Hello all, I'm looking for ideas.
In my day job, I am a chemistry professor at a small liberal arts college in Grand Rapids, MI. We require students to take a physical science class with lab; our department offers a non-major's chemistry class (aka "Chemistry for Poets") for them to fulfill this requirement. In the past, I have taught this class as a watered-down version of the standard first semester chemistry class. This is a bad approach. I have found it nearly impossible to teach it so that the majority of students are challenged but not overwhelmed. It's a blow-off class for students who have some background, or it is demoralizing for students who don't. For the second group, the experience reinforces their impression that science sucks, and they suck at science, completely defeating the purpose of the physical science graduation requirement.
I'm planning (Spring semester of 2017) to offer a "Food Chemistry" version of the class. The class will have one 2 hour lab and two 1 hour lectures per week. Each week of the class will be devoted to a principle of chemistry that can be demonstrated though food and cooking. My hope is that scientific ideas can be communicated through food and that students will see that science might not suck. I also hope that the class could spark an interest in cooking as a way to build community, memories, and relationships.
A few current ideas for concepts and activities include:
Controlled Partial Oxidation of Sucrose (caramel making - bonding, valence electrons, chemical reactions)
Denaturation of Egg Proteins (various egg dishes - biochemistry, proteins)
Burning peanuts (thermochemistry, calorimetry, energy, energy units...nothing to eat here but important ideas, IMO)
Thermal energy transfer (sous vide NY Strip.....we can splurge at least once)
For resources I will have both a standard chemistry lab (nothing can be eaten in here) and another room with a sink and electrical supply at each of several tables (our kitchen). I will have some (as yet undefined) budget. I'm planning to buy several butane burners as a heat source and other kitchen supplies. I plan to supplement with equipment from my own kitchen; colleagues have also offered their home equipment for use on occasion, so it would be possible to rustle up several stand mixers, for example. There will likely be six lab groups of four students each. With luck, I will convince the administration that the class should be split into two lab sections....internal politics and costs at work here.... Unfortunately, ovens will not be available.
I'm wondering if you guys have some great ideas for activities and/or other resources that I could use. Any great web resources/videos out there? I have some ideas for texts that might be used, but haven't settled on anything. Any and all feedback welcome.
In my day job, I am a chemistry professor at a small liberal arts college in Grand Rapids, MI. We require students to take a physical science class with lab; our department offers a non-major's chemistry class (aka "Chemistry for Poets") for them to fulfill this requirement. In the past, I have taught this class as a watered-down version of the standard first semester chemistry class. This is a bad approach. I have found it nearly impossible to teach it so that the majority of students are challenged but not overwhelmed. It's a blow-off class for students who have some background, or it is demoralizing for students who don't. For the second group, the experience reinforces their impression that science sucks, and they suck at science, completely defeating the purpose of the physical science graduation requirement.
I'm planning (Spring semester of 2017) to offer a "Food Chemistry" version of the class. The class will have one 2 hour lab and two 1 hour lectures per week. Each week of the class will be devoted to a principle of chemistry that can be demonstrated though food and cooking. My hope is that scientific ideas can be communicated through food and that students will see that science might not suck. I also hope that the class could spark an interest in cooking as a way to build community, memories, and relationships.
A few current ideas for concepts and activities include:
Controlled Partial Oxidation of Sucrose (caramel making - bonding, valence electrons, chemical reactions)
Denaturation of Egg Proteins (various egg dishes - biochemistry, proteins)
Burning peanuts (thermochemistry, calorimetry, energy, energy units...nothing to eat here but important ideas, IMO)
Thermal energy transfer (sous vide NY Strip.....we can splurge at least once)
For resources I will have both a standard chemistry lab (nothing can be eaten in here) and another room with a sink and electrical supply at each of several tables (our kitchen). I will have some (as yet undefined) budget. I'm planning to buy several butane burners as a heat source and other kitchen supplies. I plan to supplement with equipment from my own kitchen; colleagues have also offered their home equipment for use on occasion, so it would be possible to rustle up several stand mixers, for example. There will likely be six lab groups of four students each. With luck, I will convince the administration that the class should be split into two lab sections....internal politics and costs at work here.... Unfortunately, ovens will not be available.
I'm wondering if you guys have some great ideas for activities and/or other resources that I could use. Any great web resources/videos out there? I have some ideas for texts that might be used, but haven't settled on anything. Any and all feedback welcome.