Fall 2015 Newsletter
Letter from the Director
It’s been a whirlwind quarter, filled with a lot of activity and exciting new projects. The quarter began early when a STRIDE team, now renamed to Center for Health Research, was featured on a local NPR station highlighting our research and programs. Way to go, team!
STRIDE in the Community
This past June, I had my first opportunity to exhibit and promote our Pink and Dude Chefs nutrition education and culinary skills curriculum at the eighth Biennial Childhood Obesity Conference in San Diego, Calif. The energy among the 50 or so exhibitors — national organizations sharing their wares, ideas and opportunities — filled the large conference hall.
STRIDE Hosts First Joint Research Symposium with UC Berkeley
Cal Poly STRIDE and the UC Berkeley School of Public Health hosted their first Joint Obesity Symposium in October in San Luis Obispo. The event brought together nearly 50 participants to foster collaboration in obesity research, projects and community-based efforts.
STRIDE Receives Grant to Implement Pink & Dude Chefs at Local Schools
Dozens of middle school students in northern Santa Barbara County will learn how to cook healthy meals thanks to a $35,000 grant from the Orfalea Foundation, a philanthropic organization focused on improving early childhood education, school food and disaster readiness. The grant will allow STRIDE to implement Pink and Dude Chefs programming at four sites
STRIDE Welcomes New Health Ambassadors and Assessment Team Members
STRIDE started the academic year off with a new team of Health Ambassadors and Assessment Team employees. Please help us in welcoming these six students. Read more to learn about their roles, hobbies and favorite foods.
More News
STRIDE Science: New Professor Examines Risky Behaviors on College Campus
More than 12 percent of college students reduce the amount they eat and increase their exercise so that they can drink in excess without gaining weight, a behavior known as drunkorexia. Drunkorexia, a combination of an eating disorder and binge drinking, is a growing concern for health researchers and educators, including Christine Hackman, the newest tenure-track professor in Cal Poly’s Kinesiology Department and a STRIDE affiliate.
Read more about Hackman's research ›
Center Holds First Campuswide Food Day Event
More than 200 Cal Poly students celebrated Food Day with STRIDE and the Real Food Collaborative in October, learning about food policies and tasting free samples from local farms and eateries. This was the first campuswide event for Food Day, a National celebration designed to encourage Americans to examine food policies and food-related issues.