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Names in the News
Car Mun Kok joined UC Cooperative Extension on Jan. 11 as an area 4-H Youth Development advisor in Mendocino and Lake counties. Her research focuses on the influence of family on children and youths' development of healthy dietary behaviors. For her dissertation, she explored the role of parental socialization during family mealtimes on youths' attitudes and behaviors regarding food and eating.
Prior to joining UCCE, Kok had been a graduate research and teaching assistant since 2009 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she worked on various research projects with faculty. These included programs for children and youth in Nebraska in various fields of STEM, healthy living, and positive youth development. Her work included the ‘Eat 4-Health' Healthy Living Workshop, the ‘Grow a Beautiful Space' 4-H Youth Development Program, the ‘Seeing i2i' cultural competence curriculum, and the Big Classroom Day at the Nebraska State Fair. Kok, who is fluent in Malay and Cantonese, also studied nutrition education in childcare settings. With other Cooperative Extension professionals, she developed, implemented and evaluated nutrition education programs for children and developed evidence-based resources for childcare providers.
She earned her B.A. in psychology, M.S. in child, youth, and family studies, and Ph.D. in human sciences from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Kok is based in Lakeport and can be reached at (707) 263-6838 and cmkok@ucanr.edu.
Steven Worker, the California 4-H Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) coordinator, will become the UCCE area 4-H advisor in Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties on May 2.
Since 2009, Worker has coordinated statewide professional development, program planning, evaluation, and curriculum development efforts to increase the science, engineering, and technology literacy of California's youth. His work has focused on strengthening 4-H STEM programs using inquiry-based, experiential education in the context of positive youth development.
Worker joined ANR in 2001 as a state 4-H program representative coordinating adolescent leadership, recognition and technology programs. In 2006, he was honored with an Achievement in Service Award from the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents. He has co-authored 4-H curricula, including Junk Drawer Robotics, There's No New Water! and iThrive 3: Leadership, Science and Me!
Worker is a Ph.D. candidate at the UC Davis School of Education, studying youth learning in design-based projects in informal and out-of-school environments. He earned his M.S. in community development from UC Davis, a B.S. in computer science from California Polytechnic State University, and an A.A. in liberal arts from Allan Hancock College.
He can currently be reached in Davis at (530) 750-1341 and smworker@ucanr.edu. After May 2, Worker will be based in Novato and reachable at the same email address.
NIFA recognizes UC EFNEP
UC ANR's Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program was recognized with a Certificate of Appreciation from USDA NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy for being one of two land grant universities out of 76 that submitted the EFNEP five-year plan (July 2015), EFNEP Budget (Nov 2015) and Annual WebNEERs Data (Nov 2015) on time and all three documents accepted without needing revision. The certificate was presented on March 16 at the EFNEP National Conference in Washington, D.C.
“This is a huge accomplishment for our Statewide EFNEP program, EFNEP State Office staff and especially for our UCCE county advisors and staff who helped make it possible by getting the information that we needed to us in time,” said Katie Panarella, associate director of Nutrition, Family and Consumer Sciences Program & Policy.
To show how work at every level ensures the continued success of the EFNEP program, Nutrition, Family and Consumer Science advisors and supervisors who oversee EFNEP were acknowledged on March 30 at UC ANR's EFNEP advisors and supervisors meeting in Davis.
