional development 
   Students will attend selected lab meetings, learn how research teams work, and have opportunities to share what they are learning. Students may also learn about research posters, abstracts, graduate school pathways, and careers in nutrition, child development, public health, Extension, and community health.

Tasks will be matched to the student's interests, skills, and comfort level. Students will begin with structured, entry-level tasks and gradually take on more responsibility as they gain confidence.

No prior research experience is required. Students from any major are welcome to apply. This opportunity may be especially interesting for students in nutrition, child development, education, psychology, public health, data science, sociology, human development, family science, pre-health, or related fields.

Strong applicants will bring:

• Interest in children's health, nutrition, families, rural communities, or community-based research.
• Curiosity and willingness to learn.
• Reliability and good communication.
• Attention to detail, especially when working with research records or data.
• Respect for families, child care providers, and communities.
• Comfort working as part of a team.
• Interest in learning how research can be used to improve real-world programs and policies.

Students do not need to know statistics, nutrition science, or research methods before starting. We are looking for students who are dependable, thoughtful, open to feedback, and excited to learn.

Our lab is committed to mentoring students in a supportive, structured, and encouraging environment. FYRE students will be welcomed as members of the research team and will receive step-by-step training for all assigned tasks. Students will work with Dr. Dipti Dev and members of the Healthy Children, Healthy Communities research team, including graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, Extension professionals, and project staff.

We recognize that first-year students are still learning how college works, so we provide clear expectations, checklists, examples, and regular feedback. Students will not be expected to figure it out alone.  We will begin with simple tasks and gradually build skills in research organization, data quality, communication, and community-engaged research.

Students can expect:

• A welcoming team environment.
• Regular check-ins with a supervisor or mentor.
• Flexible scheduling around classes, usually 5–10 hours per week.
• Opportunities to attend lab meetings and learn about ongoing NIH-funded research.
• Professional development related to research, graduate school, health careers, Extension, and community-engaged scholarship.
• Opportunities to continue with the lab beyond the first year, including possible UCARE applications, research posters, and longer-term mentoring.

Our lab values respect, belonging, teamwork, and student growth. We are especially excited to mentor first-generation college students and students who are exploring research for the first time. Many students enter college not knowing that research can be a career pathway or a way to serve communities. This position is designed to help students see themselves as future researchers, health professionals, educators, Extension professionals, or community leaders.