Nutrition and Food Science (NFSC)

Pick up your spirits and a pumpkin at AGNR’s annual Pick & Treat! 🎃

Take a break from UMD Spooky Season (aka Midterms) on Thursday, October 30 from 2:30-4:30pm to enjoy some festive fall fun as we turn the Animal Sciences courtyard into a pumpkin patch.

Mark your calendars to come pick a pumpkin grown at our very own Wye Research & Education Center and discover what treats await! Costumes and furry companions are welcome!

Join us for the 2025 Mary Shorb Lecture in Nutrition given by Dr. Leena Hilakivi-Clarke. The lecture will be on gut dysbiosis as a mediator of increased breast cancer in female offspring born to obese mothers.

The Mary Shorb Lecture in Nutrition is a jointly hosted event by the Department of Nutrition and Food Science and the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences. Over 47 esteemed speakers have presented since its start in 1970.

The 2025 Mary Shorb Lecturer is Dr. Leena Hilakivi-Clarke. She is a professor and assistant director for Faculty Affairs at the Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota. Hilakivi-Clarke's current research interests focus on women's health, including studying interactions among exosome, gut microbiome, and breast cancer. She has published over 180 scientific papers and trained nearly 90 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty in her laboratory.

There will be a reception from 1:45 to 2:45 following the lecture.

You're invited to join us for AGNR’s 7th annual Cornerstone event on Thursday, October 23 at The Adele H. Stamp Student Union—Center for Campus Life. 

We're excited to welcome keynote speaker, Sanjay K. Rai, secretary of the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). 

In his role, Rai is responsible for statewide policies for Maryland's 14 public 4-year institutions, 16 community colleges, 32 private institutions, and more than 140 private career schools. His programming and partnerships have expanded educational access, improved student success, and reduced achievement gaps for all learners. He will deliver a talk on the use of hashtagAI to improve instruction and engagement with students. 

The event will also feature a free lunch and a student poster competition featuring the excellent work of our students. Guests may also register on-site the day of the event. 

Join the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Alumni Network on Saturday, October 4 before the Washington vs. Maryland football game for food & fun on Family Weekend. Reconnect with fellow alums, enjoy tailgate eats, and get game-day ready AGNR-style. Don’t miss this chance to celebrate with your UMD family—see you there!

Come learn about the field of ag communications with AGNR alum, Katrina Stacey. She will discuss her career path in ag communications, provide insight into her current role, and offer advice for entering and progressing within the field.

A bit more about Katrina:

Katrina serves as Field to Market's Senior Manager of Communications and Marketing, driving strategic marketing and communications to build upon and enhance Field to Market's reputation as the voice of the agriculture value chain. Katrina comes to Field to Market from the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), where she served as the organization's communications coordinator for almost three years. In this role, she developed and delivered communications among NACD's stakeholders, managed NACD's social media channels, and supported the execution of NACD meetings. She also served as the staff lead on a number of NACD's soil health projects, including soil health case study projects and a soil testing project. Katrina received a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, in Environmental Science and Policy and concentrated her studies in agriculture.

Are you interested in studying environmental science, animal science, plant science, nutritional science or another agricultural and natural resources area?  Then come learn what we have to offer in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR).  These sessions will give you a chance to learn about AGNR, its nine undergraduate (BS & BLA) degree programs, minors, our hands-on approach to learning, beyond the classroom experiences, life as a Terp, and more. Please note that each visit date offers a unique experience. On this visit (October 25) guests will attend a general presentation, hear from current AGNR students, and tour the on-campus farm. Please note in this special Saturday session - other academic units will not be available; other University amenities and facilities will operate on weekend hours.

Are you interested in studying environmental science, animal science, plant science, nutritional science or another agricultural and natural resources area?  Then come learn what we have to offer in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR).  These sessions will give you a chance to learn about AGNR, its nine undergraduate (BS & BLA) degree programs, minors, our hands-on approach to learning, beyond the classroom experiences, life as a Terp, and more. Please note that each visit date offers a unique experience. On this visit (October 24) guests will attend a general presentation, hear from current AGNR students, and meet in small groups with current students in your AGNR major of interest.

Are you interested in studying environmental science, animal science, plant science, nutritional science or another agricultural and natural resources area?  Then come learn what we have to offer in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR).  These sessions will give you a chance to learn about AGNR, its nine undergraduate (BS & BLA) degree programs, minors, our hands-on approach to learning, beyond the classroom experiences, life as a Terp, and more. Please note that each visit date offers a unique experience. On this visit (October 17) guests will attend a general presentation, hear from current AGNR students, and MEET YOUR MAJOR! Team members from your intended AGNR major of interest will meet in breakout groups to provide supplemental programming.

Are you interested in studying environmental science, animal science, plant science, nutritional science or another agricultural and natural resources area?  Then come learn what we have to offer in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR).  These sessions will give you a chance to learn about AGNR, its nine undergraduate (BS & BLA) degree programs, minors, our hands-on approach to learning, beyond the classroom experiences, life as a Terp, and more. Please note that each visit date offers a unique experience. On this visit (October 3) guests will attend a general presentation, hear from current AGNR students, and MEET YOUR MAJOR! Team members from your intended AGNR major of interest will meet in breakout groups to provide supplemental programming.

Are you interested in studying environmental science, animal science, plant science, nutritional science or another agricultural and natural resources area?  Then come learn what we have to offer in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR).  These sessions will give you a chance to learn about AGNR, its nine undergraduate (BS & BLA) degree programs, minors, our hands-on approach to learning, beyond the classroom experiences, life as a Terp, and more. Please note that each visit date offers a unique experience. On this visit (September 26) guests will attend a general presentation, hear from current AGNR students, and tour the on-campus farm.