Make a graph

Help me help you. There seems to be some confusion that I'd really like to be able to clear up and I'd welcome some feedback. In the at-home lab activity we recently did for class (http://www.drbodwin.com/teaching/scicook/MicrowaveHeating20140227a.docx), the first data analysis section says:

My intention here was that the students would take the time-dependent temperature data they collected and prepare a plot that looks something like this:

{NOTE: This plot contains more data that I expect in the student experiment.}

A significant number of students did not realize that they needed to include a graph as part of their data analysis and assignment. I don't understand why this was not clear. I am not being snarky or condescending or angry or mean when I say that, I honestly don't understand why that instruction in the "Data Analysis" isn't clear, so I would sincerely appreciate any help on how to write that instruction more clearly. I have a couple ideas of why this was not an effective instruction:

1. The word "plot" doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. Is there a better word that would make this more clear? Graph? "X-Y scatter plot"? I do not require students to use a spreadsheet to generate their plots because I don't want to introduce additional barriers and hand-drawn plots/graphs are sufficient for the data presentation and analysis in this class… Would it be better to require computer generated plots/graphs just to reinforce that a graph is required for the data presentation and analysis?
2. Is this more a symptom of the broader problem of "science is hard" rather than poorly written instructions? If a student firmly believes that "science is hard" or "I'm not good at math", then the student is likely to accept a lower standard for himself or herself and perform below his or her abilities. 
3. Do the students just not care? I refuse to believe that this is the most common problem; the vast majority of the students in this class are dedicated hard workers and really want to learn something. At the same time, the students taking this class are not (on average) the typical "sciencey" student, they are taking this course because they see it as one of the easier options for fulfilling the science requirement of their degree. That means that there are at least a few (and they're usually not that hard to identify) who are just in the class to do the bare minimum to pass and have no real interest in learning any more than they need to squeak by with a "C".

There is no magic single answer to this issue, BUT if there are some simple fixes (change the wording, etc) that will help some students succeed in this class, I'm happy to consider them. Anonymous comments are permitted here, so feel free to be as open as you would like. I'm always open to learning new and better ways to do things, so open feedback is helpful.

Lab Assignment Tips

After looking over your Lab 1 assignments, there are a couple general points that I think would help everyone make some improvements on future assignments:

1. Individual vs Group Assignments

For your labs (and everything else in BCBT 100), you must turn in individual assignments to receive a grade. Even if you're working with a partner (or 2) on a lab experiment, each partner is required to turn in an individual assignment for grading. This doesn't just mean 2 copies of the same assignment with a different name at the top (that would be plagiarism and could result in your expulsion from the University), but individual assignments from each partner. I expect and encourage you to discuss your experimental observations and conclusions with others in the class, and if you are working with a partner I expect that the raw data you use will be the same, but your responses to questions should be yours and in your voice. 

2. Complete Answers
Especially in labs, always assume that there is a "Why?" or an "Explain" part of every question. Give me an answer that shows me a little bit of your thought process. "How confident are you in the accuracy of your result?" shouldn't just be answered with "Very confident" or "Yes." {I'm not sure how "Yes" even could be an answer to that question...} If you are "very confident" in your result, there must be some reason for your confidence. And no, the answer is not "I am very confident in my result because I am just that good." An answer that would be quite convincing and give me a good indication of your thought process would be something like "The error in our repeated measurements {+/- 0.014} is quite small compared to the average of the repeated measurements {17.372}, so we are very confident in the precision of our answer." I can say with nearly 100% certainty that I will almost never ask a question that I expect to be answered with a single word. 

3. Show Your Work

Whenever you have to do any math, show at least 1 sample calculation for each step of the math you have to do. It's not always obvious there some of your numbers come from, so a little bit of help would be nice. {This is closely related to the "Complete Answers" tip above...}

4. Graphs Should Fill the Available Space

This is especially true when you're trying to fit a line to a bunch of data points by eye. If you have a half page of space for your graph, don't squeeze all the data into a little postage stamp in the corner. By spreading out the data, you will minimize the error in your line fit. Scientists devote a stunning amount of time to analyzing and trying to minimize error in their experiments; be a good scientist!

I'll post more tips as they come up. When in doubt, always ask.

Study Guide Answers

A few people have asked if I'm going to post "answers" to the study guide for Exam 2.

Short answer = no.

Less short answer = The "answers" are already posted. For Exam 1 I posted specific sample multiple choice questions, so there was an answer key. For Exam 2 (and likely Exams 3 & 4...), I posted a study guide that contains open-ended questions. The answers to these questions are contained in the slides I used in class and/or the assigned readings from the textbook. By posting questions this way, I hope to encourage you to think about many of these concepts a little more broadly rather than focus on picking the exact right answer from a list of possible choices.

