Agriculture, Health, & Natural Resources Courses | UConn Pre-College Summer (2024)

Sports Nutrition: Fueling Athletes for their Exercise Demand

Prerequisites: High School Biology with a grade of C or higher

This course focuses on the inter-relationship between nutritional practices and athletic performance. Understanding appropriate nutritional recommendations in relation to exercise or sport training is important for athlete health, energy, recovery, and adaptation. Students will learn from an evidence-based curriculum to enhance their knowledge of macronutrient and micronutrient recommendations, nutritional timing strategies, and sport supplements.

Nutrition for Exercise and Sport is composed of in-class lectures and case study activities to help students translate scientific information into practical recommendations for a variety of athletes. Students will get practice reading food labels to plan out meals and snacks that support athletic performance. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to recommend healthy food choices to improve athlete health and fuel exercise performance.

Students will be able to explain the importance of nutritional timing strategies, and how food can be used to optimize athlete health and performance. Further, students will use critical thinking skills to translate scientific information into practical recommendations for a variety of athletic populations.

• Nutrient timing: What and when should athletes eat to maximize performance and recovery?
• Macronutrients: The role of carbohydrates, protein, fat, and water on athlete health and sport performance.
• Micronutrients: The role of vitamins and minerals on athlete health and sport performance.
• The truth about sports supplements.

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Schedule at a Glance

7am – 9am: Breakfast

9am – 12pm: Class

12pm – 1:30: Lunch

1:30pm – 4pm: Class or Workshop

2:40pm – 4:45pm: Closing Ceremony on Friday

5pm – 7pm: Dinner

7pm – 9pm: Social Programming

10:30pm: Room Checks

Meet the Professor

Dr. Jennifer Fields is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences. She is a Certified Sports Nutritionist through the International Society of Sports Nutrition and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Dr. Fields has a deep passion for educating students and athletes about the impact that nutrition can have on their health and performance. She has diverse experience as a nutritionist and strength coach, consulting with populations ranging from competitive youth athletes, to Division I collegiate athletes, to professional athletes. Dr. Fields' research goal is to optimize athlete health and performance through investigations into low energy availability, bone health, nutritional interventions, and sport science.

Dr. Fields currently teaches NUSC 1165: Fundamentals of Nutrition, NUSC 2200: Nutrition and Human Development, NUSC 4250: Nutrition for Exercise and Sport, and NUSC 5200: Macronutrient Metabolism.

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Exploration of the Animal Sciences - Animal Biology to Careers

This course aims to give students an introduction to the animal sciences. Many aspects will be discussed concerning the anatomy, physiology, nutrition, and genetics of livestock animals. Students will also learn about healthy animal behavior and disease diagnosis and evaluation using hands-on techniques. Students will utilize microscopy to evaluate sperm motility and viability for reproductive assessment and Gram staining of microbes important in food safety. Genetics, nutrition, body condition scoring, and forage/feed analysis will also be covered, offering a well-rounded education for those interested in learning more about and caring for livestock animals.

Upon completion, students will have a scientific understanding of the anatomy, behavior, health, breed characteristics, reproduction, and nutrition of livestock animals to ensure that our farm animals live better lives. Students will learn to recognize normal behavior in yearling ewes, dairy heifers, and horses, identify anatomy on demonstration species, and conduct general health exams. Training and education in animal science can prepare you for exciting career opportunities.

• Identify livestock animal species and breeds managed for food, fiber or work.
• Compare and contrast the anatomy of different livestock animal species and impacts on locomotion, health and behavior.
• Evaluate livestock animal reproduction utilizing sperm motility and viability.
• Demonstrate the use and importance of Gram-staining bacteria related to food safety.
• Perform an evaluation of body condition, forage quality and diets related to animal nutrition.
• Assess a diverse array of career opportunities in Animal science.

