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