User:Grouplovelace/sandbox

Personal life
Tepper never initially planned to be a scientist. It was during her high school years when she wondered what career path she would take. She knew for a fact, however, what she was good at, and that was biology. Her interest in science was sparked by a school project which involved a trip to the local zoo. Tepper really enjoyed collecting and interpreting data and sharing the results. This also made her feel as though she was doing something important and productive. Eventually Tepper pursued her interest in science at Northeastern University in Boston, majoring in Biology as an undergraduate.

During this time, Tepper worked in several clinical laboratories while participating in a 5-year co-op program. Shortly after, she became a research assistant at Harvard Medical School. It was during this time that Tepper focused in on her career in food science. Her attention was grabbed at a seminar on the effect of nutrition in the brain. With this, she went on to graduate school at Tufts where she received her Ph.D. in 1986. She continued her education with a postdoctoral fellowship at Monell Chemical Sense Center in Philadelphia. Here, Tepper was exposed to research in humans and narrowed in on social science and psychology of eating. In 1989, Tepper got the job at Rutgers in Sensory Science.

Education
Tepper never initially planned to be a scientist. It was during her high school years when she wondered what career path she would take. She knew for a fact, however, what she was good at, and that was biology. Her interest in science was sparked by a school project which involved a trip to the local zoo. Tepper really enjoyed collecting and interpreting data and sharing the results. This also made her feel as though she was doing something important and productive. Eventually Tepper pursued her interest in science at Northeastern University in Boston, majoring in Biology as an undergraduate. During this time, Tepper worked in several clinical laboratories while participating in a 5-year co-op program. Shortly after, she became a research assistant at Harvard Medical School. It was during this time that Tepper focused in on her career in food science. Her attention was grabbed at a seminar on the effect of nutrition in the brain. With this, she went on to graduate school at Tufts where she received her Ph.D. in 1986. She continued her education with a postdoctoral fellowship at Monell Chemical Sense Center in Philadelphia. Here, Tepper was exposed to research in humans and narrowed in on social science and psychology of eating. In 1989, Tepper got the job at Rutgers in Sensory Science.

Professional Life
Tepper is currently a professor at Rutgers University where she teaches two undergraduate courses; Sensory Evaluation of Food, and Food Science and Food Law. She also teaches two graduate courses; Advanced Food Sensory Science, and Fundamentals II, Food Biology. Tepper became the director of the Sensory Evaluation Laboratory at Rutgers. She focuses on research concerning nutritional science and psychology with genetic taste perception. This leads to a better understanding of the links between flavor, diet, and health. Tepper works with a compound called 6-n-propylthiouracil(PROP), a chemical that tastes extremely bitter to some people, but some others find it tasteless. This research checks the link between the taste of food, in this case bitter taste, and obesity. Some of her other research on eating habits include:

“Sensing fat: Are genes that alter the perception of fat making us fat?”

“Blue-Ribbon Hunter – Are You a Supertaster? (video)”

“The role of salivary proteins in sensory perception and oral health.”

Publications
1.	Kirkmeyer SV, Tepper BJ. Understanding creaminess perception in dairy products using free-choice profiling and genetic responsivity to 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP). Chemical Senses, 2003: 28; 527-536

2.	Bell KI, Tepper BJ. Short-term vegetable intake by young children classified by 6-n-propylthoiuracil (PROP) bitter taste phenotype. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2006: 84; 245-251

3.	Tepper BJ. Nutritional implications of genetic taste variation: the role of PROP sensitivity and other taste phenotypes. Annual Review of Nutrition. 2008:28;367-88 (review)

4.	Tepper BJ, Koelliker Y, Zhao L, Ullrich NV, Lanzara C, d’Adamo P, Ferrara A, Ulivi S, Esposito L, Gasparini P. Variation in the bitter-taste receptor gene TAS2R38 and adiposity in a genetically-isolated population in Southern Italy. Obesity, 2008:16; 2289-2295.

5.	Tepper BJ, White EA, Koelliker Y, Lanzara C, d’Adamo P, Gasparini P. Genetic variation in taste sensitivity to 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) and its relationship to taste perception and food selection. Annals NY Academy of Sciences 2009:1170; 126-139 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.03916.x.

6.	Calò C, Padiglia A, Zonza A, Corrias L, Contu P, Tepper BJ, Tomassini Barbarossa I. Polymorphisms in TAS2R38 and the taste bud trophic factor, gustin gene co-operate in modulating PROP taste phenotype. Physiology & Behavior 2011: 104; 1065-71

7.	Cabras T, Melis M, Castagnola M,Tepper BJ,Messana S, Barbarossa IT. Specific salivary basic proline-rich proteins influence sensitivity to 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) in humans. PLoS One 2012:7;e30962

8.	Melis M, Atzori E, Cabras S, Zonza A, Calò MC, Muroni P, Nieddu M, Padiglia A, Sogos V, Tepper BJ, Barbarossa IT. A gustin gene polymorphism as a mechanistic link between PROP tasting and taste papilla density and morphology. PLoS One 2013: 8(9);e74151. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074151.

