Science U Camp 2009
In late July, faculty, staff, and students from the Department of Food Science conducted a week-long science camp for 26, eighth, ninth, and tenth graders entitled “Natural Born Killers: Food-Borne Illness and the Microbial Menace.” The Science-U camp was the first program of its kind offered by an academic unit within the College of Agricultural Sciences and in collaboration with PSU Eberley College of Sciences.
In this camp, food microbiologists-in training were introduced to the food system by visiting the PSU Mushroom Farm, Creamery, Meats Lab, and Café Laura. Campers learned what steps go into harvesting some of our food from plants and animals and what it takes to make our foods safe and wholesome. When things go awry--and they can—food microbiologists-in training learned the skills needed to determine the source and cause of the contamination including laboratory methods in microbial forensics that are required to identify, track down, and eliminate the offending organism(s). Along the way, the campers honed their interrogation and communication skills which they put to use when they participated in a mock trial in the new PSU Law School. Campers had to convince a judge and jury that their laboratory investigations and resulting evidence could implicate or defend the perpetrator(s) of the outbreak. Based on the feedback from the campers and parents, the Science-U camp was well received. Plans are in the works for another offering of the Food Science camp for June 2010!
