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Jeff Miller/UW-Madison (Warren); Shutterstock.com (background)

Ice Cream Scientist

Food scientist Maya Warren has a super-cool specialty . . . ice cream!

By Kimberly Y. Masibay
From the Special Sample Issue

Learning Objective: Students will observe and describe properties of ice cream and its ingredients.

Lexile: 660L, 490L
Guided Reading Level: Q
Standards
  • NGSS
    Core Ideas: • PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter • ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems Practices: • Planning and Carrying Out Investigations • Developing and Using Models Crosscutting Concepts: • Energy and Matter • Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
  • CCSS
    Reading: • RI.1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text Writing: • W.8: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research Math: • 3.MD.3: Draw a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories • 5.MD.3: Recognize volume as an attribute of solid figures and understand concepts of volume measurement • MP3: Model with mathematics

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  • 490L
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Reading Level (490L)

Jeff Miller/UW-Madison

Warren says making ice cream is both a science and an art.

As an expert in the science of ice cream, Maya Warren creates new frozen treats for the company SMiZE & Dream. She uses chemistry, physics, technology, and math in her work. “So much science goes into making ice cream,” she says. “And people are curious about it. So it’s a great way to connect people with science.”

Warren spoke with SuperSTEM about the sweet life of an ice cream scientist.

Maya Warren is an expert in the science of ice cream. She creates new frozen treats for the company SMiZE & Dream. She uses chemistry, physics, technology, and math in her work. “So much science goes into making ice cream,” she says. “And people are curious about it. So it’s a great way to connect people with science.”

An ice cream scientist has a sweet life! Warren spoke with SuperSTEM about it.

How did you become interested in food science?

How did you become interested in food science?

Dr. Maya Warren

Peanut butter and jelly pops

It started when I was 6 years old. I got an Easy-Bake Oven. I remember pouring brownie mix into the toy’s tiny pan. Then I put it into the oven and watched it transform. I was so into it! That was my first experience with a chemical reaction.

In high school, I got even more interested in chemistry. My teacher was really encouraging. That’s why I studied chemistry in college.

One day I saw a TV show that featured a flavor chemistry lab. I remember thinking, “Wow! How do I become a flavor chemist?” I decided to pursue food science.

My goal was to become an expert in ice cream. And that’s what I am. I love what I do!

It started when I was 6 years old. I got an Easy-Bake Oven. The toy had a tiny pan, and I poured brownie mix into it. Then I put it into the oven and watched it change. I was so into it! That was my first experience with a chemical reaction.

In high school, I got even more interested in chemistry. My teacher really encouraged me. So I studied chemistry in college.

One day I saw a TV show about a flavor chemistry lab. I thought, “Wow! How do I become a flavor chemist?” I decided to work in food science.

I wanted to become an expert in ice cream. And that’s what I am. I love what I do!

What’s a surprising fact about ice cream?

Here’s a fun fact: Ice cream’s main ingredient isn’t cream. It’s air! You don’t really see it. You don’t taste it. But you do feel it. Air makes ice cream soft and scoopable.

Without air, ice cream would be a hard block of milky ice—like an ice pop!

I have a fun fact about the main ingredient of ice cream. It isn’t cream. It’s air! You don’t really see it. You don’t taste it. But you do feel it. Air makes ice cream soft and scoopable.

Without air, ice cream would be a hard block of milky ice. It would be like an ice pop!

How do you get air into ice cream?

How do you get air into ice cream?

Ice cream starts out as a liquid mixture. It contains milk, cream, sugar, and flavorings. We freeze this mixture in an ice cream machine. It whips air into the liquid while freezing it. The whipping creates tiny air bubbles in the ice cream mixture. Tiny fat particles, milk proteins, and ice crystals coat the air bubbles. This coating traps the bubbles in the ice cream. All that trapped air gives ice cream its soft texture.

Ice cream begins as a liquid mixture. It contains milk, cream, sugar, and flavorings. We freeze this mixture in an ice cream machine. It whips air into the liquid while it freezes. The whipping creates tiny air bubbles in the ice cream mixture. Tiny bits of fat stick to the air bubbles. Milk proteins and ice crystals stick too. This coating traps the bubbles in the ice cream. All that trapped air makes ice cream soft.

Dr. Maya Warren

Roasted beet ice cream with pistachios and goat cheese

What’s a typical day like for you?

What’s a typical day like for you?

I do most of my work in a test kitchen. It’s filled with ice cream makers that churn up batches of ice cream.

I spend a lot of time developing new flavor concepts. Once I get an idea, I decide which ingredients to use and how much of each I’ll need to turn the concept into a new flavor. It can take up to a year to perfect a new flavor.

I do most of my work in a test kitchen. It’s filled with ice cream makers. They mix batches of ice cream.

I spend a lot of time working on new flavor ideas. When I get an idea, I pick ingredients to use. I decide how much of each ingredient I need. Then I turn the idea into a new flavor. It can take up to a year to perfect a new flavor.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

What do you enjoy most about your work?

Everything! It’s ice cream, chemistry, creativity, and communication. Ice cream is an amazing tool for connecting with people. You instantly have people’s attention. Sharing food science with others is my mission.

Everything! It’s ice cream and chemistry. I can create and communicate. Ice cream is an amazing tool for connecting with people. You instantly have people’s attention. I want to share food science with others. That’s my mission.

Dr. Maya Warren

Left to right: Peanut butter and jelly ice cream; Cookie Monster ice cream (with Oreos and chocolate chip cookies); Lucky Charms ice cream

States of Matter

Ice cream contains all three states of matter. Matter is made up of tiny particles. It most commonly exists in three states. It can change from one state to another when it’s heated or cooled.

