Helping new students find their place in HHD
As a first-year peer assistant and co-director of the PSU14 Peer Assistant program, senior Melina Anast supports new students through their transition to college while developing the communication, empathy, and leadership skills she will carry into her future career as a registered dietitian.
Students explore food, health and sustainability in recent study abroad trip
Students recently expanded their understanding of food, health, and sustainability through a new summer study abroad experience in Portugal. In partnership with Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture, students explored Portuguese food culture, culinary traditions, and sustainable practices while gaining new perspectives on the global connections between nutrition and community.
An avocado a day...
With no other dietary changes, eating one avocado per day may reduce heart disease risk for people with obesity, according to a new study led by Nutritional Sciences researchers Janhavi Damani and Kristina Petersen.
Start your undergraduate journey
Start your undergraduate journey
Explore this undergraduate degree for students interested in how the human body transforms food into usable energy that fuels our daily lives.
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Learn about graduate training
Learn about graduate training
Discover how research and graduate training provides students with the knowledge needed to contribute to the field of nutritional sciences.
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Explore research areas
Explore research areas
Understand the variety of research areas and current projects that push the boundaries of knowledge in the field.
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The Diet Assessment Center
The Diet Assessment Center
Explore how the department collects and analyzes dietary data to help researchers understand what, how, and when people are eating.
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Congrats to Elise Mitchell, who will serve as the College of Health and Human Development’s college marshal at the summer 2026 commencement ceremony! Elise was an undergraduate researcher for the Singh Lab and the Stress Psychophysiology Lab as well as a member of the Food Recovery Network at Penn State and Penn State Outing Club.
