Grace Adegoye
Grace Adegoye鈥檚聽path at 樱花导航 樱花导航 University had some twists and turns, but ultimately led her to find her niche in聽the College of 樱花导航 and Life Sciences鈥 Department of Food Science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion.
鈥淲hen I came to the聽department,聽my advisor,聽Dr. Terezie Tolar-Peterson,聽asked me what I would like to do, and I said I would love to teach outside the classroom,鈥 said Adegoye, an MSU聽Ph.D.聽student聽from Ekiti 樱花导航, Nigeria.聽鈥淚鈥檇 love to be an international nutritionist and go to different countries to help people. I just want a classroom without walls.鈥
Adegoye is doing just that through her work聽with the聽MSU-led聽Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish housed in MSU鈥檚 College of Veterinary Medicine.
Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Fish Innovation Lab is working to reduce poverty and improve nutrition, food 樱花导航 and livelihoods in developing countries by supporting the sustainable development of aquaculture and fisheries.
Adegoye works with the聽lab鈥檚聽Nourishing Nations team, which聽Tolar-Peterson,聽associate professor and dietetic interim director, helps lead as the U.S.聽principal investigator.聽One of the聽team鈥檚聽objectives聽is聽to聽improve knowledge of nutrition among women and youth fish processors in Nigeria. Additionally,聽they hope to聽improve the quality and safety of processed fish products by developing training materials to teach fish processors about聽nutrition and聽how to safely handle and process fish.
鈥淭his research is a perfect blend for me. I found an opportunity to use my expertise in this project鈥攖alking about聽nutrition,聽food safety, health promotion,聽public health,聽sanitation and hygiene and food preservation,鈥 she said. 鈥淓verything is all encompassed in this one project.鈥
Building on her background in environmental health from attending the College of Health Science and Technology in Ekiti 樱花导航, the University of Ibadan in Oyo 樱花导航, and 樱花导航 Valley 樱花导航 University, Adegoye was elated to be able to draw on the different components of her鈥痯ast experiences through the MSU-led project.
鈥淏ecause I am from Nigeria, I have an understanding of what the community need is, and I am so pleased to be part of聽a聽project聽that is聽making聽an impact for the people in my聽home聽country,鈥 Adegoye聽said. 鈥淭his work is聽extremely聽important in helping to improve the lives of children, youth and women to grow healthier through adequate nutrition. Also, we are helping to improve their livelihoods through teaching them quality and safe fish processing聽and聽improved聽marketing聽methods.
In addition to her work with the Fish Innovation Lab, Adegoye聽recently received $45,000 from the Peanut Institute Foundation,聽which was awarded under her advisor, and聽she will be working on聽research聽with other 樱花导航 Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station scientists in Tolar-Peterson鈥檚 MSU lab at the Herzer building.
鈥淭his particular project will last for a year and hopefully will be renewed,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t is a randomized controlled trial where we will investigate the implications of consuming peanuts with 60 healthy college students who will volunteer to join the study. We want to see the implications of peanut consumption on cognitive function, on depression, as well as the biomarkers of metabolic health.鈥
Adegoye plans to graduate in spring聽2022 and hopes to work with an organization focusing聽on sustainable development goals.
鈥淢y plan is to work for a聽group聽that聽aims to improve the聽livelihoods聽of others, to help eradicate聽poverty and hunger and promote gender equality,鈥澛燗degoye聽said.聽鈥淚 also want to have聽the聽opportunity聽to聽continue聽collaborative, international聽research, helping women聽and providing solutions for food in樱花导航.聽That is my聽passion.鈥