A Corny Idea, Part 1

Authors

  • Margot A. Vigeant Bucknell University, United States

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18260/2-1-370.660-139990

Keywords:

Food, active learning, mass and energy balances

Abstract

Popcorn is truly remarkable stuff - it’s food that explodes and is still tasty afterwards (as opposed to, say, my adventures in sweetened-condensed-milk-to-dulce-de-leche conversion.) How cool is that? Add to this that it’s relatively rare as an allergen, inexpensive to make, and rapid to prepare and we have everything we need for some great in-class experiments, calculations, and demonstrations (and snacks!) I plan to revisit popcorn in a future article and go farther into the curriculum, but today let’s start at the foundation of our discipline with mass and energy balances. 

Author Biography

Margot A. Vigeant, Bucknell University, United States

Margot A. Vigeant is a professor of chemical engineering at Bucknell University. She teaches chemical engineering thermodynamics, applied food science and engineering, and capstone design. Margot’s broad research area is effective pedagogy in engineering, including approaches to conceptual learning and inquiry-based activities for thermodynamics and heat transfer. She is also interested in “making” in engineering and using technology to broaden engagement and access. Margot completed her doctorate at the University of Virginia. She is an ASEE Fellow, and an Apple Distinguished Educator.

Corresponding author: mvigeant@bucknell.edu

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Published

2025-09-17

Issue

Vol. 59 No. 4 (2025): Fall 2025

Section

Food For Thought