Centers & Facilities

Two women evaluate a third young lady's BMI with a tape measure around her right bicep

Pediatric Assessment Center

The Pediatric Assessment Center (PAC) is approximately 2,000 square feet of multi-use shared research space dedicated to nutrition and obesity research.  Resources of the PAC include instrumentation for the measurement of adult and infant body composition, anthropometrics, blood pressure and heart rate, and for performing blood draws and other types of biospecimen collection and processing. The PAC also includes space for subject assessment and interviews, as well as computing space with dedicated computers for processing nutritional intake data using the Nutrition Data Systems for Research (NDSR) software and software used for downloading and initializing accelerometers.
 

Small Zebra fish swim around in a tank of water

Zebrafish Research Facility 

This Zebrafish Research Facility contains 30 powder-coated racks capable of housing ~61,000 adult fish as the main facility, a fully automated, robotic-feeding nursery system capable of rearing ~12,000 fish, and a quarantine system that can house ~2,100 fish. There are also three 25-liter and 60-liter rotifer cones to generate live rotifer feed for larval and adult fish. This facility houses adequate space for storage, breeding racks, and specialized equipment for zebrafish embryo manipulation including needle pullers, needle microforgers and multiple microinjection stations, and two Miele automatic aquatic tank washers. 

 

Four children wearing aprons stand around two stoves, cooking chopped onions

Food Systems Laboratory and Metabolic Research Kitchen

The Food Systems Laboratory and Metabolic Research Kitchen is both a teaching and research facility. Upper-division nutrition/dietetic students learn and apply food systems management concepts in a commercial kitchen setting. Researchers use the space as a metabolic kitchen to design and prepare nutritionally specific meals for participants in their feeding studies.

 

A top down view of 12 small garden pots with seedlings growing

EdEN Laboratory

EdEN Lab (Education, Evaluation, Nutrition) helps teachers promote learning and healthier living through hands-on school garden experiences. School gardens help kids connect with essential knowledge in almost every subject, promote healthier lifestyles, and connect with nature. 

 

Woman reaching into well stocked fridge

UT Nutrition Institute

UTNI connects nutrition science to food and health by empowering healthcare providers, communities and more with evidence-based nutrition guidance for a better life. The UTNI provides nutrition education for a wide range of audiences and includes webinars, videos, and in-person events.