The start of a new year signals an opportunity to look back at what we’ve accomplished and to set our sights on new challenges, both personally and professionally. A goal for many Americans is to improve their health — eating better, getting more exercise, or quitting smoking. In the College of Consumer and Family Sciences, we are committed to helping individuals, children, and families lead better, healthier lives. The Department of Foods and Nutrition, for example, is a leading contributor of research regarding botanicals, bone health, and diet, energy balance, and fitness.

With the spotlight on improving the health of Hoosiers at the state level through the governor’s INShape Indiana initiative, we thought this a good time to highlight research efforts in the college aimed at diet and nutrition. This year’s Felker Leadership Series on April 7 will explore this topic. Speakers will include faculty from the Department of Foods and Nutrition including Connie Weaver, distinguished professor and head, and a national expert in calcium metabolism, bone health, and dietary guidelines.

The day concludes with our annual CFS Awards Dinner where our alumni award winners and outstanding seniors will be recognized. I hope you’ll make plans to join us in West Lafayette for the Felker Leadership Series on April 7 and Gala Weekend April 8–10.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year!

Dennis Savaiano
Dean

For more information on the Felker Leadership Series, visit the conference Web page.

CFS Extension hosted a videoconference on January 6 to help Indiana communities create healthier living environments. The videoconference, titled Healthy People, Healthy Communities, was available at 35 sites across the state and featured a panel of experts who discussed resources available to communities that want to promote healthy lifestyles. “We wanted to create an interest among communities to develop plans that include a variety of factors that keep people healthy, whether those be nutrition programs, aesthetic walkways, or playgrounds for children,” said Karen Zotz, program leader for CFS Extension. Read more about the videoconference.

Students throughout the Midwest who are interested in retail, sales, and/or financial services careers are invited to attend the Midwest Career Fair on Tuesday, February 7 in the South Ballroom of the Purdue Memorial Union. The annual fair is sponsored by the Department of Consumer Sciences and Retailing at Purdue and provides an opportunity for students to meet industry professionals and interview for permanent positions or internships. For more information on the fair, visit the event’s Web site.

Graduate students in Karen Fingerman’s gerontology class got a glimpse at what they might look like when they are older in an experiment that she hopes will help them in their work with aging populations. Fingerman, an associate professor in the Department of Child Development and Family Studies, teamed with Joel Ebarb, an assistant professor in visual and performing arts, to visually age students using stage makeup. “I think it’s hard to imagine your face older, especially for someone in their 20s,” Fingerman says. “Seeing themselves as an old person might change that and help them in their work with aging populations once they leave Purdue.” Read more about the class.

Beginning this month, WorkLife Programs at Purdue will release the first episode of Healthy Track, a new online health series available on the WorkLife Programs Web site. Each month’s 10-minute episode will feature a Purdue expert discussing a different health topic. Between January and June 2006, three faculty from the Department of Foods and Nutrition will be featured. They are Carol Boushey in February, Dieting Truths and Myths; Connie Weaver in March, The New Food Guide Pyramid; and Rick Mattes in April, Liquid Calories. To view the episodes, visit the WorkLife Programs Web site.

March 21: Central Indiana Boiler Mixer

April 1: Spring Fashion Show

April 1: HTM Black Tie Dinner

April 7: Felker Leadership Series

April 7: CFS Awards Dinner

April 8–9: Spring Fest

April 8–10: Gala Weekend

If you have a comment or question about a story, or if you would like to unsubscribe from CFS e-News, please contact us at cfsalums@purdue.edu. Thanks for reading!