Who has the most delicious experiment? Researchers showcase projects through baked goods

Eating your experiment is not encouraged in laboratories for safety reasons. However, that rule was put to the wayside for a special competition in the Illinois Materials Research Laboratory. 

Contestants were encouraged to make delicious depictions of their research efforts. If they were not baking-inclined, then they could also make another physical representation of their research. 

The contest first started as a virtual one in 2020. Organizer Pamela Pena Martin, I-MRSEC outreach coordinator, said it was “a means of bringing

people together in a fun way and also take advantage of quarantine baking trends.” In 2021, the contest was expanded to accommodate other mediums. A sculpture, photo and desserts were entered. 

There were four contestants who participated in the competition this year. Alexia Popescu with Materials Science & Engineering entered a pie based on the research of The Perry group. That group studies a specific energy materials class. 

Kelly Powderly with the Chemistry department made pumpkin bread with cream-cheese frosting. That dessert represented the TEM bright-field image of a gold nanorod sample. 

From the Physics department, Emily White created an “Islands of Superconducting” cake. It was a pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting. The cake represented the “Nanoscale islands of a superconducting material such as Niobium can couple to one another and ‘talk’ with each other through the gold they all sit on.” The cream cheese frosting acted as the “gold.” 

Sarah-Ellen Leonard represented the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department. She entered a depiction of the “EPR spin label detection of amyloid beta oligomers in solution.” 

Whose dish came out on top? There ended up being a tie between Powderly and Popescu. Organizers said the decision was a difficult one to make for the voters.