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Schedule at a Glance

7am – 9am: Breakfast

9am – 12pm: Class

12pm – 1:30: Lunch

1:30pm – 4pm: Class or Workshop

2:40pm – 4:45pm: Closing Ceremony on Friday

5pm – 7pm: Dinner

7pm – 9pm: Social Programming

10:30pm: Room Checks

Meet the Professor

Amy Safran

Amy Safran earned her BS degree in Animal Science from UConn and continued to a master’s and PhD program in Dairy cattle nutrition at the University of Missouri. Following graduation, she taught for several years as an adjunct instructor in biology and then joined UConn’s Department of Animal Science as a lecturer in August 2012. She currently teaches courses in animal nutrition, companion animal management, sustainable farming practices and hands-on livestock courses. She is also an advisor to Sigma Alpha, Block and Bridle Club and Paws and Claws Club.

Brindhalakshmi Balasubramanian

Brindhalakshmi is a PhD student working under Dr. Abhinav Upadhyay in the Department of Animal Science. Prior to joining UConn, Brindhalakshmi worked in private industry as a research officer in India, evaluating the efficacy of various plant derived compounds in improving the overall health of animals. Currently, she is working on one of the major foodborne pathogens in the US which is Listeria monocytogenes. Her overall research project is to develop novel intervention strategies to control Listeria monocytogenes on food contact and as well as on food surfaces by employing nanotechnology. Brindhalakshmi’s research interests include microbiology, food safety, nanotechnology (nanobubbles) and microbial proteomics.

Divya Joseph

Divya Joseph is a third year PhD student working with Dr. Kumar Venkitanarayanan in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Connecticut. Divya has completed her DVM from India and worked as a veterinarian prior to joining the PhD program. Her research interests include food microbiology and safety, antibiotic resistance, and microbial proteomics. More narrowly, her research focus is on developing novel strategies to reduce a major food-borne pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes, and understanding their pathogenesis in humans. As a microbiologist, Divya has also experience working with other nosocomial pathogens and uses techniques such as cell culture, molecular biology, and animal models for her research.

Leya Viju

Leya Viju is a third year PhD student working with Dr. Kumar Venkitanarayanan in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Connecticut. Leya has completed her DVM from India and worked as a small animal veterinarian prior to joining the PhD program at UConn. Her research interests include food microbiology and safety, poultry production, microbiome analysis, and molecular genetics. Her research focuses on developing novel preharvest control strategies to reduce major food-borne pathogens including Salmonella Enteritidis and Campylobacter jejuni in broiler chickens.

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Animal Science Equine Management and Horse Behavior and Training

Introduction to Horsemanship and the use of horses for riding and competition. You will gain insight into the equine industry and the team of professionals it takes to prepare a horse for competition. Areas of focus in this course will help you to select a horse for athleticism and conformation to use as a riding or competition horse. You will be able to identify horse breed, color, conformation and its suitability and soundness for riding. Topics to be included are anatomy, physiology, behavior, training, sports therapy and care. Subjects will be introduced to students through lecture, hands-on activities, and demonstrations. This course will give students experiences that they can use to build a career in the equine industry as a veterinarian, farrier, nutritionist, manager or trainer.

Upon completion of this course students will be able to evaluate a riding horse based on athleticism and conformation. Identify basic horse breeds, color, conformation and suitability for disciplines. Evaluate horse gaits for soundness and athleticism. Gain insight into career paths in the equine industry and practical skills in horse management and behavior. Understand horse behavior and psychology as it relates to training. Students will learn practical skills and knowledge to prepare them for horse facility management and ownership.

• Students will be engaged in hands on learning activities like grooming, bandaging, lunging, ground work, TPR, body condition scoring, tack fit, and riding.
• Industry professionals demonstrating and presenting in class.
• We will learn about the 6 key points of horse care turnout management, digestion and feeding, farrier care, vaccination, worming, and dental floating.
• Insight into horse training for riding or competition with a strong emphasis on the Dressage Training Scale and Natural Horsemanship.
• Evaluation of conformation and gaits of horses in comparison by judging show class.
• Evaluating soundness of the horse by the use of a pre-purchase exam.

