FACULTY RESEARCH INTERESTS

JAN COLVIN, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, FAMILY AND CHILD STUDIES

Research Interests

• Aging Families, specifically Family Caregving
• Impact of Media on Children and Families

Jan Colvin - colvinj@latech.edu

DAWN ERICKSON, INSTRUCTOR AND DIRECTOR OF THE DIETETIC INTERNSHIP, NUTRITION AND DIETETICS

• Outcomes Based Research in the Dietetic Practice Setting
• Performce Skills and Outcomes for Dietetic Internship Students
• Nutrition Assessment Strategies

Dawn Erickson - erickson@latech.edu

TAMMY HARPEL, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, FAMILY AND CHILD STUDIES

Projects

• Ultrasound and Expectant Grandparenthood
• Ultrasound as a Family Building Tool
• Parenting Beliefs and Behaviors

Research Interests

• Families and Technology
• Family Stress
• Family Science Pedagogy

Tammy Harpel - harpelt@latech.edu

KATHLEEN HEIDEN, INSTRUCTOR, MERCHANDISING AND CONSUMER STUDIES

Projects

• Use of Technology in Apparel and Textile Design and Education

Research Interests

• Diversity in Appearances
• Apparel and Textile Design

Kathleen Heiden - heidenk@latech.edu

JANIE HUMPHRIES, PROFESSOR, FAMILY AND CHILD STUDIES

Projects

• Parenting Sessions for Parents at the Christian Community Action Program for Children's Trust Fund
• Quality Early Childhood Programs in PreK and Special Education with Union Parish
• Development of Quality Early Childhood Center in Lincoln Parish
• The Effects of Family Literacy Days on Children and Families

Research Interests

• Early Childhood Literacy and Program Development

Janie Humphries - humphries@latech.edu

ALICE HUNT, PROFESSOR, NUTRITION AND DIETETICS

Research Interests

• Nutrition-related Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease
• Evaluation of Outcomes for Dietetic Practice

Alice Hunt - hunt@latech.edu

MARY MURIMI, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, NUTRITION AND DIETETICS

Projects

• Dubach Health Outreach Project

Research Interests

• Community Nutrition
• Dietary and Lifestyle Factors that Infuence Chronic Diseases
• Effect of School Environment on Childhood Obesity

Mary Murimi - murimi@latech.edu

LORI MYERS, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES EDUCATION

Projects

• Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers Career and Life Satisfaction
• Undergraduate Students Leadership, Attitudes, and Practices
• Use of Technology in Apparel and Textile Design and Education

Research Interests

• Family and Consumer Sciences Secondary Programs and Curriculum Development
• Educational Use of Technology

Lori Myers - lmyers@latech.edu

JANET POPE, PROFESSOR, NUTRITION AND DIETETICS

• Maternal and Child Nutrition
• Factors Influencing Dietary Habits
• Dietetic Education
• Renal Nutrition

Janet Pope - pope@latech.edu

RECENT GRADUATE STUDENT PROJECTS

Family and Consumer Sciences, M.S.

• Shelter experiences of abuse:  An examination of dynamics of domestic violence
• Science in the early childhood classroom
• Perceptions of the elderly in children's picture books
• The impact of headstart enrollment on parental literacy activities with kindergarten children.
• Television viewing habits of preschool children.
• The relationship between perceived peer and dating relationship satisfaction and the rate of binge drinking among college students.
• The effect of religious behaviors and orientation on personal, moral, and structural marital commitment.
• The relationship between college students' sexual behaviors, number of partners, and the perceived quality of their parents' marital relationships.
• The relationship between teachers' perceptions of children's social behaviors, social acceptance, and children's perceptions of their own.
• The relationship between child temperament and parenting style.
• Quality of life and nutritional satisfaction in hemodialysis patients.
• The effect of temperament on preschool children's social acceptance with peers and teacher ratings of social competence.
• Attributes and marital satisfaction: The mediating effects of self disclosure
• A closer look at the predictive power of the kindergarten readiness test.
• Identifying the most demanding consumer of the services of the case manager.
• Emergent literacy practices in the classroom by pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers in Ouachita Parish.
• Quality and cost of family and consumer sciences educational software.
• Development and implementation of the Safety: P. I. N. (Preventing Injury Now) program in one elementary school.
• Helping parents understand developmentally appropriate practice through the use of photographs.

Nutrition and Dietetics, M.S.

• Nutrition instruction by middle school teachers with and without family and consumer sciences background.
• Breakfast eating habits of college students.
• The effect of parental attitudes about weight and weight management on the weight of children.
• The relationship between childhood obesity and risk factors for metabolic syndrome in early adulthood.
• The role of the school food service personnel in promoting positive dietary behavior among students.
• Adolescent athletes' and non-athletes' perceptions of sports drinks.
• Factors determining use of sweet potatoes in school foodservice.
• Relationships among body mass index, glycemic load and fiber intake in college students.
• Comparison of Chinese and American university students' knowledge of diet and related risk factors for chronic diseases.
• Nutrition-related quality of life after laparoscopic gastric stapling.
• Dietitians' and pharmacists' knowledge and attitudes concerning herbal supplements.
• Acceptability of heart-healthy recipes.
• The relationship between quality of life and diet in north Louisiana.
• Consumer differentiation of pork loin roasts treated with lactic acid solutions.
• Clinical implications for adult patients receiving enteral nutrition.
• Relationships among eating habits, weight loss practices, and grade point average in north Louisiana high school wrestlers.
• Vending machine practices and participation in the national school lunch program in Louisiana high schools.
• The effect of electroconvulsive therapy on appetite, intake, and weight in inpatient depression patients.
• The relationship between subjective global assessment and household food insecurity in hemodialysis patients.
• Consumer acceptability, attitudes, and knowledge of flavored commercial soymilk based yogurt.
• Recipes to improve satisfaction and compliance in end-stage renal disease patients.
• The relationship between hemodialysis prognostic nutrition index scores and household food insecurity.
• Relationship of dietary patterns and variety of foods to body mass index in college-aged students.
• Dietary intake of vitamins and minerals and use of supplements in college students.
• Case studies in enteral and parenteral nutrition
• Characteristics and services of university based fitness centers with and without a registered dietitian on staff
• A survey of characteristics relating to bone density in young females
• Comparison of calcium intake between college-aged Caucasian and Chinese students
• Evaluation of nutrition-related aspects of advance directives and end-of-life planning and decision making in a southern VA hospital
• Carbohydrate and supplement recommendations of certified diabetes educators: registered dietitians versus registered nurses
• The relationship between hemodialysis prognostic nutrition index scores and household food insecurity