The end of summer marks the end of GFRP’s fourth year of the Fellowship for Exploring Research in Nutrition (FERN), a 9-week internship for undergraduate students interested in food policy research. Over the course of their summer, the fellows built foundational research skills, attended professional development workshops, assisted on research projects and learned about current topics and methods in nutrition policy research. For their final project, the fellows collaborated on creating a fact sheet on digital marketing of ultra-processed foods to children and adolescents. The whole GFRP team thanks Aline, Alyssa, and Paola for their hard work and contributions this summer and we wish them all the best for this school year and their future endeavors!
Read more about the 2025 FERN fellows and their summer experiences below:
Aline Botelho Kobayashi
Rising senior at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville
Major: Nutrition with a concentration in dietetics. I am also pursuing a double minor in public health and biomedical research in nutrition.
Summer research project: During my FERN internship, I had the opportunity to work with Carmen Elise Prestemon on a project analyzing ultra-processed food regulations and their impact on public health. I conducted systematic reviews and created word tables outlining ingredient classifications in current U.S. regulations. I am honored to be a co-author on the paper, “Assessing the coverage of ultra-processed food and food additive policies on the US food supply: A descriptive analysis.”
I also contributed to a second project with Laina Elizabeth Ewoldt, assisting with data verification from Portuguese to English for the “NutriNet Brasil” paper. I helped generate graphs using Stata software and will also be a co-author on this paper.
In addition, I collaborated with fellow interns to produce a fact sheet titled “Digital Marketing of UPFs for Youth.”.
Most interesting discovery this summer: This summer was incredibly valuable! I learned how to write a fact sheet and an academic article for the first time. The writing workshops, especially Carmen’s mentorship on crafting an academic article introduction, were extremely helpful.
Favorite FERN workshops: My favorite FERN workshop was the one on Stata. It gave me a strong foundation in using the software, and the homework exercises really helped solidify my understanding. I also really enjoyed Dr. Deborah Stroman’s sessions; they were incredibly insightful.
Coming up next: Looking ahead, I plan to apply to a master’s program in dietetics and eventually pursue a Ph.D. in a community nutrition-related topic.
Random fact: My favorite fruit is the cashew (the actual fruit, not the nut!), which is very popular in my home country, Brazil!
Alyssa Walker-Porter
Rising Junior at George Washington University
Major: Double major in Nutrition and Biology
Summer research project: This summer I worked with Jonathan Lara-Arevalo on his systematic review on the association between food insecurity and obesity, helping with protocol development and data extraction.
Most surprising thing you learned this summer: The most surprising thing I learned was just how much effort goes into a systematic review. When you read one you can see that the author‘s have done their research but actually working on one puts things in a different perspective.
Favorite FERN workshops: My favorite FERN workshop was the networking and resume workshop. This was very useful in helping me update and reformulate my resume to be more appealing to future opportunities. I also enjoyed the many informational interviews that were offered. I found the many paths that people took to get to where they are very intriguing and inspiring.
Coming up next: I plan to continue working with Jonathan on his systematic review. After I graduate, I hope to get my master’s in nutrition through a coordinated program and become a registered dietitian, focusing on maternal and child nutrition.
Random fact: I am left-handed, but I play sports with my right hand.
Paola Stackmann-Waldheim
Rising Junior at Baylor University
Major: Nutrition Sciences with a Pre-Dietetics concentration and a Business Administration Minor.
Summer research project: This summer, I had the opportunity to be mentored by Maria Fernanda Parra-Murillo on a research project focused on the regulation of digital marketing of ultra-processed foods. I worked on collecting evidence on policy approaches and their effectiveness in limiting digital advertising.
Most interesting thing you learned this summer: Learning about the diverse paths people have taken in the fields of nutrition and research.
Favorite FERN workshops: I really enjoyed the positionality workshop since it helped me understand how my background and experiences shape my perspective in research. I also found the networking and resume workshop very helpful!
Coming up next: I will continue my education in a graduate school program to become a registered dietitian.
Random fact: I’ve changed majors four times, and I’m still graduating on time (mostly).
Students interested in summer 2026 fellowships should check the FERN information page for application information in late 2025.
Portraits by Jon Gardiner