Summer Community Nutrition Research Assistant

Penn State University; United States; On-site; USD 25,000 - 30,000; Part time

Job summary

Penn State University’s Family and Community Medicine seeks a part-time Research Assistant to support Food as Medicine and SNAP-Ed initiatives during the summer. This appointment may extend beyond summer if funded, with duties spanning education, gardening, and evaluation across diverse community sites.

The role emphasizes hands-on nutrition education, cooking demonstrations, and collaboration with partner organizations in Hershey, PA, to promote health equity and access to healthy foods.

Qualifications

• Exceptional interpersonal skills and strong oral and written communication abilities.
• Strong culinary skills and foundational nutrition knowledge.
• Passion for community nutrition, SNAP-Ed programming, gardening, and health equity.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to a collaborative team.
• Flexibility and willingness to work in varied community settings.
• Reliable transportation for local travel to partner sites.
• Availability for occasional evening and weekend community events.

Responsibilities

• Deliver SNAP-Ed and Food as Medicine programming in low-income community settings, including community gardens, food pantries, Boys & Girls Clubs, senior centers, and other partner sites.
• Conduct engaging nutrition education sessions, food tastings, and cooking demonstrations.
• Adapt programming for diverse audiences (children, adults, families), including potential digital or social media engagement.
• Support garden-based education and seasonal food programming.
• Collect, manage, and report evaluation data to assess individual- and community-level impact.
• Contribute to continuous quality improvement of programming.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Oral and written communication

Culinary skills

Nutrition knowledge

Community engagement

Independent work

Team collaboration

Flexible scheduling

Local travel

Evening and weekend events

Job description

Penn State University’s Family and Community Medicine seeks a part-time Research Assistant to support Food as Medicine and SNAP-Ed initiatives during the summer. This appointment may extend beyond summer if funded, with duties spanning education, gardening, and evaluation across diverse community sites.

The role emphasizes hands-on nutrition education, cooking demonstrations, and collaboration with partner organizations in Hershey, PA, to promote health equity and access to healthy foods.