Biology of Health and Nutrition 2

The economics of nutrition 

Creating value for healthy eating, Mr. Munoz said, is critical. That’s the service focus. One organization Dr. Scully has been working with, Common Threads, sends volunteers into elementary school classrooms to teach children living in underserved communities how to cook healthy meals. She envisions students in Biology of Health and Nutrition—broken up into teams of eight—supporting that education as they work with children, community groups and after-school programs in the Washington, D.C., area.

Ms. Wuller’s group has been creating lesson plans based on what they’ve been learning in the classroom and lab.

“This is not just about reading a textbook for the purpose of passing a test—I have to learn this material because I have to teach it to someone,” Ms. Wuller said. “It matters what we eat, and I think a lot of kids aren’t taught that piece of education. They may be in a biology class in their schools, but they may not be learning about how the biology translates to their health.”

Academic-service learning classes have increased at the university in recent years. GW offered 41 such classes during the 2012-13 academic year. It will offer 70 from May 2014 to May 2015, according to Ms. Cohen. Applying science to a thought-provoking topic—in this case using biology to explain the value of a healthy diet—is an example of making the content more relevant, Dr. Scully said.

“It really isn’t easy to eat healthy,” she said. “Changing the mindset of the country in the future regarding how we value healthy foods, and maybe also making it more affordable, would be an amazing achievement. I think we can do that through these service-learning courses.”