麻豆影院

NSF Awards 麻豆影院 State Researchers $1.3 Million to Nourish Children鈥檚 Minds, Fill Their Bellies

University will work with Cincinnati Museum Center and La Soupe to bring program to life

Science is complex, and it鈥檚 difficult to discuss it with children under the best circumstances; it鈥檚 even more difficult when they are hungry.

 

Two 麻豆影院 researchers may have cooked up a way to solve both of those problems, and the National Science Foundation just awarded them a three-year, $1.3 million grant to determine if their recipe works.
 

Bradley Morris, Ph.D., associate professor of educational psychology in the College of Education, Health and Human Services, and John Dunlosky, Ph.D., professor of psychological sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences 鈥 both co-directors of the Science of Learning and Education (SOLE) Center at 麻豆影院 State 鈥 have teamed up to help parents use cooking as an appetizer for engaging their children in conversations about science.

鈥淥ne of the big barriers to science is that people think 鈥業 don鈥檛 know a lot about science, so how am I going to teach my kids about it?鈥欌 Dunlosky said. 鈥淔ood is a good context because people eat or prepare food all the time, and it鈥檚 not necessarily something that has a lot of bad connotations with science.鈥


John Dunlosky, Ph.D.Bradley Morris, Ph.D.Although the project will cater to all families, it focuses on serving those with food insecurity or living in food deserts. To do so, Dunlosky and Morris will partner with the  (CMC) and Cincinnati-area soup kitchen .

At the museum, families will find demonstration carts where a trained cook will put together a simple dish 鈥 such as macaroni and cheese or pancakes 鈥 and get the children asking 鈥渨hy, what and how鈥 questions about the process.

鈥淭he recipe might even fail,鈥 Morris said. 鈥淪ay the pancakes don鈥檛 rise or the mac 鈥檔鈥 cheese looks horrible, and you鈥檇 say 鈥榳ell, this is because the mac 鈥檔鈥 cheese needs an emulsifier,鈥 and they鈥檇 ask 鈥榳hat鈥檚 an emulsifier, and how does that work?鈥 Maybe not using those terms but just starting the conversation to get them into asking thoughtful questions at the shallow end of the science pool.鈥

Every participating family also will take home a 鈥淐arry-Out Science鈥 tote bag, containing multiple recipes and guides for parents to engage in meaningful conversations with their children while cooking.

鈥淲e want to think about a different way to help parents be engaged,鈥 Morris said. 鈥淪o you set it up so the parents don鈥檛 need to know everything about science; they just need to help their children ask questions like 鈥榣et鈥檚 figure out how that might work鈥 or 鈥榣et鈥檚 figure out how to seek information about why this recipe isn鈥檛 working.鈥欌

The team also will collaborate with Cincinnati-based soup kitchen La Soupe to work the model into their programs like 鈥淐incinnati Gives a Crock,鈥 a workshop that teaches kids how to make simple recipes in a slower cooker, which they take home 鈥 slow cooker and all 鈥 to their families.

鈥淥ne of the major problems with education in the United States is children coming to school hungry; they can鈥檛 concentrate, and it鈥檚 hard to make progress, not to mention emotional disturbances, just because they鈥檙e undernourished,鈥 Dunlosky said. 鈥淣ot that this particular project will solve all those problems, but it鈥檚 just one small step we can take to really support families and children who visit super places like La Soupe and the Cincinnati Museum Center.鈥

鈥淐incinnati Museum Center is thrilled to partner with 麻豆影院 State, La Soupe and the National Science Foundation to explore how food science can benefit our community,鈥 said Whitney Owens, chief learning officer for Cincinnati Museum Center. 鈥淭his national grant recognizes CMC as a unique and important research site with broad reach, a vibrant partner network, and strong educators and programs. It鈥檚 a huge accomplishment to bring this kind of opportunity and attention to our region.鈥

Cincinnati Museum Center guests should keep an eye out for prototypes of the program beginning this year.

 

For more information about 麻豆影院 State鈥檚 Science of Learning and Education Center, visit www.kent.edu/sole.

 

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Media Contacts:
麻豆影院 State:
Dan Pompili, dpompili@kent.edu, 330-672-0731; or Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595 
Cincinnati Museum Center: Cody Hefner, chefner@cincymuseum.org, 513-287-7054

 

POSTED: Thursday, August 1, 2019 08:49 AM
Updated: Friday, December 9, 2022 08:12 AM
WRITTEN BY:
Dan Pompili