Jess Zeldes SPS Final Presentation.pdf

Rheology, the study of the flow and deformation of complex materials, can feel esoteric, but it plays a crucial role in our everyday lives. Many of the things that make our favorite foods distinct and interesting are actually due to important rheological properties. In this talk, I will give a brief explanation of the mission of the Soft Matter Kitchen program, which seeks to engage people with the fields of rheology and soft matter physics through food. Then, I'll give a couple of examples of educational content I worked on this summer. You’ll learn what makes mayonnaise stable, how bread dough can be used to visualize the Weissenberg effect, and how to use the principles of rheological design to emulate one of the biggest food trends of the past few years. Along the way, I’ll explain a few of the important properties used to describe non-newtonian fluids, and explain why we care about these complex flows.