November 26, 2007
Nutrition and Wellness Research Center opens to promote healthy lifestyles
State leaders note economic development promise of the new center
By
Kat Strothers
State leaders promoted a healthier Iowa at a ribbon cutting that signaled the opening of a new wellness research facility at the Iowa State University Research Park, on Nov. 9. The Nutrition and Wellness Research Center, the first facility in Iowa for testing foods and their impact on human wellness, kicked off its grand opening with speakers, tours, and student research presentations.
Legislators, economic development officials, business and industry leaders, students, and researchers gathered to celebrate the opening of the new center, which was initiated with a $700,000 grant from the Iowa Department of Economic Development through the Biosciences Alliance.
"This has been a dream a lot of people for a long time," said Iowa State University President Gregory Geoffroy at the opening event.
The NWRC was originally the vision of Paul Flakoll, who died in 2005. Flakoll was a professor of food science and human nutrition and director of the Center for Designing Foods to Improve Nutrition (CDFIN) at Iowa State at the time of his death.
"This center is more than this building," said Diane Birt, interim director of NWRC. "Dr. Flakoll planted the seeds for this building. He secured the initial funds. He had the initial vision that we built this center on."
Guests toured NWRC facilities for on-site food preparation, exercise testing, body composition assessments, and data analyses for clinical and consumer studies. Visitors also saw presentations and displays on cancer prevention, learned about fad diets, and received exercise advice and nutrition suggestions. Kinesiology and nutrition students showed proper exercise techniques, healthy snacks, and quick and healthy meals to highlight the center's overarching goal of wellness for people of all ages.
"ISU has continued to be a great partner to date, and we expect that partnership continuing," said Lt. Governor Patty Judge. "Now, through this new nutrition and wellness center, issues that are very, very important to us today are being addressed," she said.
Cheryl Achterberg, dean of the College of Human Sciences, said the center will give students the opportunity to study on interdisciplinary teams and promote entrepreneurship.
"Entrepreneurship is literally in every cell and pane of this center," said Achterberg. "Mostly it's generative. That's what this center is about — how to be generative," she said.
Besides initiating new research, students, faculty and staff in the NWRC will work with the Center for Crops Utilization Research, the Center for Designing Food to Improve Nutrition, and the Center for Research on Botanical Dietary Supplements to enhance research already being performed.
"This is a great day for the people of the state of Iowa, for Iowa State, and of course, for Kemin," said Zoraida DeFreitas, vice president of research and development at Kemin Health.
Along with conducting research and data analysis, the center's faculty and staff promote partnerships with food-related industries, such as Kemin Health and Proliant Health and Biologicals, to improve wellness through healthy foods and lifestyles.
"Proliant is just one example of an Iowa company that will benefit from the Nutrition and Wellness Research Center," said Michael Budnick, executive vice president of sales, marketing and business development at Proliant Health and Biologicals. "This is a world class center that all Iowans will be very proud of," he said.
Contacts:
Cathy Curtis, ccurtis@iastate.edu
