Annie Campain, one of our outstanding undergraduate students, will be working on her master’s in food science and nutrition.
Where did you grow up? I grew up about 30 minutes away from here in Windsor. I am proud to be Northern Colorado Resident and CSU Ram.
What is your bachelor’s and/or master’s degree and where did you earn it? My bachelor’s degree is in nutrition and food science (dietetics concentration) and I got it from CSU as well.
What brings you to CSU for your graduate degree? I decided to stay at CSU for my master’s degree for a variety of reasons. It made the most sense for me financially, as I have scholarships and jobs through CSU and the greater Fort Collins community. I would like to move somewhere else for my dietetic internship and first few years of my job, so wanted to minimize the financial burden of receiving my graduate degree. More than financial concerns, however, I just love the FSHN department, its faculty, and the great opportunities it has provided me in the past. I participated in research during my undergraduate degree with Dr. Megan Mueller and hope to expand upon the projects I started under her mentorship.
What are some accomplishments you are most proud of during your undergraduate career? While I had many invaluable experiences during my undergraduate degree, the one I’m most proud of is my undergraduate Honors Thesis. For this project, I evaluated current eating disorder resources for CSU students and discovered ways to expand upon them through discussions with CSU faculty and a survey of the student body. I was privileged to present my research at the 2021 Celebrating Undergraduate Research and Creativity (CURC) symposium and won best in show for my project. Most importantly, however, this project set up starting point for my graduate thesis and a potential path to give back to a community that has given me so much.
Did you get to participate in something out of the ordinary this summer? This summer, I was lucky to be able to represent Northern Colorado at the USA Weightlifting Nationals in Las Vegas. During this event, I got to step outside of my comfort zone and compete with some of the best weightlifters in the country.
What are you the most excited about in the upcoming school year? I am very excited to learn more about the nutrition field and continue working with the wonderful CSU faculty. I am also excited to get to know my graduate cohort and tackle the challenge of higher-level classes with them.
Do you have a research area? Describe it for us. During my previous four years at CSU, I worked in the Health Behaviors Lab under the guidance of Dr. Laura Bellows and the Systems Thinking for Obesity Prevention Lab under Dr. Megan Mueller. Both labs are focused on community-based obesity prevention, though they vary slightly in their methods of doing so. This summer, I am working for Dr. Susan Johnson at CU Anschutz in her Children’s Nutrition Lab focused on the development of healthy eating behaviors among young children. While I am very interested in these areas, I hope to expand upon my previous research focused on eating disorder prevention efforts targeting younger populations.
Will you be working as a GTA, GRA or on/off campus? I will be working as a GTA on campus and as a CrossFit coach at CrossFit DNR. I also hope to continue working part-time as a research assistant.
What are your future plans after receiving your graduate degree? After my graduate degree, I plan on completing my dietetic internship out-of-state (hopefully on one of the coasts). I then plan on working as a Registered Dietitian specializing in eating disorders. Down the road, I may go back to school to become an eating disorder therapist or physician. Right now, I would like to eventually open up my own clinic for individuals with eating disorders here in Northern Colorado but am open to a variety of paths and believe I’ll end up where I’m meant to be!
The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition is part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
