Come join Keystone Science School on October 7 for another fun day of learning, tasting, testing, and exploring the chemistry and science behind the foods we eat.
Do you know where your food comes from or how it’s made? Without the help of food scientists, food technologists, chemical engineers, and food flavorists, we would not have the food the US and the world relies on to survive. Without food science, there would be no way to keep fruits and vegetables fresh, food would look and taste bad, food would cost a lot of money, food would be unsafe to eat, and there would not be enough food to support everyone. Food scientists are responsible for developing safe, nutritious, and tasty foods and innovative food packaging.
Clearly, food scientists make a huge difference. In fact, many different careers and areas in STEM can be applied to food science and technology. For instance, a chemical engineer can create new ways to process and package food. While a food scientist could work at NASA to develop ways to keep food fresh for NASA’s five-year mission to Mars. In addition, a food technologist could innovate the meat industry by finding a way to grow cow meat in a laboratory.
Although there are many opportunities to work in food science, this field of food science and other STEM degrees (chemistry, engineering, food science and technology) are still male-dominated. Therefore, Keystone Science School Girls in STEM programs aim to inspire leadership and encourage confidence in girls through STEM interests. The program will incorporate the engineering, design, and scientific processes into interactive, engaging, food-related activities, while promoting growth mindset. Furthermore, the participants will have the opportunity to collaborate with students of different ages and grades.
“More men work in these careers, but if you persevere women can also do it” -Girls in STEM Student from our Tech Retreat 2016
“I can do almost anything if I put my mind to it, and that a lot of the things I want to do are part of engineering.” -5th Grade female student participant in February 2017 program.
“It is helpful to get input from a lot of people because they may have a great idea that you did not think of. I also learned about some cool careers.” – 5th Grade Girls in STEM Participant
Girls in STEM: Fascinating Food will feature different aspects of food science for girls in third grade to eighth grade with the help of Keystone Science School professional instructors and volunteers from the community. The girls will spend the day preforming many different experiments, such as food spherification, cheese emulsifiers, and solar ovens. The program will take place on October 7, 2017 from 10 am-5pm. It costs $25 for the day and scholarships are available. To register or to volunteer for this program please go to http://tinyurl.com/KSSGirlsinSTEM.
