Several COPT fellows attended Experimental Biology 2016 in San Diego, California from April 2-6, 2016. Each student gave us a recap and reflection on her experience. We will be featuring one student per post as part of this series.
Nicole Fearnbach
Special note: Nicole received a travel award from Energy and Macronutrient Metabolism RIS, American Society for Nutrition. Congratulations!
Nicole catching up with a friend from undergrad: Nicole and Zach Grunewald were in the Flying High Circus at Florida State and are now both pursuing a PhD in Nutritional Sciences.
Q: What was the title of your presentation?
A: Impact of imposed exercise on children’s ad libitum energy intake
Q: What were the main points of your presentation?
A: In a sample of 20 children (ages 9-12 years) at risk for becoming overweight, we found that imposed exercise had a favorable effect on daily energy balance compared to being sedentary. Relative energy intake was 226 kilocalories lower on the Exercise Day compared to the Sedentary Day. This was a result of the fact that children ate the same number of calories on both days, but had higher activity-related energy expenditure on the Exercise Day.
Q: What is something you learned?
A: There was a wonderful Opening Session on Scientific Rigor in the Nutrition Research Landscape, which addressed the need to maintain public confidence in nutrition science while establishing best practices for conducting and reporting nutrition-related research. I found this symposium very helpful as a young scientist entering the field. This sentiment was echoed in an Early Career session on having a credible scientific voice.
Q: How do you hope your general program of research will contribute to the field of obesity prevention?
A: I hope that my research will contribute to the broader literature on energy balance regulation in children, particularly in those who are at risk for becoming overweight. This research project has encouraged me to continue using a multidisciplinary approach towards uncovering effective childhood obesity prevention strategies.