The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation (New York) has awarded a grant to the Monell Center (Philadelphia) and the Springside School (Chestnut Hill, PA) to train high school teachers in taste science and chemistry. A Taste of Chemistry will develop a combined chemistry and biology curriculum that focuses on the human tongue as a sophisticated chemical sensor. The curriculum will include a set of five teaching units, which will be taught to high school science teachers during a summer workshop held every July; materials will also be made available online to teachers across the country.
Of the project, Monell research scientist Danielle Reed said, “One of the most sensitive chemical detectors is readily available to students, free of charge: the human tongue ... In A Taste of Chemistry, high school chemistry teachers will learn how to incorporate taste as a sensory system into classroom instruction.” Monell research scientist Amos Smith added that “active research scientists will work directly with an expert in science curriculum development to enable high school science teachers to thoroughly engage their students.”