Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Ph.D., R.D., FAND, received her doctorate from Pennsylvania State University. Currently, she is Professor in the Nutritional Sciences Department at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She teaches a wide range of undergraduate and graduate nutrition courses. Her research interests focus on investigating environmental factors that affect dietary choices and health outcomes. Dr. Byrd-Bredbenner has authored numerous nutrition texts, journal articles, and computer software packages. She has received teaching awards from the American Dietetic Association (now called the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics), Society for Nutrition Education, and U.S. Department of Agriculture. She was the recipient of the American Dietetic Association s Anita Owen Award for Innovative Nutrition Education Programs. She also was a Fellow of the United Nations, World Health Organization at the WHO Collaborating Center for Nutrition Education, University of Athens, Greece. She enjoys exploring food and culinary customs, traveling, diving, and gardening.