Food Science College Bowl teams takes a bite out of competition at national contest

Chapman University’s Food Science College Bowl Team ate up most of the competition at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting & Food Expo in Chicago last week. The students placed third nationally, outranking several major universities whose teams included Ph.D. food science students.

The college bowl competition tests food science students on a soup-to-nuts body of knowledge that includes everything from food history to toxicology and safety. The team practiced all summer for the Jeopardy-style competition and even brought a buzzer response system to its practice sessions to boost their reflexes. This is the fifth year out of six that Chapman’s team has won regionals and qualified for the national competition.

Chapman also brought home first prize in a related contest.  College Bowl teams were challenged to create a video around the theme of A Day in the Life of a Food Science Student. Chapman’s video, written, filmed, and edited by Jessica Ruiz, took first.

This year’s food bowl team includes Greg Yudin, team captain, Amber Hoekstra, Kimberlee Au, Alex Wendling and Karen Thang.