This year the Golden Eagle Intertribal Society, the Center for American Indian Research and Studies and Mississippi INBRE Telenutrition Center have come together to serve our indigenous community members. Just like many Native American tribes across the U.S., the Choctaw children of the Bogue Homa community have been significantly impacted by the effects of COVID-19 and many will be missing family members at their gatherings during this holiday season. At this time, we are asking the USM community to help us collect new unwrapped toys and books for 121 children of all ages (0-18).

There are three ways to get involved:

(1) Drop off unwrapped toys or books at the School of Kinesiology and Nutrition, Joseph Greene Hall 304.

(2) Purchase a toy/book from the Amazon Wish List.

(3) Send a monetary donation using the Cash App to $BokHoumaToyDrive.

We kindly request that donations and toys/books be submitted or dropped off by end of business day on Wednesday, December 16th.

Mississippi INBRE Telenutrition Center is now accepting applications for its 2021 summer research program. The Mississippi INBRE Outreach Scholars program is a 10-week community-based research program for Mississippi college students. The program is a perfect opportunity for students who need or want to gain hands-on research experience.

Applications are due January 29, 2021. For detailed information and application, please visit here.

On February 20-21, 2020, the Mississippi Academy of Sciences 2020 meeting was held at the Biloxi Convention Center. In total, 498 research posters were presented. In addition, the conference hosted an additional 12 speakers. There were over 1000 attendees at this conference including students, faculty and staff from across Mississippi.

Research presented at this conference is divided into 13 divisions: agriculture and plant sciences; cellular, molecular and developmental biology; chemistry and chemical engineering; ecology and evolutionary biology; geology and geography; health sciences; history and philosophy of science; marine and atmospheric sciences; mathematics, computer sciences and statistics; physics and engineering; psychology and social science; science education; and zoology and entomology.

On January 31, 2020, the Telenutrition Center hosted the first in our Community Health Speaker Series. Dr. Ian Thompson, from the Tribal Historic Preservation Office for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, gave a seminar titled "Choctaw Food: Remembering the Land, Rekindling Ancient Knowledge."

The Community Health Speaker Series aims to deliver content on community health and behaviors in relation to disease prevention among Mississippians. His presentation drew on Indigenous knowledge to improve health and quality of life in today's world. He is also a certified Choctaw Community Language Instructor and a bison rancher.

On November 6-8, 2019, the Southeast Regional IDeA Conference was held at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. Members of the Telenutrition Team gave talks on multiple topics, including our Okla Achukma Project and addressing health disparities in Southeastern American Indian populations, Technology Supported Behavior Therapy for Obesity Management, and an overview of the Telenutrition Center Pilot Intervention and the findings from our focus groups.

We also had two of our Outreach Scholars give talks on Factors that Influence Interest in Nutrition Counseling and the Impact of Self-Effficacy for Diet.

On August 2, 2019, the 2019 Mississippi IDeA Conference was held at the Hilton in Jackson, MS. More than 350 faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students gathered for scientific sessions that covered the areas of Obesity & Cardiometabolic Diseases, Infectious Disease & Immunology, Neuroscience, Cancer, Biotechnology, Health Disparities: Behavior Management and Community Engagement, and Integrating Omics Technologies. There were 139 poster and 29 oral presentations, as well as 13 graduate and professional school exhibitors.

On July 25, 2019, the Telenutrition Center hosted the Outreach Symposium at the Trent Lott Center at USM to showcase some of our Outreach Scholars' research.

The 2019 Choctaw Indian Fair was held from July 8-11 in Choctaw, Mississippi. The theme for this year's fair was "The Choctaw Spirit Lives On." Activities included social and historical displays, Choctaw stickball, social dancing, tribal arts & crafts, the Choctaw Indian Princess pageant, and traditional Choctaw food.

The Telenutrition Center Outreach Scholars held an outreach event at the fair to share resources for nutrition and health for members of the community.

On June 19, 2019, the Telenutrition Center hosted an Open House in Southern Hall at USM to showcase some of our research and activities.

On May 25, 2019 the Telenutrition Center's Outreach Scholars hosted an Outreach Event at the University of Southern Mississippi. This event reached out to USM Physical Plant workers and employees to provide nutritional information, offer weight and BMI calculations, and collect data.

On August 22, 2018, the Mississippi IDeA Conference was held in Jackson, MS with over 400 attendees. This conference showcases biomedical research conducted by all of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences' Institutional Development Awards (IDeA) funded programs in Mississippi.