For those of you who may be a little anxious that the exam will be a whole different format than Exam 1, fear not; your actual exam will still be multiple choice. By preparing for the exam with open-ended questions, you will be better prepared to answer a variety of multiple choice questions on each topic rather than just answer the exact questions you have studied. Some of the study guide questions will probably show up on the exam as multiple choice questions, but by preparing for those questions without the restriction of a specific set of multiple choice options, you will be better prepared to succeed.

If you really want to see something that looks like answers to some of the questions on the study guide, many of these can be found in one of these links:
http://www.drbodwin.com/teaching/scicook/bcbt100aexam2practicek.pdf
http://www.drbodwin.com/teaching/scicook/bcbt100aexam3practicek.pdf

Good luck.

Topics for Spring 2014

I've tallied up your responses from the first day of class and it looks like the most popular topics for the semester are (in no particular order):

Chocolate
Bread and baked goods
Cheese
Spices and flavor matching/mixing
International cuisines
Nutrition and food safety
Characteristics of different cooking methods

That sounds like a good mixture of topics! We'll also spend some time on fruits, vegetables, and dairy to round things out. We will likely have our first experiment posted in the next couple days, so be ready to observe, question, test, and repeat!

Welcome to BCBT 100 (Spring 2014)

Welcome to The Science of Cooking (BCBT 100) for Spring 2014. This semester we will be exploring the science of food and the changes that take place in food during cooking and other preparations. A few things to remember when looking at the science of food and cooking:
1. This is a science class. That doesn't mean it's "hard", that just means that we'll be using a scientific approach to to topics we explore.
2. Be curious. Curiosity is the key to all good science.
3. Be open to new experience. You don't "like" a certain food? Why not? Understanding why you have a preference can help you enjoy a wider variety of foods and experiences.
4. Have fun! This is food afterall.

In addition to posting info here on the blog, I will also be tweeting using #ChemKitchen. Let's have a great semester!

BCBT 100 – Exam 4 Practice Questions {Bodwin – Fall 2012}

BCBT 100 – Exam 4 Practice Questions {Bodwin – Fall 2012}

Describe and identify the components of a seed.

Describe the difference between monocot and dicot seeds. Give examples of each.

What are some similarities and differences between grains, legumes, and nuts? How do they grow, what food molecules do they contain, etc

How is flour made? (from the McGee book)

What is “leavening”?

Describe the process and chemical reaction of chemical leavening.

What is the difference between baking soda and baking powder? Why are BOTH sometimes called for?

What is gluten? How is gluten formed? What type of interactions between molecules are present in gluten?

How does kneading encourage gluten formation?

Describe the ways in which gluten can be modified when making a dough. What physical or chemical steps can be taken to increase gluten formation? What physical or chemical steps can be taken to decrease gluten formation?

In aerobic metabolism of sugars, what are the products of the chemical reaction?

What are the products of the chemical reaction when yeast metabolizes sugars?

Describe the differences between yeast-leavening and chemical-leavening. What are some advantages of each?

What is Charles’ Law?

If the absolute temperature of 6.0L of a gas is tripled, what is the new volume of the gas?

What role does starch play in the structure of baking bread?

Why is it important that the bubbles in baking bread merge and pop during the baking process?

What are some of the results/effects of having a lot of steam present when baking breads?

What does it mean for a bread to become “stale”? How can staleness be prevented? Reversed?

How does the protein content of different types of flour affect the bread made from those flours?

What food molecules must be present for Maillard browning to occur?

What property/properties do aldehydes contribute to foods?

Above what temperature does significant Maillard browning take place?

What cooking conditions encourage Maillard browning? What cooking conditions inhibit Maillard browning?

Above what temperature does significant caramelization take place?

What chemical reaction is catalyzed by phenol oxidase?

What molecular changes take place that cause enzymatic browning?

What conditions would encourage more sugar browning/caramelization when cooking?

What role does water play in most browning reactions?

Where is chocolate grown?

Describe the process of making chocolate from the tree to the finished bar.

What type(s) of browning is/are responsible for the brown color of chocolate?

Which type of chocolate plant has the most delicate flavors?

What is the purpose of “Dutch processing” of cocoa powder?

Describe the molecular changes that take place when chocolate is tempered.

If a chocolate bar is not stored properly it can have a “dusty” appearance. Describe what has happened.

What causes chocolate to “seize”?

What are the advantages of letting chocolate melt in your mouth when tasting it?

Looks like Fruit & Veg!

But don't worry, we'll also do breads in a couple weeks.

On the fruit & veg side of things... We'll very likely do some tasting in the coming week or so. Are there any fruits or vegetables that you have never tried that you're curious about? Some vegetables that might be a bit less common (but I know I can get pretty easily...) might be some of the root vegetables (rutabaga, parsnip, turnip), or some different varieties of potato, or some different types of greens... On the fruit side, some of the less-typical citrus fruits, or unique berries...
Basically, if there's a fruit or vegetable (broadly defined) that you've always wondered about, let me know, we might use that as part of an in-class tasting, and you can have a new and exciting experience.