Integrated biologist Amy Rowat of UCLA is a self-described foodie, so it’s no surprise that she’s incorporated food into lessons about the material properties of biological materials, including her research into cancer cells. Rowat leads a popular Science and Food course at UCLA.

"There are many excellent aspects of food that make it really appealing as a tool for an educator. So, one is that everyone eats and so everyone touches, tastes and senses food on a daily basis. Two, is that many people are obsessed with food beyond just eating it every day. So, there are many people in my classes who are concerned about nutrition or athletes who pay attention to what they eat; the majority of students read ingredients labels; many students in the class have an even more, deeper awareness of food from the get-go. So, this makes food a very powerful tool, it enables us to do hands-on activities and enables them to start to piece together and see how science can play a role in their lives."

Photo credit: Anne Cusack/Los Angeles Times