Duke University offered unique courses for Spring Breakthrough 2023, including Cooking Through Science and The Stories We (Choose to) Tell Ourselves. In Cooking Through Science, students learned culinary chemistry and applied their knowledge in the kitchen. They also had a hands-on experience in making a banquet meal on the final day. The Stories We (Choose to) Tell Ourselves explored the narratives behind pressing contemporary issues and allowed students to connect their experiences in Washington, D.C. with their knowledge of Duke’s history. The course emphasized the importance of valuing diversity in language and the stories we tell. This highlights the value of diversity and open-mindedness in fostering a dynamic and inclusive learning environment.
Learning Basic Motorcycle Repair and Maintenance During Spring Breakthrough 2023
Duke University students had an exciting experience during their Spring Breakthrough course, which was focused on learning basic motorcycle repair and maintenance. They got their hands dirty working on classic motorcycles, such as a 1975 BMW R90/6 and a Triumph Bonneville T120 from the “modern classic” line.
The course not only taught the students about motorcycle repair and maintenance but also had lively discussions on the importance of “repair” rather than “replacement.” The class found inspiration in UVA professor Matthew Crawford’s book and TED talk titled “Shop Class as Soul Craft.” They also watched stories by motovloggers Noraly Schoenmaker, known as “Itchy Boots,” and Caroline, known as “Doodle on a Motorcycle.”
Music professor Scott Lindroth led the course, with assistance from Bill Snead of University Communications. Lindroth stated that motorcycling had a resurgence during the pandemic because it combined exhilarating travel with social distancing. He also noted that more women are taking up motorcycling, and manufacturers are producing smaller, low-displacement bikes that are comfortable for new riders and ideal for daily commutes and country rides.
Another fascinating Spring Breakthrough course offered at Duke was Cooking Through Science, led by Patrick Charbonneau, Professor of Chemistry and Physics, and Coleman Norris, the executive chef of The Commons, The Skillet, and JB’s Roasts and Chops. During this course, undergraduates applied their classroom chemistry and physics lessons in the kitchen to construct and deconstruct various foods.
Over the course of four days, students learned about the pasteurization process to make cheese, the gelation process to make chocolate mousse, and the spherification process to make honey pearls and orange juice noodles, among other things. They also discovered that soy sauce didn’t work well because the excess salt interfered with the molecular process.
The students had a hands-on experience making croquembouche, a tower of caramel-covered cream puffs held together by threads of spun sugar. Additionally, they learned how to spherify orange juice using sodium alginate and calcium lactate gluconate.
On the last day of class, junior Jerry Xin, sophomore Dasol Lee, first-year Connor Biswell, and chef Coleman Norris prepared a banquet meal to showcase their newly learned culinary skills.
In conclusion, Duke University’s Spring Breakthrough 2023 provided students with unique and exciting opportunities to learn practical skills and apply their classroom knowledge in new and exciting ways.
Learning Culinary Chemistry and Exploring Stories Behind Contemporary Issues During Duke University’s Spring Breakthrough 2023
Duke University’s Spring Breakthrough 2023 offered exciting and unique courses, allowing students to explore various fields and learn new skills. Two of the courses offered were Cooking Through Science and The Stories We (Choose to) Tell Ourselves, which provided students with a hands-on experience in culinary chemistry and an opportunity to explore historical narratives and their connections to contemporary issues.
Cooking Through Science
During Cooking Through Science, led by Patrick Charbonneau, Professor of Chemistry and Physics, and Coleman Norris, executive chef of The Commons, The Skillet, and JB’s Roasts and Chops, students learned how to apply their classroom knowledge in the kitchen. The course covered various processes, including pasteurization to make cheese, gelation to make chocolate mousse, and spherification to make honey pearls and orange juice noodles.
On the final day, students combined all of their lessons to create a banquet meal that included steak, asparagus with mushrooms, egg soufflé, bread and cheese, chocolate lava cakes, and croquembouche, a tower of caramel-covered cream puffs held together by threads of spun sugar. The hands-on experience allowed students to better understand the chemistry behind cooking and how different chemical formations create the properties of food.
First-year Aiden Klein, who is creating an arts-based major, found the course particularly interesting as it helped her understand cooking better, “The chemistry helped me understand the cooking better…like what you’re actually doing when you’re heating something up… I’m not necessarily a sciency person but I’m more of an analytical person.”
The Stories We (Choose to) Tell Ourselves
The Stories We (Choose to) Tell Ourselves, led by political scientist and vice provost for undergraduate education Candis Watts Smith, provided students with an opportunity to explore the stories behind pressing contemporary issues. Smith and her colleagues took students to Washington, D.C., where they visited museums and monuments, exploring the historical narratives behind them and their connections to students’ own lives.
During their visit to Planet Word Museum, the students learned about the history of the English language and how it is used to tell stories. They also visited the Museum of African American History, where they discussed the legitimating functions of records and moralized words. The course allowed students to connect their experiences in D.C. with their knowledge of Duke’s history.
In conclusion, Duke University’s Spring Breakthrough 2023 offered students exciting opportunities to learn new skills and explore various fields. The hands-on experience in culinary chemistry and exploration of the stories behind contemporary issues helped students gain a better understanding of the world around them.
Exploring Diverse Perspectives and Valuing Diversity at Duke University
Duke University’s Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, Candis Watts Smith, emphasizes the importance of valuing diversity in our everyday language and the stories we choose to tell. As part of a program that included shadowing Duke alumni in Washington, students reflected on how history is told and the diverse perspectives that make up Duke’s community. Smith praised the students for their engagement with the narratives they saw in DC and their ability to connect these experiences with their lives at Duke. This highlights the value of diversity and open-mindedness in fostering a dynamic and inclusive learning environment.
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