The project is called "Chemistry and Cooking" and it will last about 6 weeks. Students will learn about what matter is, the phases of matter, the difference between physical and chemical properties, as well as physical and chemical changes. The project’s Driving Question, which focuses our work, is “How does an understanding of chemistry impact your cooking?” Students will be involved in hands-on activities and labs that will help them learn the concepts that they will then apply to their final project. The child will work independently on a recipe of their choice to show their understanding of how chemistry impacts cooking.

Students experience firsthand one of the most common water treatment types in the industry today, flocculants. They learn how the amount of suspended solids in water is measured using the basic properties of matter and light. In addition, they learn about the types of solids that can be found in water and the reasons that some are easier to remove than others. Encompassing the concepts of force and motion, attraction and repulsion of charged particles, and properties of matter, during the associated activity students see scientific concepts they already understand through the eyes of engineers who apply them to the removal of solids from water via chemical flocculants.

" This seminar is designed to be an experimental and hands-on approach to applied chemistry (as seen in cooking). Cooking may be the oldest and most widespread application of chemistry and recipes may be the oldest practical result of chemical research. We shall do some cooking experiments to illustrate some chemical principles, including extraction, denaturation, and phase changes."