Chemistry | digitalportfolio

Recipe Card:

Chemistry of Food Project

The Chemistry and Sustainability of Construction Materials

Essential Questions:

How does the structure of matter on the atomic, molecular, microscopic and macroscopic levels determine its physical, chemical and biological properties with emphasis on their use in building construction?
How do the design of a building, selection of building materials, construction process and use of a building affect the overall sustainability of a building project and the user experience in the building?

Reflection:

Question 1: What new information did you learn through doing this project? I am interested in 1-2 paragraphs summarizing your new understanding of your topic. I am particularly interested in your new understanding about the two Essential Questions(located at the bottom of this document).

This project allowed me to learn a lot about environmental benefits to compost, and why it is better. Compost allows foods to be broken down by microorganisms instead of rotting which they do in landfills. This is important because food can break down into soil instead of turning into greenhouse gasses, saving the planet slowly. Compost programs are becoming more and more common, and I have seen how easily accessible it is in our small town.

Question 2: What new skills, dispositions, or lessons did you learn from this project?

This project was a good way for me to be introduced to writing science proposals. I learned to write concisely about an idea I feel strongly about. It was difficult for me to research this project fully, and I have learned how to go above and beyond to find answers through connections at Animas and outside of it. I also worked hard to make group work go well. I was very sick for a lot of the project, but worked to pick up slack once I was capable of returning. This taught me how to work through challenges without letting group members down.

Question 3: Next year I intend to repeat this project, with a major difference being that several student projects will actually be permanently installed in the new building. As part of the project, I intend to have this year’s juniors (aka YOU) present their prototypes to next year’s juniors as a starting point for the project. As I begin planning for next year’s fall semester and project work, what can I do to make the learning experience as engaging and meaningful as possible for those students?

I think that a bit more of an introduction to researching the chemistry of building materials would be helpful to students, as well as a hands-on aspect that will keep students excited moving forward. Otherwise, this project was very well done!

Project:

Reflection:

B: How did your cooking process transform your food macroscopically and affect the food’s overall characteristics?

My food of choice was heavy cream, and the cooking process was whipping to form whipped cream. My food made multiple very drastic changes over the course of seven minutes of beating. This comes down to a structural change within the fats of heavy cream. In the beginning, the fats are free floating throughout the cream. Once you add physical work and movement, the fats begin to form a structure and trap in air bubbles, which creates whipped cream. If you continue to beat, the fats will stick closer and closer together and eventually eliminate the air and water in the cream to form butter. Each different level has a very different taste and texture. First, before any cooking process occurs, heavy cream is a liquid. Then, at about 3-4 minutes of beating, it becomes a foam, meaning it is semi-solid, semi-liquid. And finally, at 7 minutes, the cream has become solid entirely.

C: How successful was your experiment in helping you understand your food and/or improve its characteristics? What would be next steps if you were to continue research on this topic?

My experiment went very well. There was conclusive qualitative data that supported my claim, as there were visible and tactile differences. I feel confident that my experiment showed the results that I had researched and will be shown every time that you whip cream. If I were to continue my research, I would explore how spreading up the electric mixer changes my results. Would that only speed up my experiment, or would anything happen differently?