I spent tonight with a good friend at the Science and Brews event in Pittsburgh (thank you Association for Women in Science for presenting it!) . With about 30 others, including many teachers from area schools, I was treated to some amazing ice cream from Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream. We were also treated with a spectacular presentation by Subda Das of the Chemistry Department at CMU. He summarize a millennium of research on ice cream in a concise 6 minutes of air bubbles, fat content, and ice crystals and forever changed my perception of a spoonful of ice cream.
The Citizen Science Lab hosted the event. They are a hands-on laboratory in Pittsburgh where inquisitive minds and science-enthusiasts can explore the life sciences! Check out their website for upcoming programs and join me next time for science and brews (try the Chocolate Meltdown by Penn Brewery).
Chad Townsend, owner of Millie’s Ice Cream, drove home the absolute necessity of STEM education, even for someone running an ice cream store. Between the 100 of pages of guidelines from the Public Health Service, the monitoring equipment for temperature and time on each batch of ice cream, and the business calculations for 18 hour days.
