Food Waste, 3D Apparel Printing, Other Bumpers College Student Projects Earn Funding

Photos by Fred Miller

Avery Deaton (left) in animal science and Kaitlyn Walker in apparel merchandising and product development

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Limiting food waste by reducing child care portion sizes and the potential impact of 3D-printing on the apparel industry are two student research projects to earn funding from the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences Undergraduate Creative Projects/Research Grants Program at the University of Arkansas.

Seven projects and eight students were approved to receive grants for 2016-17.

Students awarded include Ashlee Breakstone in animal science, Laura Corral in apparel merchandising and product development, Avery Deaton in animal science, Macy Shirley in food science, Claire Strutzenberg in human development and family sciences, Kaitlyn Walker in apparel merchandising and product development, Sarah West in apparel merchandising and product development, and Margaret Wright in human nutrition and hospitality innovation.

Wright's project is "Limiting Food Waste in Child Care Facilities through Implementation of Portion Sizes." She received a $400 grant and is being advised by Kelly Way, associate professor of hospitality innovation and interim assistant director of the School of Human Environmental Sciences.

Corral and Walker are researching "Exploring the Abilities of 3D-Printing and its Viability for Consumption in the Fashion Industry." They earned a $1,250 grant and are working under the guidance of apparel merchandising and product development instructor Stephanie Hubert.

 The other projects earning funding are:

• Breakstone, "Effect of Diet on Bovine Respiratory and Gastrointestinal Tract Microbiome," $1,000, advised by assistant professor Jiangchao Zhao;

• Deaton, "Glucocorticoid Receptor and Interleukin-8 Gene Polymorphisms Related to Reproductive Traits in Santa Gertrudis Cattle," $800, advised by professor Charles Rosenkrans;

• Shirley, "Anti-Colon Cancer Effect and Bioavailability of Arachidin-1 and Arachidin-2," $1,500, advised by Sun-Ok Lee;

• Strutzenberg, "Love-Bombing: The Narcissist's Approach to Relationship Formation," $300, advised by assistant professor Jacquelyn Mosely; and

• West, "Eco-Cosplay: Upcycling as a Sustainable Method of Costume Construction," $500, advised by clinical associate professor Kathy Smith.

Corral, Walker, Strutzenberg and West are also members of the U of A Honors College.

Funding is for one year, through May 14, 2017. Students are required to submit a summary of their project and how the funding was used.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.