ARCS Phoenix members and guests didn't realize that so much fun and education were in store for them when they arrived at the downtown Arizona State University campus to visit the School of Nutritions and Health Promotion. Chairs, Lynne Sonntag and Vianne Kucera, didn't disappoint with planning this special trip. Not only did the group receive a warm welcome from several planned presenters, but they were also treated to a delicious and healthy lunch that they got to mix themselves under the direction of the School's Chef.
Professor Dale Larsen provided an overview of the Downtown campus, which encompasses 20 acres, 13,000 students, and 2,000 employees. This has increased the downtown residential numbers by 1.100. The campus mirrored the City's initiative to improve the downtown area when a $2,000,000 bond measure was passed for the expansion. Since its inception and that of many other projects such as the light rail system, over 200 million dollars has been generated per year along with 8,800 new jobs.
Several speakers presented an overview of the college's programs and the current research projects, which encompass a collaborative approach with community partners such as the Mayo Clinic, T-Gen, Banner Health, Dignity Health, and Phoenix Children's Hospital. The programs include the College of Health Solutions, the Department of Biomedical Informatics, and the School of Nutrition and Health Promotion. Among the speakers were Dan Magee, PhD student and a 2015-2016 student Danielle Groat, describing her research with Type 1 Diabetes.