Now in its fifth year, the 2018 Philly Chef Conference will once again convene the regional and national food community to discuss the latest food and beverage industry issues and trends with demonstrations on current professional techniques. Experts from coast-to-coast will talk trends in food styling and beverage programs, as well as sexism in the kitchen and wellness for chefs. The conference hosted by Drexel University’s Center for Food and Hospitality Management will take place Sunday through Monday, March 11–12, 2018. 

A new Drexel University study found strong potential for consumer acceptance of a new category of foods created from discarded ingredients.

When the James Beard Foundation (JBF), with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, sought out culinary instructors and professors to help design and implement a curriculum to inspire a new generation of chefs and culinary professionals to substantially reduce food waste, Drexel’s Center for Food & Hospitality stepped up to the plate.

Doctors have warned us for years about the health risks associated with sitting too much. Researchers have linked sitting for long periods of time to a number of health issues, including increased high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat and cholesterol. They also warn that prolonged sitting increases the risk of cardiovascular problems and cancer. What does this mean for organizations whose employees end up sitting for at least eight hours a day? Should they be held liable for harms caused to employees in sedentary workplaces?

Drexel University’s Writers Room, a College of Arts and Sciences initiative within the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships, will introduce its first satellite location on campus this fall. Located on the first floor of MacAlister Hall, it will serve as the anchor location for a new program created in partnership with Canon Solutions America Inc. to promote literacy and life skills.

A partnership between Drexel University’s School of Education and the School District of Philadelphia Office of Specialized Services (OSS) will result in the development of aspiring special education leaders, poised to address the unique challenges facing students and teachers in the complex urban education environment.

With a $3 million gift to Drexel University, the Lenfest Foundation will fund paid cooperative education jobs for students in the nonprofit cultural sector. In recognition of this generous gift, the University will name its Center for Cultural Partnerships in honor of Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest. The Center was established in 2015 to fortify cultural institutions like museums, libraries and historical societies and make their offerings and experiences more accessible to Drexel students.

It turns out that when they’re in a hurry and space is limited, ions, like people, will find a way to cram in — even if that means defying nature’s norms. Recently published research from an international team of scientists, including Drexel University’s Yury Gogotsi, PhD, shows that the charged particles will actually forgo their “opposites attract” behavior, called Coulombic ordering, when confined in the tiny pores of a nanomaterial. This discovery could be a pivotal development for energy storage, water treatment and alternative energy production technologies, which all involve ions packing into nanoporous materials. 

Drexel University researchers have made a discovery that could help roads keep themselves free of ice and snow during winter storms. Their secret? — Adding a little paraffin wax to the road’s concrete mix.

Drexel’s Leonard Pearlstein Gallery will open The Expanded Caribbean: Contemporary Photograph at the Crossroads, an exhibition of over 50 photographs and four related sculptural and video installations this fall. 

A researcher from the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute received a $11 million Autism Centers of Excellence grant from the NIH to look into how early detection and treatment efforts lead to better outcomes for children on the spectrum.

A poll asked a panel of business school professors to grade Microsoft’s reaction to President Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration policy. The company signed an open letter to Trump in support of DACA, urged Congress to settle DACA before moving to tax reform and vowed, " if Dreamers who are our employees are in court, we will be by their side."

World-renowned flamenco dancer, teacher and scholar Belén Maya will perform for the first time in Philadelphia this fall as part of a residency at Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. As a 2017 Rankin-Scholar-In-Residence, Maya will give two public performances, lead demonstrations and workshops, and teach classes on campus.