Food for thought: Discovery Café examines eating environment

Is the choice between eating French fries or fresh fruit simply a matter of willpower? Christopher Wharton, a nutrition researcher at Arizona State University, says that our food environment actually encourages us to overeat foods that are bad for our health. Wharton will talk about factors that influence our dining decisions and discuss ways we can all contribute to a healthier food environment at the inaugural “Discovery Café” on March 29.

The Discovery Café series provides an opportunity for the public to meet working scientists and scholars and discuss issues that affect all of our lives. Each event will feature an informal talk followed by questions, comments and discussion from the audience. Discovery Café is sponsored by ASU’s Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development (OKED).

“Discovery Café provides another way for us to share the research that we do with the community,” says Sethuraman “Panch” Panchanathan, senior vice president of OKED. “Along with our Research Matters website and social media, it will help us to inform the public about what ASU researchers are learning and provide an opportunity to ask questions and give feedback.”

Discovery Café was inspired by the popular science café movement, which hosts events all over the United States and even overseas (through Cafés Scientifique). The goal of these events is to present science in an easy-to-understand format and to make all audiences feel welcome. Discussion is encouraged and having fun is highly recommended!

ASU’s Discovery Café will take place at 6:30 p.m., March 29, in Wrigley Hall 481, on the Tempe campus. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

Visitor parking is available for a fee in the ASU Foundation parking structure on College Avenue just north of University Drive, or in the Tempe Center visitor lot on the southeast corner of Mill Avenue and University Drive.

For more information visit: http://researchmatters.asu.edu/discoverycafe. Learn more about ASU research at http://researchmatters.asu.edu/