RG
Ryan Goernemann
  • business administration and accounting
  • Class of 2017
  • King of Prussia, Pa.

Ryan Goernemann Presents E.A.T. Research

2016 Jul 12

Ryan Goernemann of King of Prussia, Pa., is one of four students from Lebanon Valley College's E.A.T. (Engage, Analyze, Transform) Research Group that traveled to the University of Toronto-Scarborough in June to present their research at the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS), the Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society (AFHVS), and the Canadian Association of Food Studies (CAFS). The conference attracts nearly 400 global scholars who represent disciplines as diverse as anthropology, history, nutrition, geography, journalism, and agricultural science.

Goernemann, a graduate of Upper Merion Area High School, is pursuing a bachelor of science in business administration and accounting at The Valley. Goernemann's OTasting Food for a Better TomorrowO chronicled his work as the director of LVCOs OTaste Lab,O an experimental research area where students have the ability to taste, compare, and rate foods prepared by Metz staff. The Taste Lab seeks to answer the fundamental question of how to empower student choices and preferences to ensure the food served is healthier, more sustainable, and more pleasing to students.

The students presented their research in an organized panel titled "Transforming Student Dining Through Nutritional Interventions," which highlighted the coordinated efforts of the E.A.T. Research Group to transform the dining experience of students on the Lebanon Valley College campus. This year, all four student projects focused on the nutritional well-being of student diners. They aimed, though various programs and interventions, to transform and shape the conditions in the Lehr and Phillips Dining halls to promote healthy eating.

The E.A.T. Research Group conducted its research and made the trip to Toronto due to the generous support of Metz Culinary Management, the Edward H. and Jeanne Donlevy Arnold Experiential Grant Program, and the Office of Academic Affairs. Additional information regarding each project and its results can be found at www.lvc.edu/eat.