40 Hours for the Forty Acres September 2022

Who We Are

The School of Human Ecology seeks to improve quality of life through advancing research that will contribute to health and well-being, and unlocking the potential of our students to promote human health and well-being. We are Science-Based, Human-Focused.

What We're Fundraising For

• We seek to recruit the top graduate students in the world and support their professional development to become leaders in using research to promote human health and well-being. 

• Our experiential learning through internships, student organizations, and study abroad opportunities are transformative experiences for our undergraduates to gain real-life experience in their degree programs. 

• In reviving Gearing Hall we are sustaining a jewel of the forty acres, and re-imagining a 21st century home for our students, faculty, and staff

• Funds for Susie's Kitchen will go towards the operational costs of hosting our summer camps. Behind the scenes, CPD Dietetics students and volunteers pour countless hours into curriculum planning, menu planning, and class demonstrations—all the activities that make Susie's Kitchen so impactful. Our last round of classes sold out, and your support helps us offer Susie's Kitchen to more kids interested in learning about health and wellness from the University of Texas at Austin. 

• The Priscilla Pond Flawn Child and Family Laboratory is leading the translation and application of research to train the next generation and improve human health and well-being.

Your Impact

Impact stories from graduate student scholarship recipients: 

"Scholarships create a bond between the generous donor and the recipient. It is extremely validating and encouraging to know that there is at least one person out there who believes in me and my work.”

"Scholarships communicate with me that the donor(s) believe that I can pay it forward. I feel a great sense of responsibility to do my very best, to not give up, and to keep working hard.”

Impact from the Susie's Kitchen Summer Camps: 

Every donation helps us give more students the opportunity to participate in a fun, educational summer camp to get hands-on experience with food and cooking. Susie's Kitchen is an excellent opportunity for kids to engage with the food and nutrition knowledge they need to grow into healthy adults.

"My child learned so much and had so much fun in Susie's Kitchen cooking camp, from making simple and delicious meals to knife skills to how to clean a kitchen properly. He even learned about relaxation and stretching during they physical activity sessions. He has been inspired to think more about his health and to help in the kitchen, which is amazing!" 

 Priscilla Pond Flawn Child and Family Laboratory: 

"As one of the nation’s oldest university laboratory schools, the Priscilla Pond Flawn Child and Family Laboratory has provided the setting for UT students to learn and apply child development theory in practice – and it has shaped the lives of thousands of local children and their families for over 90 years." 

From study abroad students:

"I started the program not knowing a single person, and I ended with some really great friends and amazing memories. I also ended the program with an acute awareness of how little I know about the world and the people and cultures within it, a feeling that is both scary and exciting. I thought I knew a lot, but I was wrong in the best way." 

Reviving Gearing Hall: 

One of the strongest memories many of our alumni have is of their time in Gearing Hall. In the heart of the forty acres, maintaining our history with updates for 21st-century research and education is our goal.