Vision

• To promote scientific habits of mind through thoughtful inquiry-based activities that study food, food systems, and environmental and personal health.

Mission

• To increase scientific conceptual understandings in life science; improve attitudes towards science; improve attitudes toward personal health and nature; and, promote behavior changes toward personal and ecological health.

Goals

• Increase knowledge and conceptual understandings about how the biological world works and how it interacts with the world designed by humans.
• Develop skills in scientific inquiry about the natural and designed worlds -- use of evidence to justify statements; the use of both logical reasoning and imagination; and the ability to explain, predict, identify, and limit bias.
• Expand ways of thinking or habits of mind to include curiosity, flexibile open-mindedness, informed skepticism, and creative and critical thinking.
• Improve attitudes towards the processes of science through enjoyable activities in a domain that is meaningful and familiar to them -- food.
• Improve attitudes towards the natural environment that include appreciation of nature's complexity, diversity, change, and constancy; respect for the natural environment; and concern for the impact of human food systems on the environment.
• Improve attitudes towards personal health through an understanding of the impact of food on health and appreciation of healthful eating habits.
• Appreciate the connectedness of science, technology, the natural environment and everyday life in ways that are life changing for the students themselves, society, and the natural environment.
• Increase confidence and commitment to apply the above conceptual understandings, skills, attitudes and ways of thinking (habits of mind) to personal decisions and public debate of issues related to food systems, health, and the natural environment.