I spent most of the last month enjoying a short break, during which I was able to visit friends and family, as well as go on a trip to Ecuador. My trip was filled with natural beauty, everything from the beach, rainforest, and mountains, and was an incredibly rewarding experience after a busy spring semester. These past few weeks gave me a much needed break after having taken a heavy course load in the spring semester in conjunction with other obligations, and allowed me to truly recharge in anticipation of this summer. Now, looking forward, I am excited to have returned to campus and to begin research in the lab.
I am excited to learn how to use various machines and technologies, such as the Piccolo, which analyzes blood, and an electrolyte analyzer. Additionally, assuming time allows for it, we have discussed with our mentor the possibility of learning how to perform flow-mediated dilation (FMD). Learning how to properly use these various pieces of equipment are vital to not only the research we will be performing with the IDEA Grant, but also to various other studies that are performed in the lab. The most crucial resource I have been utilizing both through my time at FSU thus far and while working on this project has been the access given by FSU libraries to countless articles and journals. Reading about other research that has been performed has given me insight into many things, ranging from project design, to very specific parts of human physiology, to other studies that have been influential in setting new standards for nutrition research.
This project will be building on a lot of fundamental knowledge that I have learned in my various nutrition classes, particularly pertaining to how dietary recommendations are evaluated and the importance of various macro and micro nutrients – in this case, sodium. While I have a strong grasp of these fundamentals, this project already has, and likely will continue to, expand my knowledge in specific areas of nutrition. The intention of this pilot study is highly specific: to develop a better understanding of how customizable sodium dietary guidelines may be more effective in preventing or mitigating many chronic diseases that are related to high sodium intake, such as cardiovascular disease. Nutrition and dietetics are such broad fields, and the opportunity to learn about such a specific niche is less common in the classroom. Having the opportunity to explore this area of nutrition will undoubtedly provide me with a plethora of knowledge I might not have otherwise been able to gain.
We are still definitely in the early stages of this project as there are many components that must be in place before we can proceed with the actual interventions. From designing the diets that will be utilized for the interventions, to the completion of the ServSafe program which ensures we will be handling food properly, to getting IRB approval, there is a lot that will be going into getting this project off the ground. We are hoping to receive IRB approval soon, at which point we will begin to recruit and screen participants, and hopefully begin the first intervention. In the meantime, I am remaining patient, while working diligently to ensure that when the interventions do begin they will be as seamless as possible and will go according to what we have planned for thus far.
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