Farmers Market Nutrition Program

  • Date: June 7, 2021 - August 13, 2021 (possible flexibility)
  • Location: CCE Wayne County
  • Intern: Ainsley Fleming-Wood (Ainsley's blog)
  • Faculty sponsor: Joan Paddock, Division Nutritional Science
  • Campus-based mentor/supervisor: Alisha Gaines, Division Nutritional Science
  • Field mentors/supervisors: Elizabeth Claypoole and Emma Kett, CCE Wayne County
  • Stipend: $5,000
Educators holding vegetables outside of a mobile farmers market
CCE educators with Cornell Cooperative Extension's Sullivan Fresh Mobile Farmers Market.

Work proposed for the summer internship supports work of the Department of Nutritional Sciences' Famers Market contract, and a CCE Wayne County Farmers Market Nutrition Program contract with New York State Agriculture and Markets.

Results of this project will

  1. Inform the process for developing future lesson plans and resource materials of interest to FMNP shoppers
  2. Support the CCE association with FMNP education delivery
  3. Assist in FMNP data collection for reporting nutrition education contacts with market shoppers.

Roles and responsibilities 

The intern would be involved in:

  • Conducting nutrition education at farmers markets with materials developed for use when markets are operating under social distancing and other COVID-19 related guidelines
  • Work collaboratively with campus and CCE Wayne FMNP staff to assess reactions to lessons and materials
  • Test use of innovative technology for information delivery and data collection
  • Document customer reaction and knowledge change
  • Assist in the revision of these materials and tools.

Qualifications and previous coursework

This opportunity is available to students in Cornell University's College of Human Ecology.

Completion of NS 1150 Nutrition, Health and Society and NS 2450 Social Science Perspectives on Food and Nutrition is preferred.

Learning outcomes 

The intern will be exposed to the challenges of public program implementation in a community environment under conditions that may evolve over the course of the summer. The intern’s creativity, flexibility, negotiation skills, time management skills, and initiative will be challenged.

The intern will acquire skills related to materials development and communication, as well as some qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis..