FoodMASTER (Food, Math, and Science Teaching Enhancement Resource Initiative) is a compilation of programs aimed at using food as a tool to teach math and science. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, this multi-phase project is now implemented in curricula in both Ohio and North Carolina. Virtual FoodMASTER teaches students math, science, nutrition, and cooking without having to step into a kitchen.
FoodMASTER has been in development since 2003 and select programs range from intermediate to higher education. Hands-on and virtual programs are designed to use food as a tool to teach math and science because it is familiar to the students and is encountered on a daily basis.
At the intermediate level, third through fifth graders explore math, science and food through ten basic interactive food topics. They include measurement, food safety, vegetables, fruits, milk and cheese, meats, eggs, fats and oils, grains, and meal management. Students complete lab activities based on their own classroom structure and is easy for both student and teacher to follow.
At the higher education level, college students studying Nutrition and Dietetics or Family and Consumer Science focus on ways to improve healthy living and understand the nature of living systems.
To learn more visit www.foodmaster.org
Center for Emergency Preparedness Simulator
The Owens Community College Center for Emergency Preparedness simulation (CEPsim) was started in the Fall of 2006. The project’s goal was to recreate the Owen’s facility in a 3-Dimensional computer world. Simular to the United States’ Army game America’s Army, the CEPsim works as a pre-trainer to the actual Owens facilities as well as a recruitment tool that can be downloaded by potential students.
The proof of concept phase was funded by the Ohio Board of Regents and the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University. Currently, the simulation consists of a virtual model of the five-story Burn Building located on the CEP campus. With the potential for further funding, the development team hopes to recreate the entire 110 acre facility in a computer generated immersive world.
Immersive Video Intelligence Network