Teacher: Maria Cabeza
Dates for 4-week course:
Jan 20 to Feb 14, 2025
Times for Live Sessions: Monday through Thursday. Each session lasts between 35 and 60 minutes. Please note that all times are given in Mountain Time (MT), which is two hours behind ET, and one hour ahead of PT.
- Option #1: Starts at 8am MT
- Option #2: Starts at 11am MT
Course Description
Through laboratory demonstrations and classroom discussions we study the role of carbohydrates (sugars and starches), oils, fats and proteins in outer nature and in human nourishment. We learn how these organic compounds react with the dichotomies of warmth and water. This leads us to consider how our body utilizes these various substances through digestion. Additionally, we explore how the cooking process activates these compounds. This raises the question of how certain dishes “work.” We explore why popcorn pops, how we create sauces, the caramelization process, and emulsification. We also touch on how the synthetic or processed version of these substances impact the body. We explore the distillation of alcohol, its relationship to plant sugars and to human blood, the relationship of plant alkaloids to protein, and the role that these chemicals play in contemporary substance abuse.
Topics covered:
- Three Branches of Chemistry
- Thermal effects and Water: boiling point, freezing point, convection cycles
- Crystallization
- Chemical Properties of Metals
- Photosynthesis
- The Five Main Organic Compounds: Sugar, Starch, Cellulose, Lipids, Proteins
- Alcohols
If you register your student for a science program and live outside the US, we will send you an invoice for an additional $30-$50 for your science kit shipping, depending on your location.
