Science of Eating & Drinking

We all eat and drink, but how much do we know about the science of eating and drinking? UMD’s Swenson College of Science & Engineering (SCSE) is hosting a “Science on Tap” event on Thursday, March 30 to share some interesting and fun facts about food and beverages. The free event takes place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Clyde Iron Works and people of all ages are welcome to attend.

The night will feature a variety of demonstrations and hands-on activities. Because the event is in the bar area of Clyde Iron Works, it is geared mainly towards an adult audience. SCSE Outreach Specialist Charity Rupp is the event organizer. Rupp said, “We held our first Science on Tap event at Bent Paddle Brewing last fall and had a huge turnout, so we’re hoping for that again. It was exciting to see so many people socializing while learning about science and really getting into the activities.”

UMD professors, staff and students are delivering the activities along with one from Northern Waters Smokehaus on the science of dry curing meats. For example, there will be demonstrations on the genetics of tasting, how to make ice cream with liquid nitrogen, the role of fermentation in early societies and spherification reactions or how to make soda pop caviar.

Participants can come anytime during the two hour event to visit the different stations and join in the activities. Rupp added, “We do a lot of STEM programming to inspire youth, but this is our opportunity to encourage life-long STEM learning with adults, too.” More information about this and other public events can be found on the SCSE website.

Swenson College has 3,275 undergraduates and 220 graduate students and is home to ten academic departments, as well as the Large Lakes Observatory, the UMD Air Force ROTC program, and the Iron Range Engineering program. SCSE connects students with hands-on research opportunities through its collaboration with multiple research institutions and area businesses. To learn more, visit: http://www.d.umn.edu/scse/.