Picnic Day Brings Nutrition to Life

Last month we welcomed over 400 community members to Meyer Hall to engage with our department and bring nutrition to life! Community members were able to learn about our degree programs, test their nutrition knowledge, measure their grip strength and explore ways to get involved.

Where scientific curiosity meets community

Picnic day is for our community so we wanted to know, “What is a food question you’ve always wondered about?” Dr. Cassandra Nguyen, Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension, led this activity and reflected on the questions saying, “Questions varied from how foods were grown, when they’re safe to consume, which items are the “best” to pick from, or the source of differences in foods." Some of her personal favorites include:

• What is the most important food group?
• Why is honey suddenly safe for children once they turn 1?
• What makes organic products special?
• Why are the tastiest foods often the least healthy?

We also invited everyone to test their nutrition knowledge and answer questions. Brianna Tong, a fourth-year clinical nutrition student who created this exhibit in 2025, shared, “Many of the questions I developed were inspired by what I learned throughout my time in the clinical nutrition program. I loved having the opportunity to expand on the answers and share my passion for nutrition with others.” 

While some of these questions may seem like basic nutrition concepts, they form the essential foundation of the knowledge our students build every day. Through our undergraduate clinical nutrition and nutrition science programs and the Graduate Group in Nutritional Biology, students engage and conduct research across a broad spectrum, from fundamental cellular mechanisms to social science, clinical interventions, and global and public policy. 

Nutrition Science in Action

Visitors were also invited to measure their grip strength, an engaging hands on activity to explore how nutrition connects to physical health.

Students who take Nut 112, taught by Dr. Reina Engle-Stone, students learn how grip strength connects to nutrition status. Reduced grip strength can signal malnutrition, muscle loss, or other health issues, and is associated with a higher risk of functional limitations and disability. 

Dr. Engle-Stones notes, “Grip strength is not only about muscle - it is an indicator of overall health and can be used in clinical settings for assessment of malnutrition. ”

Advancing Nutrition Science Together

Each year, Picnic Day coincides with Give Day and thanks to the generosity of our community, this year’s Give Day Challenge was successfully funded. With your support, our department secured $198,000 from the Litov Fund to advance innovative nutrition research and empower exceptional mentorship for the next generation of scientists and health leaders.

While Picnic Day may be over, there are still many ways to stay involved, whether you’re interested in studying nutrition at UC Davis, participating in a clinical study, or receiving the latest nutrition insights delivered straight to your inbox. 

A Special Thank You

The UC Davis Nutrition Department is proud to be part of UC Davis’s Annual Picnic Day. We extended a thank you to all who made this event possible including Ellen Bonnell, Dr. Reina Engle- Stone, Dr. Cassandra Nguyen, Dr. Jennifer Smilowitz, Jason Wong, and our wonderful student, faculty and staff volunteers.

Special thanks to Dr. Jennifer Smilowitz for leading the Nutrition Picnic Day Committee.  She says her favorite part about running this event is “transforming nutrition science into community connection. With months of planning with the Picnic Day Planning Committee and execution with 30+ incredible volunteers, we created four interactive exhibits that engaged more than 400 attendees through learning, laughter, and discovery. From spinning the Nutrition Wheel to testing grip strength, exploring human studies, and showcasing our department’s programs, it was incredibly rewarding to see nutrition science come alive in ways that inspired curiosity across all ages. I look forward to next year's event!”