Visiting Professor Series: Department of Community Nutrition at IPB University Welcomes Lecturer from Canada

Department of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Human Ecology (Fema) at IPB University, with support from the IPB International Research Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health and the 2024 PUAPT Grant Program, successfully conducted the first series of its Visiting Professor Program.

The event featured Dr. Tammara Soma, PhD, MCIP, RPP, from Simon Fraser University, Canada, a renowned expert in food waste who has received various prestigious research grants. During this program, Dr. Soma led a workshop titled “Writing a Research Proposal,” attended by postgraduate (Master’s and Ph.D.) students in the Nutrition Science program at IPB University.

Dr. Zuraidah Nasution, S.TP, M.Sc, Secretary of the Department of Community Nutrition, emphasized that the workshop aimed to enhance postgraduate students’ skills in developing research proposals with strong potential for grant funding. “This workshop is tailored for postgraduate students. We hope that the knowledge gained today will help students secure research grants by creating compelling research proposals,” she explained.

Dr. Soma presented on “Crafting a Winning Research Proposal,” covering the stages of research proposal development, including topic selection, literature gap analysis, formulating research questions, methodology, and contributions to knowledge. She noted, “To craft a successful research proposal, you need to carefully consider the topic, identify gaps in the literature, develop research questions, methodology, theoretical framework, significance, and contributions to knowledge.”

During the session, Dr. Soma also shared key tips for creating effective research proposals, emphasizing clarity and simplicity for ease of understanding. She added, “There are four key recommendations for developing a strong research proposal: first, have someone you trust review it; second, read widely and be thorough in your literature review; third, read your proposal aloud; and fourth, ensure others can comprehend the significance of your research.”

In addition to the workshop, Dr. Soma delivered a second presentation on “Evaluating Food Waste Awareness Campaigns: Motivation, Opportunity, Ability Framework.” Representatives from various organizations, including the Bogor City Development Planning Agency (Bappeda) and the Indonesian Food Service Association, attended this event.

Dr. Sofyan Sjaf, Dean of Fema IPB University, expressed his hope that through this program, participants would gain global insights on addressing food waste. He remarked, “We hope that this event allows the guest speaker to share her global perspective on food waste management. Additionally, we trust this initiative will be beneficial in effectively addressing food waste issues.”

As part of the Visiting Professor Program, Dr. Soma also delivered guest lectures for courses on Food and Nutrition Security Systems, Advanced Research Methods in Nutrition, and Food and Nutrition Planning. One of the interesting topics she presented was on *Photovoice Methodology*, a method relevant to Agri-Food System Research.

(*/LP; AHM)