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Amaya Jorge

As summer came to a close, the Science National Honor Society (SNHS) wrapped up the season with its annual ice cream-making event. Students got hands-on experience crafting their own ice cream while exploring the science and chemistry behind the sweet treat.

Senior and president of SNHS Ryan Zhao expresses, “Ultimately, the main goal behind our event was to both cultivate students’ interest and love in science and to bring back SNHS to its former glory.” The club came up with this idea since they wanted to start adding more interactive activities for students to stay intrigued while also learning the scientific process behind things.

To begin the event, each student received a quart-sized and a large Ziploc bag to create their ice cream base. The quart bag was filled with vanilla extract, heavy whipping cream, milk, and sugar, while the larger bag held ice and rock salt to help freeze the mixture.

They were then told to add the quart size bag into the large bag with ice and continuously shake until the ingredients formed a solid state. Many club members enjoyed this part the most since you could see how the ice cream slowly started to form with the shaking.

“The part that stood out to me the most was the separation of ingredients and then the shaking that allowed the ice cream to form” shares senior Aleena Ismail.

Gallery • 3 Photos

Amaya Jorge

As students gathered their materials and shook their bags, Zhao took the time to explain the science behind the activity. “The process of emulsion is a common cooking method that helps make ice cream rich and silky…similar to how chefs use pasta water to create a creamier sauce.”

Emulsion is a process that combines two liquids that normally don’t mix like fat and water, to create a smooth, creamy texture. After five minutes of shaking the bags, some members successfully created delicious, velvety ice cream, while others faced mishaps. Senior Faizan Shah explains, “As I was shaking my bag to make the ice cream, the inner bag with all the ingredients ripped, and the salt mixed in. When I tasted it I could only taste salt, so it was a fail for me, unfortunately.”

Finally, it was the moment everyone was waiting for: devouring and decorating their ice creams. They were able to add delicious toppings such as chocolate chips and sprinkles to their handmade ice creams.

Originally, only 30 members were expected to attend the event, but due to an amazing turnout, 45 club members were invited to join in the fun of making their own ice cream. In the future SNHS plans to open their events to the whole club and possibly the whole school to bring the community together.

With such a successful event SNHS plans to host more interactive events with the club members that way “we are able to explain the sciences that we overlook in our day to day lives” comments Zhao.