FCS faculty, students speak at Iowa conference

CSC professors Dr. Yvonne Moody and Dr. Norma Nealeigh, and students Samantha Fields of Clarksville, Ark., and Bethany Seifert of Glendive, Mont., spoke at the Midwest Regional American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences conference in Cedar Falls, Iowa, April 8-9. 

The CSC group presented a session titled “Lifespan Wellness: Curriculum Infusion.” The professors discussed high-impact practices currently used in teaching wellness concepts in the family and consumer sciences courses at Chadron State. Seifert, an FCS education major and future teacher, shared information regarding the Scholastic Contest Eagle Cook-Off event that she helped organize and carry out. Fields, a design and merchandising major and entrepreneur, displayed items of clothing from her original and unique clothing line. She established her company on environmental wellness principles and named her start-up business Re-Dl (Re-DoLife), combining her love of fashion and recycling.

More than 150 Family and Consumer Sciences professionals from Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota participated in the regional conference on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa. The theme of the conference was “Connecting to a Healthy Lifestyle.” The objective of the conference was for family and consumer sciences professionals to grow in their professional, educational and personal lives.

A highlight of the conference was the popular author and keynote speaker, Dan Buettner, who is the founder and chief executive officer of Blue Zones, and the New York Times best-selling author of “The Blue Zones:  Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest.” Buettner is an internationally recognized explorer, educator, public speaker and co-producer of an Emmy Award-winning travel documentary. He has appeared as a longevity expert on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, The Today Show, ABC World News, CBS’s The Early Show and CNN.

Other highlights included a presentation and hands-on cooking demonstration by Barry Greenberg, executive chef for housing and dining at the University of Iowa. As executive chef, his responsibilities include menu oversight and planning for student dining and the President’s Residence. He has been instrumental in the healthy dining initiative supported by the University of Iowa.

For more than 100 years, the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences has provided leadership and support to professionals whose work assists individuals, families, and communities in making informed decisions about their well being, relationships and resources to achieve optimal quality of life.