Bird As noted in our last column, very few submissions have been received over the life of this column. We want to be able to highlight innovative educational practices so that others may benefit. If you have a website or a recent publication that you believe other readers would like to know about, please submit the full text of the article or the URL for the website and an annotation of not more than 100 words. We welcome your comments and resources. Material should be submitted to: Jim Bird, Science & Engineering Center, Fogler Library, Univ. of Maine, Orono, ME 04469 or e-mail to Jim.Bird@umit.maine.edu. If e-mailing, please put “JFSE submission” in the subject line. To find material for this column, the following databases are typically searched: Academic Search Premier, Agricola, Compendex (Engineering Index), ERIC (education), FSTA - Food Science and Technology Abstracts, and Web of Science. Food science websites from .edu, .gov, .org, and .com domains that provide web-available information on food science education are also browsed. Hill describes in detail the curriculum assessment protocols used in the food science department at the Univ. of Guelph that meet IFT accreditation standards and support the University's learning objectives. Table 4.1 gives an assessment tool summary. Learning objectives and teaching and evaluation techniques are all discussed. Part of the journal's GEM (General Education Materials) series, this paper describes an exercise for undergraduate dietetics and nutrition students that allows them to become familiar with whole cereal grains by “...providing opportunities to purchase, prepare, and taste-test them in a group setting.” (p. 235) The evaluation form used is included in the article. The students received the exercise very favorably. The exercise promoted class discussion on such topics as the effective introduction of whole cereal grains to clients. Many schools have gardening programs for their students. In this study the authors found study participants involved in garden-based activities in conjunction with nutrition education increased consumption of fruit and vegetables. The study design used 3 schools: 1) a control school where students neither participated in nutrition education nor gardening, 2) a school where students participated in nutrition education but not gardening; and 3) a school where students participated in both gardening and nutrition education programs. Students in the 3rd school showed a significant increase in both fruit and vegetable consumption. The authors describe a lab that was adopted for Pathogens, the Environment, and Society, an undergraduate course taught at Texas A & M Univ. The goal of the lab “...is to use basic microbiological techniques to examine common bacterial and fungi on fruits and vegetables.” (p.149). Detailed information is provided on sample preparation and protocols. A follow-up in-class writing assignment was used in conjunction with the lab to assess understanding. The authors provide several web resources on presentation and lecture presentations. This site, maintained by FNIC, offers the user a wealth of information on food with over 2,000 links to “...current and reliable nutrition information.” Topics covered include food composition, food safety, lifecycle nutrition, and food labeling. An advanced search feature allows the user to find information quickly. Databases accessible through the site include the Food Safety Research Information Office's Research Projects Database. This database includes over 1,700 records detailing “...research projects through the cooperation of government agencies, educational institutions and other agencies.” A link from the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison's Food Science Dept. homepage, this site provides links to North American academic food science departments. Food science departmental homepages are very helpful places to browse for information on courses, faculty publications, and links to other food science sites.