Extension and Outreach

HNFE's Extension and Outreach program plays critical roles in the department’s translational mission. The goal of Extension and Outreach is to put knowledge to work – and to be the arm of the university that reaches out to communities and disseminates research. The majority of extension and outreach activities in the department are coordinated by Extension Specialists, who also conduct research and teach courses.

Students have plentiful opportunities to get real world experience through extension and outreach activities in the department, such as:

• Developing, designing, and delivering research- and evidence-based educational handouts, modules, and/or programs for wide variety of audiences in foods, nutrition, and exercise
• Conducting research related to food, nutrition, and exercise education, behavior, and policy

All universities engage in research and teaching, but the nation's more than 100 land-grant colleges and universities, have a third critical mission—extension. "Extension" means "reaching out," and—along with teaching and research—land-grant institutions like Virginia Tech "extend" their resources, solving public needs with college or university resources through non-formal, non-credit educational programs.