Ice cream contains all three states of matter. Matter is made up of tiny particles. It most commonly exists in three states. It can change from one state to another when it’s heated or cooled.

Illustrations by Kate Francis

hello

SOLID

Ice cream contains ice crystals. As a solid, ice is made up of tightly packed particles. This arrangement allows it to hold its shape.

SOLID

Ice cream contains ice crystals. As a solid, ice is made up of tightly packed particles. This arrangement allows it to hold its shape.

Illustrations by Kate Francis

LIQUID

Ice cream is made with liquid cream. As a liquid, its particles easily slide past each other. A liquid takes the shape of the container it’s in.

LIQUID

Ice cream is made with liquid cream. As a liquid, its particles easily slide past each other. A liquid takes the shape of the container it’s in.

Illustrations by Kate Francis

GAS

Ice cream includes air. As a gas, its particles can move freely and spread out to fill a space.

GAS

Ice cream includes air. As a gas, its particles can move freely and spread out to fill a space.

Illustration by Magictorch

DISCUSS IT! 

Ice cream contains solid ice crystals. If heat were added to the ice cream at right, what state of matter would the ice become?

DISCUSS IT! 

Ice cream contains solid ice crystals. If heat were added to the ice cream at right, what state of matter would the ice become?

States of Matter

Ice cream contains all three states of matter. Matter is made up of tiny particles. It most commonly exists in three states. It can change from one state to another when it’s heated or cooled.

Ice cream contains all three states of matter. Matter is made up of tiny particles. It most commonly exists in three states. It can change from one state to another when it’s heated or cooled.

Illustrations by Kate Francis

SOLID

Ice cream contains ice crystals. As a solid, ice is made up of tightly packed particles. This arrangement allows it to hold its shape.

SOLID

Ice cream contains ice crystals. As a solid, ice is made up of tightly packed particles. This arrangement allows it to hold its shape.

Illustrations by Kate Francis

LIQUID

Ice cream is made with liquid cream. As a liquid, its particles easily slide past each other. A liquid takes the shape of the container it’s in.

LIQUID

Ice cream is made with liquid cream. As a liquid, its particles easily slide past each other. A liquid takes the shape of the container it’s in.

Illustrations by Kate Francis

GAS

Ice cream includes air. As a gas, its particles can move freely and spread out to fill a space.

GAS

Ice cream includes air. As a gas, its particles can move freely and spread out to fill a space.

Illustration by Magictorch

DISCUSS IT! 

Ice cream contains solid ice crystals. If heat were added to the ice cream at right, what state of matter would the ice become?

DISCUSS IT! 

Ice cream contains solid ice crystals. If heat were added to the ice cream at right, what state of matter would the ice become?

Slideshows (1)
Slideshows (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

1. PREPARE TO READ (10 minutes)

Activate prior knowledge and watch a video about an ice cream factory.

  • Hold a class discussion and ask: What is your favorite ice cream flavor and why? How do you think ice cream gets its yummy flavors? What other ingredients are in ice cream?
  • Play the video “Inside an Ice Cream Factory.” Ask: Why do you think the factory bakes the cake ingredients separately and then mixes pieces in? (e.g., If the cake ingredients were mixed with the ice cream before heating, they wouldn’t undergo the chemical reaction to become cake. The cake ingredients would be more liquid-like.)

2. READ AND SUMMARIZE (15 minutes)

Read the article and synthesize information about an ice cream scientist.

  • Preview the article’s photos and captions. Then read it aloud. Ask: What was Maya Warren’s first experience with chemical reactions? (baking a cake in a toy oven) How did her interest in chemistry change into a focus on ice cream? (She saw a TV program about a flavor chemistry lab and decided to study food science, focusing on ice cream.)
  • Use the Check Your Knowledge assessment or the Cool STEM Jobs Spotlight activity as a formative assessment to check students’ reading comprehension.

3. RESPOND TO READING (20 minutes)

Make whipped cream and relate observations to a states of matter diagram.

  • Read and discuss the States of Matter diagram. Ask students to give real-world examples of each state.
  • Distribute the Make Whipped Cream activity. Preview the “Predict” and “Materials” sections. For each substance named, classify it as a solid, liquid, or gas. Ask: If you pour a scoop of sugar into a cup, it takes the shape of its container. Is it a liquid? Explain. (No; individual grains of sugar hold their shape, so it’s a solid.) Read the steps aloud.
  • View the “Make Whipped Cream” slideshow as a class demonstration, or have students follow the steps in the slides to do the activity in groups. Then ask: How did the properties of the cream change? What states of matter from the diagram did you observe in the mixture? (e.g., It changed from a loose liquid to a stiff solid that holds its shape.)

STEM INTEGRATION
WRITING: Design a New Ice Cream Flavor

For each ice cream flavor pictured in the article, ask students for a thumbs up or down on whether they would try it. Then invite students to share stories of unusual ice cream flavors they’ve tasted or seen. Preview page 1 of the Design an Ice Cream Flavor activity. Remind students to think about how sight and taste affect people’s enjoyment of ice cream.

MATH: Display and Analyze Data Using a Bar Graph

Distribute page 3 of the Design an Ice Cream Flavor activity. Read the introduction and preview math vocabulary like x-axis, y-axis, and scale. Allow students to work as partners or in small groups to consult with one another while building their graphs. Have students display their bar graphs and conduct a gallery walk to look for evidence that certain flavors were popular or unpopular. Reconvene as a class to discuss any patterns or interesting trends they noticed.

SCIENCE: Make and Investigate Ice Cream

For an at-home extension, allow students to complete the Investigate Ice Cream hands-on activity to investigate the effects air has on ice cream by making a recipe twice—once with the cream whipped and once without.

Text-to-Speech