Food Science students hope to defend UW’s College Bowl championship

A team of Badgers ate up the competition to win the 2024 Institute of Food Technologists College Bowl championship, showcasing the wide-ranging skills of students in the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Food Science major.

In a trivia-style contest, UW’s Tori Budin, Philip Eberly, Lauren Smith and Bea Sutton beat California State Polytechnic University in the finals in Chicago in August.

They competed against seven other regional champions from across the United States for the title, in the competition organized by the Institute of Food Technologists Student Association.

College Bowl champions in 2019 and runners-up in 2023, the UW–Madison team was undefeated in 2024. More than 65 schools across eight geographic regions competed in College Bowl.

Now, UW is seeking members for next year’s team to defend its title, as regionals come in April and nationals in August.

UW’s Food Science program within the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences incorporates real-life aspects of chemistry, physics, microbiology, and engineering to solve global and local food problems. Many of the team members are Food Science majors and share classes that cover similar topics as the trivia questions.

Smith, now the chair of College Bowl for UW–Madison, joined the team in the fall of 2023. She and teammates prepared for the finals carefully with College Bowl style practice sessions, reviewing crucial food science concepts and food-related trivia with a buzzer and time limits to replicate the College Bowl setting.

“We keep track of points, discussed questions we don’t understand and have retained the random knowledge from the bank!” Smith said.

Questions in the contest can come in multiple choice, short answer or buzz-in form in the following categories: food science and technology, the history of foods and food process, food law and general IFT/food-related trivia.

Here are a few sample questions:

• What was the first food ingredient developed via genetic engineering techniques and approved by the FDA? (Answer: chymosin)
• What is the impure distillation product of white wine? (Answer: brandy)
• This extraction technique involves heating and cooking of raw materials to liquify the fat to break down membranes or other structures that hold fat (Answer: rendering)

A bite of food science history

The winners are all members of UW’s Food Science Club, a registered student organization. The Food Science Club has been around UW–Madison since the 1950s, and the current faculty sponsor, Dr. Richard Hartel, has been the club advisor since 1987.

“From my side, it’s been a pleasure to work with such bright young adults,” Dr. Hartel said. “They have seen plenty of success on many accounts.”

As the president of the Food Science Club, UW senior Payton Gladem has connected students to new companies, including Hershey, Denali Ingredients and Clasen Quality Chocolate.

“This experience has helped prepare me for the corporate world,” Gladem said, adding that her skills in communication, time management and organization grew quickly at this position.

As for her favorite food, Gladem said it’s hard to select just one. “I’ve been obsessed with grilled zucchini on the stove (with a little bit of oil),” said Gladem. “Cheesecake is always delicious as a dessert option. It’s hard to live in Wisconsin and not love dairy.”

Dr. Hartel said that about 50 companies visit campus annually to recruit food science students for internships or full-time jobs.

The Food Science Department emphasizes the importance of community and professional preparation, and students have a nearly 100% job placement rate post-grad.

Another championship on the plate?

College Bowl rules state that those on the roster of a first-place team are ineligible to compete in future competitions, so UW–Madison’s College Bowl team will need new talent this year.

As the chair, Smith will be choosing that talent, basing her decisions off of willingness to study outside of practice, both confidence and accuracy in answers, breadth in topics and attendance.

Regionals will be held on April 12 of this year and hosted by the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, the only team UW–Madison competed against last year in regionals.

On the new group of contestants, Smith said, “I’m hopeful they’ll have a great time meeting new people and learning how competition feels in real time!”