Ruth O'Brien Project Grant

The American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) Ruth O’Brien Project Grant was established in 1972 through a bequest from Ruth O’Brien, who served as assistant chief of the Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economics in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Ruth O’Brien Grant supports research and development in family and consumer sciences (FCS). The grant’s objectives are to: 
  • assist members of the FCS profession to develop and use their full potential to serve society;  
  • provide support for education, study, and scientific research in fields relating to FCS;  
  • develop leaders within the field of FCS; or 
  • improve the usefulness and effectiveness of FCS in all its aspects. 
Funding is available for projects that help fulfill these objectives and are in accordance with the goals of the Association and the FCS profession.  Proposals for the Ruth O’Brien Project Grant must be innovative in nature. Proposals may be submitted for applied/action/basic research, community service, student programs, educational material development, leadership conferences, educational seminars, program model development, or other projects that contribute to the knowledge base of developments in FCS.

2025 Recipients

The project selected for funding in 2025 is “Utilizing AI-Generated Recipes in a College Food Pantry in Central Arkansas.” 

Kathryn Carroll, CFCS, CPFFE 

The project selected for funding in 2025 is “Utilizing AI-Generated Recipes in a College Food Pantry in Central Arkansas.”  The project directors are Kathryn Carroll, CFCS, CPFFE, and Rebekah Luong, CFCS from University of Central Arkansas (UCA). Dr. Carroll is an Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director at UCA. 

The proposed project begins July 1 and is designed to investigate the potential benefits of AI-generated healthy recipes in client-choice food pantries, specifically focusing on helping clients better utilize available items. Using a framed field experiment with clients on a college campus in Central Arkansas, the proposed study will examine whether providing health-oriented AI-generated recipes for in-stock items results in a larger volume of food being selected; increased client satisfaction; and differences in the types of food selected. 

Rebekah Luong, CFCS 

The project selected for funding in 2025 is “Utilizing AI-Generated Recipes in a College Food Pantry in Central Arkansas.”  The project directors are Kathryn Carroll, CFCS, CPFFE, and Rebekah Luong, CFCS from University of Central Arkansas (UCA). Ms. Luong serves as Interim Department Chair and FCS Program Director in the Department of Nutrition and Family Sciences at UCA.

The proposed project begins July 1 and is designed to investigate the potential benefits of AI-generated healthy recipes in client-choice food pantries, specifically focusing on helping clients better utilize available items.  Using a framed field experiment with clients on a college campus in Central Arkansas, the proposed study will examine whether providing health-oriented AI-generated recipes for in-stock items results in a larger volume of food being selected; increased client satisfaction; and differences in the types of food selected. 

Guidelines and Application

Applications Closed