Born and raised in North Granby, Connecticut, Gwen Gardner Stewart grew up observing the growth and development of chickens on her parents’ poultry farm for nearly ten years. After three years of study in nutritional science at the University of New Hampshire, Gwen’s experience with poultry naturally transitioned into a research project funded by a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF). Upon graduation, Gwen plans to complete an internship in the field of nutrition and become a registered dietician. Although she had not originally considered a career in nutritional research, this project has certainly given her a new perspective on her options for the future. She looks forward to exploring those possibilities more through her internship.
A member of the University of New Hampshire’s faculty since 1986, Joanne Curran-Celentano is a professor of nutritional sciences. She specializes in human nutrition with a focus on phytonutrients, an interest since her undergraduate years at Rutgers University. Over the course of her tenure at UNH, Dr. Curran-Celentano has been a mentor for ten students involved in research at the University, a job she finds very rewarding both for herself and for her students. “Being involved with research has provided [Gwen] the tools to understand first hand how data published in journals is derived and has given her a deep appreciation for the rigor necessary for drawing conclusions from data,” she said. Dr. Curran-Celentano has a special interest in lutein bioavailability and its apparent link to human eye health and, in particular, with a decreased risk of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).
Read Gwen Gardner Stewart’s research article, Investigating the Effect of Diet on Nutrient Concentration in Eggs: How Your Breakfast Might be Healthier than You Think >>
