By: Emily Wolter
Any time you see that many lab coats, you know something scientific must be going on! This time, it’s the food science club at the University of Massachusetts Amherst sharing their knowledge and skills with high school students in an annual event dubbed “Science Quest”. The students come to the university to learn about food science in a very tangible way. This is a great way to introduce students to the option of food science as a major early on in their educational journey.
UMASS Food Science Students also volunteer their time at the local soup kitchen in an event called “Not Bread Alone”. The students not only help to prepare food, but also take time to eat with the less fortunate and listen to their stories.
In addition to philanthropic events, the club has had some social activities to bring them together as a club. During their Halloween event, they decorated cupcakes, made candy apples, and had a doughnut-eating contest.
Lastly, the club hosted a Maple Candy Event. During this time they created a number of candies, such as taffy, soft candy, and hard candy. Dennis Chu, UMASS club member, said “We had fun learning some science behind maple syrup and maple candies.”
If you could tell a high school student why they should major in food science in just 1 sentence, what would you say?
I would say “take food science because whenever you hear people saying there won’t be any jobs when you graduate college, you won’t have to worry”.