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Schedule at a Glance

7am – 9am: Breakfast

9am – 12pm: Class

12pm – 1:30: Lunch

1:30pm – 4pm: Class or Workshop

2:40pm – 4:45pm: Closing Ceremony on Friday

5pm – 7pm: Dinner

7pm – 9pm: Social Programming

10:30pm: Room Checks

Meet the Professor

Melissa Tindall - UConn Dressage Team Coach

Melissa Tindall has been riding horses for 40 years and earned her USDF Bronze medal on her self-trained mare. She is the coach of the UConn Dressage team, has managed and been head trainer for several young horse training and sales barns in the past but her true passion is teaching. She was an apprentice with FEI rider and USDF Instructor faculty member Melanie Tenney at the BHS approved Woodco*ck Hill in West Willington, Connecticut where she went through the British Horse Society Instructor training program. Melissa began her riding career in hunter jumper and eventing but has focused on dressage for the last 25 years. She focuses on positive teaching and training methods utilizing in-hand work, in addition to mounted work, to encourage connection and understanding of both students and horses. She is currently competing at 4th level in dressage and schooling Prix St. George with the goal of earning her USDF Silver medal. She has ridden in clinics, lessons and demonstrations with many national and international instructors including Jan Ebeling (US Dressage Olympian), Eric Horgan (Irish Eventing Olympian), David Marcus (Canadian Eventing Olympian) and many more. These influences and her interest in the biomechanics of riding have helped shape how she teaches and trains today.

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Explore the Science of Food

Understanding the science and technology behind food products helps us to make healthy food choices. Not only does this translate to our everyday lives, but it can also pave the way to an interesting career path that combines science, nutrition, healthy safety and best of all, food. The field of food science and technology includes food microbiology and safety, food quality assurance, food engineering and technology, food chemistry, product and formulation development, food packaging, sensory evaluation, food marketing, and food regulations.

This course is composed of in-class lectures and hands-on laboratory experiments to help students turn their knowledge of the principles of food science into practices as a food scientist. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to make healthy food choices by understanding scientific principles behind food preparation and processing.

• Basic terminologies and concepts of food production
• Modern technologies used in the food industry
• Key practices to assure the quality, safety, and palatability of raw and cooked foods
• General facts and relevant food regulations that consumers should be aware of
• Career opportunities in the field of food and nutrition

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Schedule at a Glance

7am – 9am: Breakfast

9am – 12pm: Class

12pm – 1:30: Lunch

1:30pm – 4pm: Class or Workshop

2:40pm – 4:45pm: Closing Ceremony on Friday

5pm – 7pm: Dinner

7pm – 9pm: Social Programming

10:30pm: Room Checks

Meet the Professor

Yangchao Luo, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Food Science in the Department of Nutritional Sciences. He studies food chemistry and engineering to ensure the safety and quality of products, as well as innovative food processing technologies to manufacture novel food products. Dr. Luo was recently recognized by Web of Science as one of the World's Most Highly Cited Researchers for 2019 in the field of Agricultural Sciences. He is currently serving as the Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Agriculture and Food Research.

Check out this web page to learn more about Prof. Luo: http://luo.uconn.edu/

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Immerse yourself in the marine world and explore your passions for veterinary science, animal care, animal training and research.

The Pre-Vet: Marine Animal Health and Veterinary Science course will be hosted at Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, CT where students will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the marine world. Throughout this course students will be interacting with aquarium research scientists, veterinarians, animal trainers and animal rescue professionals to understand the science behind their work. Students will gain knowledge and experience through labs and activities focused on animals at Mystic Aquarium including penguins, seals, reptiles and fishes.

Through this course students will participate in labs, tours and activities that will increase their scientific literacy in genetics, hematology, microbiology, anatomy and physiology. Students will learn about careers and education/career pathways directly from working professionals to understand if animal health and veterinary science is a desirable education and career path. Journal discussions will develop students’ skills in reading and analysis of primary scientific literature.