9.	Shafaie Y, Koelliker Y, Hoffman DJ, Tepper BJ. Energy intake and diet selection during buffet feeding in women classified by the 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) bitter taste phenotype. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2013: 98(6); 1583-91

10.	Robino A, Mezzavilla M, Pirastu N, Dognini M, Tepper BJ, Gasparini P. A population-based approach to study the impact of PROP perception on food liking in populations along the Silk Road. PLoS One. 2014: 9(3):e91716. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091716

11.	Tepper BJ, Banni S, Melis M, Crnjar R, Tomassini Barbarossa I. Genetic sensitivity to the bitter taste of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) and its association with physiological mechanisms controlling body mass index. Nutrients 2014: 6(9); 3363-3381 (Review)

Recent Presentations

1.	Tepper BJ, Koelliker Y, Mei J, Green C. Perceptual mapping of cooling ingredients – the role of ethnic, biological and product-use variables. Association for Chemoreception Sciences Tampa, FL, 2010.

2.	Tepper BJ. Genetic taste markers for fat intake and obesity. Presidential Symposium on Physiology and Genetics of Obesity: Molecular Discovery and Translational Research, American Physiological Society, Experimental Biology Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., 2011.

3.	Kuang, L, Tepper BJ, Cuite C, Hallman, WH. Sensory acceptability and willingness to buy foods with naontechnology benefits – A preliminary report. Institute of Food Technologists, New Orleans, LA, 2011.

4.	Keller KL, Liang LCH, McLean J, May D, VanBelle C, Breen CL, Driggin E, Tepper BJ, Lanzano PC, Deng L, Chung WK. Common variants in the CD36 gene are associated with reported fat preferences and obesity in African-Americans. Experimental Biology Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., 2011.

5.	Tepper BJ. Bitter taste of 6-n-propylthiouracil: A genetic marker for food choice with implication for obesity. Research Symposium on the Science of Flavor: Preferences, Palette, & Perception. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, 2012.

6.	Donovan JD, Kuang L, Keller KL, Tepper BJ. Development of a brief fat discrimination task for consumer testing and other population-based studies. Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, NV, 2012.

7.	Su X, Tepper BJ, Green C. The perception of novel cooling ingredients varies with ethnicity and prior experience. Association for Chemoreception Sci. Huntington Beach CA, 2013.

8.	Tepper BJ. Taste genetics and food choice: Can lessons learned in the taste laboratory translate to everyday eating? Symposium on Recent Advances in Taste Physiology, Institute of Food Technologists, Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, 2014.

9.	Jin L, Haviland-Jones J, Simon JE, Tepper BJ. Influence of odor intensity and mood on hedonic reactions to aroma compounds in a multi-ethnic sample of young adults: A preliminary report. Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, 2014.

10.	Understanding consumer choice and eating behavior: genes, culture and personality. Symposium on Consumer Behavior and Sensory Evaluation – Development of New Sensory Methodologies, 17th World Congress on Food Science and Technology, International Union of Food Science & Technology, Montreal, Canada, 2014.

Grants and Awards

 * NIH – R01 DC04702 – Taste and Endocrine Factors in Women with Gestational Diabetes (B. Tepper, P.I.), 2002-2006.  NJ Commission on Science and Technology – Foods Fortified With Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Health Benefits in Ulcerative Colitis (G. Ghai, P.I.), 2002-2004.    McNeil Nutritionals Worldwide, New Brunswick, NJ (B. Tepper, P.I.). Sensory Perception of Sucralose in Soft Drinks: A Multidimensional Approach, 2002-200.3      Redpoint Bio (formerly Linguagen Corp). Cranbury, NJ (B. Tepper, P.I.) Adenosine 5’ Monophosphate (AMP) as a Bitter Blocker: Human Perception and Genetic Taste Variation, 2003-2005.  National Cancer Institute – R01 CA116766 - PROP Sensitivity and Obesity Among Ethnic Children. Co-PI with T. Baranowski, Baylor College of Medicine, 2005-2009.   Takasago International Corp., Rockleigh, NJ (B. Tepper, P.I.) – Sensory Perception of “Sensate” Flavor Enhancers, 2006-2012.  American Heart Association, Founder Affiliate – Bitter Taste Phenotype, Diet Variety and Obesity in Women (Tepper-PI, Hoffman-Co-I), 2008-2011.  Seminis Seed, Monsanto Corp. Master Agreement with Rutgers NJ Agricultural Experiment Station. Assessing Seminis Market Tomato Genotypes for Flavor Components and Culinary Preference (Rabin – PI, Tepper Co-I), 2008-2009.  USDA, NRI Competitive Grants Program, Nanoscale Science and Engineering for Agriculture and Food Systems, “Nanotechnology: Understanding the Parameters of Consumer Acceptance” (Hallman, W. – PI; Tepper – Co-I), 2009-2010.   American Heart Association, Founder Affiliate – Bitter Taste Phenotype as an Adjunct to Behavioral Weight Loss Therapy in Women (Tepper-PI), 2012-2015.    NSF-11P136954 - NSF Industrial/University Cooperative Research Center Planning Grant: Planning Workshop in the Sensory Sciences (Tepper-PI), 2014-2015.