For the past three years, "Snacks 4 Education," a team of high school students from Fort Wayne, Indiana, has been studying the effects of healthy snacks on school children. In 2008, the team's project placed first for their grade level in a national science competition, sponsored by the U.S. Army, called eCybermission.

The students conducted three experiments and worked with 11 different classes, including at least one class in each of grades one through six. Each experiment was conducted, alternating weeks with snacks and weeks without, while giving the children a weekly survey to learn how the snacks were affecting them.

In one experiment, the team divided those students who received a snack at their daily low-energy time and those who did not. The team observed that, while almost all benefited, those who were receiving the snack at their low-energy time benefited from increased energy, concentration, and alertness.

Snacks 4 Education's study has been added to the Congressional Record and is recognized and supported by Indiana's Senator Richard Lugar. It has also been recognized and is supported by the Indiana State Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and has moved on to be discussed at the National level.

If you have questions or would like more information on the study, please contact Darcy Whitney (a member of the team) at dwhitneybeliever@gmail.com, Larry Lesh (the team's advisor) at teacherlesh@comcast.net, or Rebecca Larson (Georgia Southern University and a mentor of the team) at rebeccalarson@georgiasouthern.edu.