IFT College Bowl

On Saturday, April 20th, 2024, University of Wisconsin-Madison Food Science graduate and undergraduate students competed in the IFT College Bowl against the University of Minnesota in Babcock Hall. The College Bowl is a team trivia competition consisting of four members hosted by the Institute of Food Technologist (IFT) Student Associations. Teams from IFT Student Chapters compete in area competitions within the eight geographical areas (Central Atlantic, Midwest, North Atlantic, North Central, Pacific Northwest, Pacific Southwest, South Central, Southeast). Each spring, there is a regional championship and the winner of each region competes in the national competition at the IFT FIRST conference.

The questions asked during the competition can be multiple-choice, short answer, or buzz-in. Questions cover a variety of food science and technology topics, ranging from the pH of milk (it’s about 6.8) to the name of confections that contain gelatin (those are called gummies) to the first flavors of Jell-O (raspberry, strawberry, lemon, and orange).

The UW-Madison Food Science team beat Minnesota 2-0, with some close class on either side. Many of the staff and faculty at UW-Madison are hopeful and excited for the regional championships. They want to be able to see these students rise to the top with their knowledge prowess.

The College Bowl is an excellent form of meeting other trivia fans of all grade levels and experiences, all the while learning about food science in a fun way. Students can join the College Bowl team anytime by contacting a food science club officer and can learn more about the competition on the IFTSA Website.