Dear FNES Family,

Returning to Columbia brings back many memories. It was a fresh morning on August 6, 1990, when I first set foot in Columbia Regional Airport. Now it’s 2023, and I am honored and thrilled to join the Division of Food, Nutrition & Exercise Sciences (FNES) – a unique venture with two distinguished programs, Food Science, and Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, supported by both College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and School of Medicine.

Imagining the future of FNES brings butterflies to my stomach. With synergistic collaboration, FNES will have opportunities to lead and advance public health where food, nutrition, exercise, and healthcare are intertwined. As we move forward, we will together learn to teach, seek to discover, and engage with each other to improve health and quality of life.

While I look forward to learning and growing alongside all of you to build upon the successes of the FNES program, I encourage you to reach out to me and any of the faculty if we can help in any way.

Wishing you all a great semester,

Dojin (DJ) Ryu
Director, Division of Food, Nutrition & Exercise Sciences
Chair, Department Nutrition and Exercise Physiology