Food and Nutrition Science Curriculum
The U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP) grant, titled Shiga-toxigenicEscherichia coli (STEC) in the Beef Chain: Assessing and Mitigating the Risk by Translational Science, Education and Outreach, seeks to significantly advance evidence- and action-based beef food safety knowledge to protect public health. This project is targeting the eight most important STEC serotypes that cause human illness in the U.S.
The grant has 5 objectives; Objective 5 concerns Risk Management and Education and focuses on training the current and future workforce and consumers to control STEC. To train the current and future workforce, the team is developing curriculum for secondary education programs at the high school level to gain access to the students who are in these classrooms.
The multi-year curriculum is comprised of four courses, including a Capstone course, and has been developed for middle and high school students. The curriculum has an inquiry-based approach with integrated instructional aids for teachers and their students. Each course consists of four units which each have daily lessons plans.
