Food is fun. It’s familiar to all of us and so ordinary we might take it for granted. Yet, food also offers endless opportunities for hands-on scientific exploration and experimentation. That’s why food provides a wonderful pathway into scientific fields for high school students who take part in NIU’s new Food and Nutrition Science Career and College Prep Program beginning this summer.
Assistant Professor of Health Studies Henna Muzaffar
The idea for the new program began with NIU Assistant Professor of Health Studies Henna Muzaffar, who won a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to introduce young people to careers available in food and agricultural sciences. Muzaffar is partnering with the NIU STEAM FoodMASTER Initiative, in the Division of Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development, to develop the three-part college-prep program, which begins with a week of summer camp at NIU, followed by career skill preparation and assistance with the college application process. The program is free to participants, with priority given to students who are from underrepresented minorities or who would be the first in their family to attend college.
Students make pasta in the Nutrition Lab in Wirtz Hall.
Muzaffar says high school students are often unaware of the many promising science and technology careers available related to food, nutrition and agriculture – and this is especially true of students from underrepresented minorities.
“Part of NIU’s vision is to be an engine of innovation to advance social mobility,” Muzaffar says. “When we look at the composition of the U.S. population, compared to the workforce demographics of food, nutrition and agricultural science careers, it’s clear that the demographics don’t match up. There’s an underrepresentation of minorities and first-generation college students in these fields which we would like to help remedy.”
Muzaffar says the program also aligns with NIU’s mission of empowering students through experiential learning. Hands on food-science research – which involves developing and testing new recipes – is central to the camp experience, as is the chance to meet professors and food professionals and tour labs at NIU and partner institutions.
NIU STEAM Educator Kelly Furr will be the lead instructor for the summer camp. She’s thrilled to introduce students to hands-on research through the accessible medium of food.
“One component of the program is a food science research project the students will begin in summer camp, then refine and present later in the year,” Furr says. “They’ll choose a recipe they love and then work to change it in some way. Maybe they’ll make it gluten free, lower the saturated fats or add vegetables to make it more nutritious. They’ll test the recipe in NIU’s Wirtz Hall food lab and track the different results they get when changing ingredients or processes.”
While the students will spend the summer camp mornings refining and testing their recipes, they’ll spend the afternoons touring labs on campus and off, meeting faculty and professionals, and learning about the many careers available.
The Wirtz Hall Food Lab, part of the NIU College of Health and Human Sciences, allows NIU STEAM campers to gain hands-on experience with food science.
“A lot of focus will be on food, nutrition and agricultural related majors, but there will be some exposure to other STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers and majors as well,” says Muzaffar. “People might be surprised at how many careers are available. They could work as a nutritionist, a dietitian, a food scientist, a researcher, a family consumer sciences professional or in many other careers in the food industry. We’re also seeing synergies between food and agriculture professionals and engineering professionals: food safety engineers, process engineers, packaging engineers and so on.”
“The overarching goal is to provide students with exposure to many different career options and to give them enough background so they feel comfortable in exploring food, nutrition, technology and science related majors in college.”
A big part of helping students get comfortable with the idea of college is developing a peer group that can go through the college application and preparation process together. And part of developing those relationships is having fun together on the NIU campus.
“Peer influence is so important for high school students,” Muzaffar says. “The summer camp evenings will be dedicated to social and recreational activities, like movie night, bowling at the Huskie Den and game night. Campers will have a full week to be together and build friendships with fellow students who are also interested in attending college. Then, when they’re all applying to colleges at the same time and sharing advice and support, that process will be less intimidating.”
“The fully immersive summer camp will be a great experience for students,” she says. “They’ll be living in campus residence halls, eating at campus dining halls and meeting with people who can offer support services to help with their college application and financial aid process. This is a win for the students, and NIU also benefits as an institution by connecting with talented, motivated students who might not otherwise attend college.”
The Food and Nutrition Science Career and College Prep Program is currently accepting applications at go.niu.edu/foodscience.
The Food and Nutrition Science Career and College Prep program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants (SPECA) program and partnered with the NIH NIGMS Science Education Partnership Award NIU STEAM FoodMASTER Initiative to interest young people in pursuing higher education in order to prepare for scientific and professional careers in the food and agricultural sciences. NIU STARS Faculty Academy supports and resources have also facilitated the project.
Source: NIU Today CHHS News
Its truly heartwarming to see NIU creating pathways for students to discover their passion for nutrition. Empowering high schoolers to explore food science is vital for our future health. Just as british book editors refine complex stories into clear narratives, these mentors help students turn scientific curiosity into meaningful careers.
Food science is such an underrated field. This program does a great job highlighting how many Scrandle career options actually exist in nutrition and health.