The course involves off-site visits to Mystic Aquarium and the UConn, Avery Point Campus. Supervised transportation is provided by the program and is included in the course cost and fees. Parents/guardians and students will be required to submit Mystic Aquarium participation forms prior to attending this course.

• Learn about a wide variety of careers in animal health and veterinary science, from professionals in all stages of their careers.
• Participate in lab programs focused on hematology, microbiology, molecular biology, anatomy and physiology, and learn how each is utilized to analyze an animal’s health.
• Observe feeding and training sessions with beluga whales, penguins and sea lions, and have the opportunity to learn from and ask questions of their animal care teams.
  • Please note: students will not have direct encounters with marine mammals.
• Visit behind-the-scenes areas to view animal care, research and veterinary staff at work. This will include a visit to the animal rescue clinic to understand the veterinary care of both animals at the aquarium temporarily for rehabilitation as well as animals permanently in our care.
• Explore current topics in marine mammal research during journal article discussions.

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Schedule at a Glance

On Monday and Friday students will follow the regular schedule
On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday students will be off campus for most of the day:

8:30am: Depart to UConn Avery Point Campus or Mystic Aquarium
9:00am: Class on campus
9:30am: Class off campus
12pm: Lunch at UConn Avery Point Campus or Mystic Aquarium
1:00pm: Class on campus
1:30pm: Class on campus
3:45pm: Depart to UConn Storrs
5pm – 7pm: Dinner
7pm – 9pm: Social Programming
10:30pm: Room Checks

Meet the Professor

Dr. Laura Thompson, Ph.D.

Mystic Aquarium Research Scientist

University of Connecticut Assistant Professor in Residence of Marine Sciences

https://marinesciences.uconn.edu/person/laura-thompson/

Dr. Thompson is a research scientist at Mystic Aquarium where she has held multiple positions since 2005. Her time at Mystic includes carrying out her PhD studies on dive physiology in Marine Mammals, as a joint student with the University of Connecticut Marine Sciences Program. Dr. Thompson is involved in many aspects of research at the Aquarium including the development of non-invasive sampling techniques and investigating the response of the immune system to environmental and anthropogenic challenges. Her unique area of interest lies in understanding the complicated relationship between diving and health, via adaptation of the immune system in marine mammals as compared with humans. Dr. Thompson holds a BSc with Honours in Marine and Freshwater Biology from Queen Mary College, University of London and a PhD in Oceanography from the University of Connecticut. She is also an Assistant Professor-in-Residence at UConn, and lectures for Marine Biology courses offered at UConn and URI.

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SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY: Through a grant from the National Science Foundation, the Earth and Environmental Sciences program will provide students with a scholarship which will enable students to participate in the Earth and Environmental Sciences course at no cost. Please visit the page for details on eligibility and more.

The Earth, The Environment, and You

This summer experience program focused on Earth and Environmental Science, high school students will explore the field via a course bridging camp and college-level study. Brought to you by UConn Department of Earth Sciences Faculty, Dr. Ouimet and Dr. Hren, students will have the opportunity to work side-by-side with field researchers and experts.

Geoscientists study all aspects of the Earth, including its history, structure, rocks, soils, rivers, oceans and atmosphere. The UConn Environmental Science pre-college summer course will introduce this wide-ranging discipline and discuss how earth and environmental scientists play a crucial role in understanding and making predictions about a diverse range of earth resources, processes and hazards, from mineral deposits to earthquakes to floods and climate change. Why is this important? Earth’s ecology is closely linked to sustainability and environmental science is key to this pursuit.

This Earth and Environmental summer course for high school students will integrate:

• lectures and dynamic learning modules on background geoscience material
• field and lab demonstrations
• collection and analysis of rock, soil and water samples
• guest visits from Geoscience faculty across the wide range topics in the discipline

• The many aspects of Geological & Environmental Science and the diverse methods and approaches Geoscientists used to study the Earth and Environment.
• How to analyze the mineralogy and environmental geochemistry of rocks, soil, water and sediments.
• How to understand and interpret the geologic history of Connecticut.

