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Discovery Education and the Institute of Food Technologists Offer Free Science Resources to High School Science Teachers

Posted on: Tuesday, 3 January 2006, 12:00 CST

CHIGAGO and SILVER SPRING, Md., Jan. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and Discovery Education are launching a food-science learning program to provide U.S. high school students with an introduction to a rapidly expanding profession that is often not introduced until college. The program, The Science and Scientists Behind the Food, is a multimedia resource kit containing six food science lessons and experiments complimented by a three-part Science of Food DVD and a classroom poster.

Eighteen thousand high school guidance counselors will also receive the Careers in Food Science multimedia resource kit. The kit highlights the food science profession, and offers counselors resources for grants and scholarships available to students, professional job descriptions and salaries, a classroom poster and a DVD that includes interviews with professional food scientists and college students.

Teachers and students alike will learn the complexity behind the development of food, including the interaction of business and regulatory influences. The program includes lessons in food packaging, food safety, creating food for astronauts and the armed services, and more.

In addition to this curriculum mailed to all U.S. high schools, IFT and Discovery Education are also offering these food science resources online beginning today for all science teachers, counselors, students and parents to download. The interactive experiments, the Teacher's Resource Guide, videos, online interviews with food technologists, information about university food science programs, professional career and salary information and scholarship opportunities are all available. These free downloadable materials can be accessed online at: http://www.discoveryschool.com/foodscience.

More Science Teacher Resources

The project-based science lessons are aligned to national standards for use in grades 9-12 biology, chemistry, and physics units. Additional materials range from food science experiment instructions, online self-paced lessons, downloadable videos, and an interactive food science project to a music component that reinforces the scientific content. In addition, Assignment Discovery will air a food science technology program on the Discovery Channel four times this Spring (2/3, 3/10, 4/14, 5/19). The commercial-free Assignment Discovery program may be taped by educators for use in the classroom. Additional science teacher resources are available at http://www.ift.org/ (follow the Education link), including food science experiments with teacher and student activity guides and a comprehensive listing of local food scientists as a reference for students and teachers.

School Counselor Resources

Highly interactive and dynamic video materials give a never before seen view of food science and the exciting career opportunities available for students pursuing this scientific field. IFT and Discovery Education value the role high school career counselors play in encouraging students to explore food science careers and in providing information about college grant and scholarship opportunities for students.

The counselor kit includes a career-guidance DVD featuring interviews with industry professionals and students pursuing food science degrees. Counselors may also download online resources that highlight the expanding job opportunities for science students in the food science and technology industry, access college curriculum requirements, and review additional profiles of food science professionals.

Food science professionals typically earn a median salary of $73,000 (with a median starting salary of $40,000) and provide services to all levels of the food industry; including new food development, molecular biology, packaging to extend shelf-life, and research to improve food safety and the health benefits of foods.

Win a Free Trip to Your Annual Conference

As an incentive to review the new food science program and provide feedback on the course materials, two sweepstakes programs will offer participants an opportunity to win a free trip to their professions' annual conference. High school science teachers and school counselors may register online and enter the sweepstakes. Visit http://www.discoveryschool.com/foodscience to enter the sweepstakes.

The sweepstakes deadline for science teachers is February 15, 2006. One science teacher will win a free trip to the 2006 National Science Teachers Association Annual Conference, including roundtrip airfare and hotel accommodations plus entry to the annual conference held in Anaheim, California from April 6 to 9, 2006.

The school counselor sweepstakes deadline is March 15, 2006. The counselor winner will receive a free trip to the 2006 American School Counselors Association Annual Conference, including roundtrip airfare and hotel accommodations plus entry to the conference held in Chicago, Illinois from June 24 to 27, 2006.

About IFT

Founded in 1939, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), with a membership of 22,000, is the leading professional not-for-profit scientific and educational society serving the food science and technology industry. As the authoritative voice of food science and technology, IFT advocates the scientific perspective on food science and technology issues. IFT members represent a broad cross-section of food professionals in industry, academia and government throughout the world. For more information visit http://www.ift.org/.

About Discovery Education

Discovery Education is a division of Discovery Communications, Inc., the leading global real-world media and entertainment company. The leader in digital video-based learning, Discovery Education produces and distributes high-quality digital video content in easy-to-use formats, in all core-curricular subject areas. Discovery Education is committed to creating scientifically proven, standards-based digital resources for teachers, students, and parents that make a positive impact on student learning. Through strategic partnerships with over 25 public television stations across the country, its public service initiatives, products, and joint business ventures, Discovery Education helps educators around the world harness the power of broadband and media to connect their students to a world of learning. For more information, visit http://www.discoveryeducation.com/.

Discovery Education

CONTACT: James N. Klapthor, ext. 231, jnklapthor@ift.org, or Heather M.Lang, ext. 221, hmlang@ift.org, both of Institute of Food Technologists,+1-312-782-8424; or Catherine Wambach, +1-505-281-5324, cwambach@aol.com, forDiscovery Education

Web site: http://www.discoveryeducation.com/http://www.discoveryschool.com/foodsciencehttp://www.ift.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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