Nicole Kling
Nicole Kling is one of seven students who earned the 2019 Louise Rosenfeld Undergraduate Research Internship. She plans to work in community nutrition after she receives her master’s degree in diet and exercise.
Get to know Nicole
- Major: Diet and Exercise
- Class: Senior
- Hometown: Kelley, Iowa
- Career goal: Work in community nutrition encouraging positive outlooks of health and nutrition
- Clubs/activities: President of Student Dietetic Association, Public Outreach Officer for Human Sciences Council
- Awards/honors: Winifred Tilden High Scholar (2017-2018), Dean’s List (2016-present)
- Favorite place on campus: Parks Library tiers or central campus
- Most influential ISU mentor: Professor Lanningham-Foster
- Favorite class: Advanced Food Preparation Laboratory, FSHN 215
- Why Iowa State: Grew up 10 minutes from Ames. Iowa State offered variety of majors, which was important as I started as an undecided major.
Nicole Kling tailors her research experiences to her personal interests
While Nicole Kling has gained a wide variety of research experience in the last year and a half, she is now tailoring her research to her future her goals through her work with the Louise Rosenfeld Undergraduate Research Internship.
Nicole, a senior in diet and exercise, wants to work in community nutrition and help people develop a positive view of healthy eating and exercise. The projects she has worked on for the Rosenfeld internship – from teaching classes to research participants and writing a science-based newsletter for children – have been geared toward what she wants to do later on.
“Writing about making healthy behavior changes and how to be more successful for a beginner is a skill necessary for a dietitian,” Nicole said. “We are typically working with clients with little knowledge about energy and nutrient requirements, behavior change, and more.”
Nicole has been working alongside Lorraine Lanningham-Foster, associate professor of food science and human nutrition, for about a year and a half. The experience in her lab has also given Nicole the opportunity to get to know the graduate students that are working in the lab and helping her.
“[The graduate students] are helpful and grateful for your help,” Nicole said. “They want to help you stand out.”
The Rosenfeld internship has helped Nicole tailor her experience to her own personal interests and introduced her to her future as both a graduate student and a dietitian. Nicole also found the experience to be deeply rooted in communication and collaboration, two skills she says are critical when working toward a master’s degree.
“You get to be more specific, especially if you’re going to grad school,” Nicole said. “It’s like a mini thesis, and if you’re working with a professor, you’re getting a great reference.”
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