Hamilton Public Lecture Series

'Is there a party in your mouth? No, it's just mastication!' - by Professor Bryony James

‘Chew, chew, chew, spit’ is not a refrain you’d expect to associate with research by a Materials Engineer. But Professor Bryony James’ work has traversed aluminium smelting to chocolate melting, with wine proteins and pizza cheese in between.

Now Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research at the University of Waikato, Professor James first pivoted from the science of hard materials by impulsively analysing the microstructure of an apple in a scanning electron microscope.

She went on to join the dots from the microstructure of food to its mechanical properties and how they interact with oral processes when we eat, using gel-based model foods to ascertain how we chew different kinds of textures and the results on our appetites.

In this lecture, Professor James will outline her journey from materials engineering to food oral processing, and explain how the textural complexity of food may have a relationship with our feelings of fullness after eating, and where this area of work is headed next.

This 35-minute public lecture will be held at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, starting at 5.45 pm. Opus Bar will be open from 5 pm for anyone who wishes to purchase refreshments prior to the lecture starting. Free parking is available on campus via Gate 2B, Knighton Road, Hamilton.

Please register your attendance and bring your e-ticket with you on the evening to be scanned.