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Schedule at a Glance

7am – 9am: Breakfast

9am – 12pm: Class

12pm – 1:30: Lunch

1:30pm – 4pm: Class or Workshop

2:40pm – 4:45pm: Closing Ceremony on Friday

5pm – 7pm: Dinner

7pm – 9pm: Social Programming

10:30pm: Room Checks

Meet the Professors

William Ouimet, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Geosciences

Dr. Ouimet (Will) is an Associate Professor of Geosciences at UConn. He loves working with students outdoors and on field trips, and it’s one of the reasons he became a Geologist. His research and teaching involves the study of erosion, rivers, landslides and environmental change around the world, as well as the influence of human activities. He works in the field, where he collects samples and maps out geological features, in the lab, where he analyzes rocks, water, soil and sediment, and on the computer, where he explores remote sensing datasets of the earth and uses models to simulate how landscapes change through time. His research has taken him all over world, from the Colorado Rockies, to Greece, Tibet, Taiwan, and the Bahamas. It has also allowed him to appreciate and explore the geology underfoot and processes at play here in southern New England, right where he grew up.

Michael Hren, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Geosciences

Dr. Hren (Mike) is also an Associate Professor of Geosciences at UConn. His research and teaching is focused on understanding how Earth’s climate, ecosystems, and environment evolve over time and how Earth’s history informs its future. His work takes him to mountain ranges around the globe, from the high peaks of Patagonia to the mountains of Tibet to the Sierra Nevada of California, where he and his students collect sediment, rocks, soils and water to bring back to UConn for analysis. He is the director of the Stable Isotope and Organic Molecular Biogeochemistry laboratory, and when not traveling for research, can be found working in the laboratory with students and colleagues from UConn and visitors from around the world analyzing modern and ancient plants, sediments and even an occasional woolly mammoth, to understand Earth and life through time.

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How does Dietary Behaviors Impact Human Body Function and Health?

Prerequisite: High School Biology with a grade of C or higher

The field of nutritional science explores the interactions between living organisms and food. Exploring nutritional science concepts is applicable to everyday life and a variety of professions that includes medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, physician assistant, dietetics, education, policy, and the food, retail, and restaurant industry. Taking this course will give you an advantage about how what we eat or drink impacts the functioning of the human body and a person's health.

This course will introduce you to the field of nutritional science and health. Students will have interactive in-class lectures with videos. In addition, students will use critical thinking skills to complete case studies and hands-on activities individually and small groups to further their understanding about dietary behaviors, nutrients in foods and the human body, and linking nutrient intake to overall health. In addition, students will learn about educational pathways and experiences leading to careers in healthcare, nutrition, and the food industry.

• Identify factors that affect food and beverage selection
• Identify specific nutrients in specific foods and beverages
• Discuss how food is processed in the body
• Explore the connection between dietary behaviors and health outcomes
• Identify strategies and steps to pursue a career related to healthcare, nutrition, and the food industry

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Schedule at a Glance

7am – 9am: Breakfast

9am – 12pm: Class

12pm – 1:30: Lunch

1:30pm – 4pm: Class or Workshop

2:40pm – 4:45pm: Closing Ceremony on Friday

5pm – 7pm: Dinner

7pm – 9pm: Social Programming

10:30pm: Room Checks

Meet the Professor

Molika Chea is a Lecturer in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Connecticut. She has completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Connecticut majoring in Biological Sciences and Nutritional Sciences.

With an interest for understanding the nutrient function in foods and dietary behaviors, she continued her graduate studies in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Connecticut. She has conducted research with populations in Connecticut about meeting the recommendations for plant-based food groups and the ability to identify whole grain foods.

Dr. Chea currently teaches NUSC 1165: Fundamentals of Nutrition and NUSC 1167: Food, Culture, and Society during the academic year.

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