Food Science and Human Nutrition Graduate Student Association
About the FSHN Graduate Student Association (GSA)
Formally established in Fall 2021, the FSHN GSA is a registered student organization (RSO) within the FSHN department. The RSO is primarily composed of current graduate students in the department, but also supports undergraduate Food Science, Human Nutrition, and Dietetics majors, as well as undergraduate and graduate research assistants who are conducting research in FSHN laboratories.
The main goals of the FSHN GSA are to:
- Provide support for academic success of graduate student members
- Address the need for a social sphere in the department
- Promote professional growth of all members, including undergraduate students
Have a question? Please contact us at: rso.fshngsa@msu.edu
FSHN GSA Executive Board
The FSHN GSA annually elects graduate student members to serve on the executive board. If you are interested in obtaining leadership experience or diversifying your CV, please consider contacting the GSA to obtain more information about applying to serve on the FSHN GSA Executive Board.
The following members were elected to serve on the board for the 2022-23 academic year:
Natasha Sloniker - Outgoing President
Diana Pacyga - Current President
Maria Kloboves - President Elect
Yawei Lin - Treasurer
Kelsi Morris - Secretary
Vanessa Cardino - Public Relations
Ankita Bhattacharya - External Affairs
Dr. Rita Strakovsky - Faculty Advisor (standing member)
Marcia Hardaker - Staff Advisor (standing member)
Natasha Sloniker
PhD Student in Food Science
sloniker@msu.edu
Diana Pacyga
PhD Student in Human Nutrition and Environmental Toxicology
pacygadi@msu.edu
Maria Kloboves
PhD Student in Human Nutrition and Environmental Toxicology
kloboves@msu.edu
Yawei Lin
MS Student in Food Science
linyawei@msu.edu
Kelsi Morris
PhD student in Human Nutrition and Environmental Toxicology
morrkel@msu.edu
Vanessa Cardino
PhD Student in Human Nutrition
cardinov@msu.edu
Ankita Bhattacharya
PhD Student in Food Science
bhatta59@msu.edu
Rita Strakovsky
Assistant Professor, Maternal Nutrition and Toxicology
strakovs@msu.edu
517-353-3352
Marcia Hardaker
Graduate Secretary
hardake1@msu.edu
517-353-3323
FSHN GSA Services
The FSHN GSA offers several services to FSHN graduate and undergraduate students. First and foremost, the FSHN GSA serves as the welcoming committee to new graduate students and helps individuals get settled into grad life on campus. The FSHN GSA also provides career support to members by sponsoring speakers for the departmental seminar series and serving as liaisons between students, faculty, and staff. To foster a sense of community among students, the FSHN GSA hosts monthly social events throughout the year, as well as attends events supported by MSU’s Graduate School and Council of Graduate Students, as well as those taking place in the East Lansing and Lansing community. Furthermore, the FSHN GSA offers various professional development events, including hosting a writing group and providing opportunities for students to practice their science communication at the Fall Trout Annual Lecture and Spring Awards Ceremony.
The FSHN GSA has some exciting events and opportunities planned for the current academic year, so keep a look out for our emails and follow the LinkedIn page to stay up-to-date.



Monthly Faculty Features
During the Spring 2022 semester, the FSHN GSA started the monthly faculty feature where once a month, members sat down for a Q&A session with Food Science or Human Nutrition faculty members. See below for an example of one of our faculty feature newsletters!
Graduate Student Resources
Question sheet for the seminar series
FSHN GSA email (rso.fshngsa@msu.edu)