About Me
My interest in the field of nutrition began at a young age when my family and I began making lifestyle changes to address our health. The small changes we made had dramatic positive effects on our mental, physical, and psychosocial well-being. I was personally struck by the direct impact preventative care can have on total well-being. This understanding ultimately led me to pursue a Master’s degree in Human Nutrition from Texas State University. My personal goal was to help create healthier generations through nutrition education. Through my work as a senior lecturer, graduate, thesis student, and graduate assistant of Texas State University’s Master’s in Human Nutrition program, this goal has deepened, and I have come to firmly believe in the value of evidence-based instruction, innovative research, and service learning as a avenue for nutrition education. It is my goal to make a positive impact on the world through educating, counseling, and fostering nutrition literacy within communities.
UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE
Senior Lecturer
2019 - present
Nutrition and Foods
Family & Consumer Sciences
Texas State University
Instructing in Nutrition Science, Nutrition Research Methodology, and Career Exploration courses for undergraduate major and non-major students.
-
Maintain teaching load for over 450 students.
-
Assess, record and communicate student progress.
-
Organize learning resources to facilitate an interactive and positive learning experience.
-
Identify collective learning needs - plan, prepare and deliver instruction designed to capture interest and maximize individual learning.
Lecturer
2018 - present
Nutrition and Foods
Family & Consumer Sciences
Texas State University
Instructed introductory Nutrition Science course for undergraduate major and non-major students.
-
Assessed, recorded and communicated student progress.
-
Organized learning resources to facilitate an interactive and positive learning experience.
-
Identified collective learning needs and planned, prepared and delivered instruction designed to capture interest and maximize individual learning.
Luxton Research Fellow
2017 - 2018
Texas State University
Research Fellow under the Direction of Dr. Sylvia Crixell.
-
Conducted research pertaining to WellCats, Texas State's employee wellness program, as part of a thesis project to improve the food environment at Texas State
-
Managed a research team of three undergraduate assistants
-
Organized research literature
-
Collected and reviewed data from focus groups
-
Performed statistical analysis on survey data collected from university employees
-
Analyzed food receipt records
-
Presented research findings, and collaborated on manuscript writing for publication
Graduate Research Assistant
2017-2018
Texas State University
Click Here to Watch a Video of My Graduate Experience
Graduate Research Assistant for WellCats, Texas State’s Employee Wellness Program, working under the direction of Dr. Sylvia Crixell.
-
Coordinated and planned nutrition related services pertaining to WellCats program offerings
-
Included: monthly cooking classes for Texas State employees, creating and presenting presentations on a variety of nutrition topics, providing one-on-one nutrition consultations for employees, managing WellCats social media presence, and writing blogs for WellCats e-newsletters
-
Conducted research pertaining to WellCats as listed above
Certifications
Certified Walk with Ease Instructor, Arthritis Foundation, 2018
Certified NEMS Rater, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2018
BLS Provider, American Heart Association, 2018
ServSafe Certification, National Restaurant Association, 2018
Awards and Honors
Luxton Fellowship Recipient, Texas State University 2017-2018
Outstanding Graduate Student Award, College of Applied Arts 2018
Outstanding Graduate Student Award, Family and Consumer Sciences 2018
Professional
Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Member
Austin Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Member
Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior, Member
EDUCATION
Master of Science
Human Nutrition
Texas State University
2018
Title of Thesis: Building a Workplace Culture of Health in a University Setting: Improving the Food Environment at Meetings and Events
Bachelor of Arts
English
The University of Texas at Austin
2007
PUBLICATIONS
Refereed Journal Articles
Sherman B, Hernandez A, Alhado M, Menge L, Price R. Silibinin Differentially Decreases the Aggressive Cancer Phenotype in an In Vitro Model of Obesity and Prostate Cancer. Nutrition and Cancer. 2019. DOI: 10.1080/01635581.2019.1633363
Menge L, Hu Y, Crixell S, Lloyd L, Bezner J, Burke T. Influences on Catered Event Ordering in a University Workplace: Development and Validation of the Understanding Food Ordering (UFO) Survey. American Journal of Health Promotion. Accepted for Publication 1-4. [IF 2.586] DOI: 10.1177/0890117118807217 (http://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/JzHVUNpHAqb2eXXw7dKc/full)
Abstracts
Crixell S, Menge L, Oliver J. Perspectives and Assessment of the Catered Food Environment at a University. American Society for Nutrition Annual Conference. Baltimore, MD June 2019. (Submitted 2019)
Menge L, Ziesemer B, Moser J, Gomez I. Bobcat Bounty: Evaluation of the Volunteer Experience with a Student-Run Campus Food Pantry. Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Annual Conference. Dallas, TX. April 2019. (Accepted 2019)
Menge L, Crixell S, Oliver J. Catered Food at the Workplace: Feedback and Nutrition Knowledge of Those Who Order. Health Scholar Showcase. Texas State University. February 2019.
Menge L, Crixell S, Hu Y, Lloyd L, Bezner J, Oliver JR. Policies and Other Influences on Food-Ordering Decisions for Catered Events in a University Workplace. Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN, July 2018. (https://www.jneb.org/article/S1499-4046(18)30378-6/pdf)
Rambo L, Crixell S, Lloyd L, Bezner J. Nutrition education in a university wellness program FASEB J. April 2017 31:640.29
Nix, H., Martin, R., Rambo, L., & Price, R. Silibinin Reduces the Impact of Obesity on Invasive Liver Cancer. American Institute for Cancer Research Annual Conference. Bethesda, MD, November 2016.
Research Presented at Professional Meetings
Crixell S, Menge L, Oliver J. Perspectives and Assessment of the Catered Food Environment at a University. American Society for Nutrition Annual Conference. Baltimore, MD June 2019. (Submitted 2019)
Menge L, Ziesemer B, Moser J, Gomez I. Bobcat Bounty: Evaluation of the Volunteer Experience with a Student-Run Campus Food Pantry. Dallas, TX. April 2019. (Accepted 2019)
Menge L, Crixell S, Oliver J. Catered Food at the Workplace: Feedback and Nutrition Knowledge of Those Who Order. Health Scholar Showcase. Texas State University. February 2019.
Menge L, Crixell S, Hu Y, Lloyd L, Bezner J, Oliver J. Policies and Influences on Food-Ordering for Catered Events in a University Workplace. FCS Research & Creative Scholarship Showcase, Texas State University, October 2018.
Menge L, Crixell S, Hu Y, Lloyd L, Bezner J, Oliver J. Policies and Other Influences on Food-Ordering Decisions for Catered Events in a University Workplace. Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN, July 2018. (https://www.jneb.org/article/S1499-4046(18)30378-6/pdf)
Crixell S, Lloyd L, Bezner J, Hu Y, Burke T, Menge L, Oliver J. Food and Drinks at University Events for Faculty and Staff. Health Scholar Showcase, Texas State University, February 2018.
Menge L Rambo, Oliver J, Crixell S. What Food is Offered at University Events and Meetings? Texas State Nutrition Food Day, November 2017.
Menge L Rambo, Crixell S, Lloyd L, Bezner J. Nutrition Education in a University Wellness Program. Societies for Experimental Biology Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL FASEB J. April 2017 31:640.29