Friedman students always reach beyond the classroom to make an impact at the school and in the community, both locally and globally. These are some of the current and past activities built by students.
Student Council
The purpose of the Friedman Student Council is to serve as a liaison between the graduate student body and the faculty and administration of the Friedman School.
The Friedman Student Council aims to:
- Represent and voice the interests, ideas, and concerns of the Friedman student body to the faculty, administration, alumni, and various other entities of the Tufts University Community, including the board of overseers, trustees, and other graduate student organizations.
- Ensure the active involvement and participation of the student body in fostering a more cohesive community within the Friedman School.
- Facilitate the exchange of information regarding strengthening academic quality, funding opportunities, and student facilities and services to ensure the overall welfare of the student body.
- Coordinate the funding and organization of student social, intellectual and professional events.
Learn More About Student Council
Friedman Student Alliance for Social Justice & Racial Equity
The Friedman Student Alliance for Social Justice & Racial Equity organization is a means to a more systemic, intentional and sustainable effort at the Friedman School to address issues of diverse representation within the student body, staff and faculty. We also focus on how the Friedman community can better address issues of discrimination and oppression (especially within the food system) in its teachings, research and programs. Short Term Goals
- Educate the Friedman School community on inequity in the food system
- Organize learning opportunities for faculty, staff and students
- Enhance the diversity of speakers invited to Friedman School events
Long Term Goals
- Ensure Friedman School graduates are proficient in understanding the impacts of discrimination on the food system and are aware of principles of cultural competence
- Partner with the Friedman administration to increase diversity in the student body, faculty, and administration
- Create a sustained dialogue about food system social justice issues in school-based programming
Service Scholars at Friedman
Service Scholars is a student-led organization that welcomes those who have a passion for community service and engagement. Our members include Friedman students who have served or are currently serving in Americorps, the U.S. Peace Corps, or the military; those who have volunteer experience; and those with no service background (yet!) who simply want to give back to the community. Service Scholars members have volunteered with local organizations and helped organize several initiatives around campus, and we are always open to new ideas about how we can serve the community!
Jumbo's Kitchen by Tufts
The mission of Jumbo’s Kitchen by Tufts is to promote an understanding of nutrition, introduce basic cooking skills, and empower kids to make healthy snacks with a focus on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Additionally, JK provides an opportunity for Tufts Health Science Students to apply nutrition skills and knowledge learned in the classroom to a real-world environment and gain experience working with children in the surrounding community.
JK works to build a relationship between Tufts and underserved communities of Boston, in line with the school’s mission of education and dissemination of information.
Slow Food Tufts
Through its understanding of gastronomy with relation to politics, agriculture and the environment, Slow Food Tufts seeks to become an active player in agriculture, ecology, and local cuisine. Slow Food Tufts links pleasure and food with awareness and responsibility. Slow Food Tufts activities seek to defend biodiversity in our food supply, spread the education of taste, and link producers of excellent foods to consumers through events and initiatives.
The Friedman Sprout
The Friedman Sprout was a monthly student-run newspaper that served the student population at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, prospective students, and alumni. The goal of the Friedman Sprout was to act as an educational tool for the students who chose to write for the paper or to read the paper. As an educational tool they accepted writing on a wide range of topics pertinent to the various aspects of nutrition, health, and overall well-being. The newspaper accepted submissions from all Friedman students; whether writing talents were in news articles, research articles, or opinion pieces. We encouraged students to develop research and writing skills through their contributions and editing of the newspaper.
A secondary goal of the Friedman Sprout was not only to be both an educational tool for current students but also a method of communication to link alumni, first year students, second year students, and prospective students, as well as between each of the five concentrations at the Friedman School. The newspaper had regular, monthly columns highlighting alumni achievements, policy updates, nutrition research, and campus-wide events, which appealed to all students regardless of program or year as well as alumni and prospective students.
The Tufts Food System Planning Coalition
The Tufts Food System Planning Coalition (established 2009) is a group of graduate students from the Friedman School of Nutrition and the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning. We are collaborating to bring awareness to Tufts about the food system as an essential network that deserves attention by planners and the role of planning in bringing healthy food to all communities.
We promote:
- Opportunities for collaboration between the two departments
- Opportunities to share knowledge among students interested or learning about food systems
- Support for students pursuing an academic path in food systems
- Opportunities to socialize while pursuing our common interests in the food system
Subscribe to our listserv to receive notifications of upcoming meetings and events.
Dig In! Nutrition Education (DINE) program
The Agriculture, Food and Environment Program has embraced the school garden movement and partnered with the Josiah Quincy Elementary School, a public school here in Chinatown, to explore the benefits of garden-based learning. While the program is directed by AFE students, any Friedman student volunteer is welcome. Students implement a series of seven, interactive garden and nutrition-based lessons for all 125 third graders at the Quincy School.
The AFE-Quincy partnership provides Friedman students a chance to gain experience in garden-based instruction and contribute to their community. Ultimately, the partnership hopes to contribute knowledge about the value of school gardens as well as design a curriculum guide geared to the needs of Massachusetts school teachers.
Friedman Garden
Established in spring of 2009, the garden was included as part of the development of a new green space on the Tufts’ Health Sciences campus in downtown Boston. The Friedman garden was first and foremost a learning space for the Friedman Community. It was intended to aid interested students, faculty and staff in learning how to grow food in an urban environment. In its public location, it adds beauty to the neighborhood and serves as a demonstration for residents and passers-by of urban growing.
Friedman Food Policy Action Council
The Friedman Food Policy Action Council (FFPAC) is a student run organization that works to advance evidence-based nutrition and agricultural policies in support of public and environmental health. We drive this mission forward by equipping students with the skills and relationships necessary to impact policy through advocacy.