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Anne Byrn (BSHE '78, Home Economics and Journalism) was the featured speaker at this year's Annual Alumni Meeting. The author of the New York Times best-selling The Cake Mix Doctor and its sequel Chocolate from The Cake Mix Doctor, Byrn found her entrepreneurial niche when she wrote an article for the Nashville Tennessean in 1998 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the cake mix. Her request that readers send their favorite "doctored-up" recipes resulted in 500 arriving in one week.

"I had never had such a passionate response to a story," she told the 100 alumni and their guests. "I knew I had found a market niche, but I didn't know if it was strictly a Southeastern phenomenon."

An informal poll of her foodwriting colleagues across the United States showed strong support for the idea.
"I used about 20 of the recipes that were sent in, but a lot of them had too many ingredients," she said. "I knew there would be some skeptics, but there are so many people who have great palettes, but still use cake mix as a starting point for their desserts."

There are 930,000 copies of The Cake Mix Doctor in print, and its sequel, which just came out in October 2001, had a first printing of 290,000.

Prior to going out on her own, Byrne spent 15 years as the food editor at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and several more at the Nashville Tennessean.

Karen Leonas (Professor, Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors) has been named the University of Georgia's Outstanding Advisor/Mentor for tenure-track faculty, as well as being nominated by the University for the National Academic Advising Association awards competition. Connie Rash (Assistant Director, Student Services) will receive Honorable Mention in the category for non-tenure track staff. Ms. Rash also was chosen Advisor of the Year for the College. Both will be recognized at the Faculty Teaching Awards banquet in April.

Within the College, the Teachers of the Year are:
Charlotte (Charlie) Wallinga (Child and Family Development), Barbara Grossman (Foods and Nutrition), Anne Sweaney (Housing and Consumer Economics), and Patricia Annis (Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors).

The Advisors of the Year, which are initiated by student nominations, are:
Joan Fischer (Foods and Nutrition), Anne Sweaney (Housing and Consumer Economics), Karen Leonas (Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors), and Connie Rash (Student Services).

Hill Award Winners
Connie Crawley (Extension Nutrition and Health Specialist and Public Service Associate, Foods and Nutrition) and Debbie Purvis (FACS County Extension Agent, Colquitt and Worth Counties) were awarded Hill Awards for their outstanding work in Public Service and Outreach during the University's annual Public Service meeting in January.
Dr. Crawley was recognized for her long-time work in establishing the UGA Cooperative Extension Service as a national leader in diabetes education. She has gained national recognition for her expertise in the development of community programs, educational materials and effective training approaches.
Ms. Purvis has developed a wide set of innovative programs throughout her career in the area of food and nutrition education. She also has established several new programs targeting the state's growing Latino population, including offering a Family Nutrition Program specifically targeting Spanish speakers.

Berdanier Named Fellow
Carolyn Berdanier (Professor Emerita, Foods and Nutrition) has been elected as a Fellow of the American Society for Nutritional Sciences. This award is presented to scientists who have had distinguished careers in nutrition.
Dr. Berdanier spent 11 years as head of the Foods and Nutrition Department before stepping down to resume research full-time. She attained international recognition for her discovery of one of the genes linked to the development of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Her current research interests include studies of the role of nutrients in the control of mitochondrial gene expression. In addition to her research, Dr. Berdanier also is a prolific writer and has written, edited and co-edited several bestselling books, including the Handbook of Nutrition and Food, a nearly 1,500 page reference that presents quantitative and qualitative data and information needed by nutritionists, dietitians and health care professionals. She also wrote Nutrient-Gene Interactions in Health and Disease, the CRC Desk Reference for Nutrition and two editions of Advanced Nutrition Micronutrients.

Donor-Scholar Recognition: William Flatt (Professor Emeritus, Foods and Nutrition) visits with Wanda Barrs, (BSHE '74, Home Economics Education), and Meredith Barrs (Junior, Consumer Foods) following the 2001 Donor-Scholar Recognition Ceremony November 1, 2001. Meredith received this year's Nesbitt-Flatt Scholarship.

The first study to establish the prevalence of overweight children in Georgia is being conducted by Richard Lewis ( Professor, Foods and Nutrition) and a team of FACS researchers.

“ We know that adult obesity and overweight is increasing in Georgia at a rate higher than other states,” said Lewis. “ But no one has determined the rate of overweight children in our state.”

The study, funded by the Georgia Department of Human Resources and the Department of Community Health, involves gathering weight and other measurements of students in the fourth, eighth, and 11th grades in 10 Georgia counties. Based on the ratio of Students also will complete a questionnaire regarding their nutrition and physical activity patterns.

“ These measurements will allow us to determine the weight status of each child,” Lewis explained. “ We’ll identify whether a child is at risk of being underweight, if their weight is normal, or if they’re at risk for becoming overweight.”

Childhood overweight can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and Type II diabetes in children, health conditions that were once considered adult diseases.

Based on the results, programs and interventions can be developed by Georgia policymakers to decrease the number of children who are overweight or underweight and to encourage healthier lifestyles.