Food and physics

Students show final projects at Science and Cooking Fair 2022

By Matt Goisman | Press contact

December 22, 2022

Evan Casalino and James Mooney participate in the longest noodle competition — Evan Casalino and James Mooney take a break from their experiments in layered cocktails to participate in the longest noodle competition. (Eliza Grinnell/SEAS)

Students in “GENED1104: Science and Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science” recently displayed their final projects at the annual Science and Cooking Fair at the Harvard Northwest Science Building. The course, which began in 2010, is taught by Pia Sӧrensen, Senior Preceptor in Chemical Engineering and Applied Materials at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), and David Weitz, Mallingkrodt Professor of Physics and Applied Physics. Students explored physics and chemistry concepts in the context of cooking, such as the done-ness of steak as an example of elasticity, the thermodynamics of heat transfer in a barbecue, and the crystallization required to make chocolate.

For their final projects, students were tasked with delving into the scientific concepts of a recipe or culinary invention or designing a scientific solution to a culinary problem. Judges for the 76 student projects included chef and restaurant owner Tracy Chang, food science author Harold McGee and culinary researcher Dave Arnold.

Maycee Wieczorek with her final project at the Science and Cooking Fair — Mechanical engineering concentrator Maycee Wieczorek, A.B. ’24, created schematics for an affordable tool that would allow home chefs to measure the hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, and chewiness of their culinary creations. (Eliza Grinnell/SEAS)

Yooni Park and Matthew Ho with their final project at the Science and Cooking Fair — Computer science and psychology concentrator Yooni Park, A.B. ’22, and Matthew Ho, A.B. ’23, experimented with creating new flavors of jello using various concentrations of tea, soda, and fruit juices. (Eliza Grinnell/SEAS)

Danny Denenberg and Wilson Huang with their final project at the Science and Cooking Fair. — Danny Denenberg, A.B. '26, and visiting student Wilson Huang discovered a correlation between mindfulness during food preparation and the look and taste of the resulting dishes. (Eliza Grinnell/SEAS)

Ice cream that doesn't melt — Francis Puente, A.B. '25, May Olibale, A.B. '25, and Anne Fletcher, A.B. '25, experimented with acids, thickeners, and cream cheese in order to create a stable ice cream dessert that doesn't melt. (Eliza Grinnell/SEAS)

The Winner's Circle

Judges Prize awarded to team Perfect Piping

Meghan Marangola, A.B. ‘25, and Vimala Alagappan, A.B. ‘25, were awarded the Judge's Prize by Tracy Chang and Harold McGee for their project named Perfect Piping. The duo experimented with frosting and identified which recipe has the most consistent flow rate and smoothness across a variety of temperatures, as measured by a manometer.

The student prize was awarded to team Boba in Boba

The Student's Prize was awarded to Eric Chan, A.B. ‘25, Glen Lu, A.B. ‘25, and Angie Shin, A.B. ‘23, for their work with the tapioca balls referred to as boba.

The Teachers Prize was awarded to team Flavorfulness of Seasoned Oils

The Teacher's Prize was awarded to Michelle Lu, A.B. ‘24, (pictured) and her teammates George Cai, A.B. ‘24, and Will Sorenson, A.B. ‘23, for their work with seasoned oils.

Topics: Academics, Cooking, Events