Top Nuvu Projects of Fall 2011

Sam Polk '13

If you go to school at Beaver, chances are you have heard of Nuvu, which is a program at MIT. I recently got back into daily Beaver life after a full term of Nuvu. Of the many impressive projects based on this fall term’s theme, food, there were some that stood out for the hard work put into creating them.

One of the coolest projects was built in the final two weeks of the term, which Nuvu gives its students to do independent work. Kenzie Mills ‘13, worked alongside Zachary Steinberg (home-schooled), and Emma Magidson (Nobles ‘13) to create an installation titled “The Chandelier.” This is not the type of chandelier you would find in a Victorian home, however, but one in a massive rave. The arms move up and down around the center console which has a projector programmed to give a multicolored light show. This project will stay in Nuvu showing newcomers what kind of cool things this program can lead to.

Another cool project was “Reinventing Breakfast”. In this studio, students were split up into four groups and asked to think of a new food that would be both healthy and tasty.  Beaver students presented these dishes to an elementary school. We were also introduced to Molecular Gastronomy: the science of cooking in odd fashions. Top Chefs taught us mind-blowing approaches to cooking such as yolk-based bread or pea soup-flavored caviar. After a week of research on what healthy yet tasty foods would be best to incorporate into breakfast, top chef Adam Melones asked what we thought we could make with the molecular gastronomy equipment. Some of the brainchildren of this studio were Yolkaine and the W(Hole) Apple. In Yolkaine, Phil Skippitarus ‘14 cooked egg yolks to make a donut.  Yolkaine is then flavored using fruit and nut ingredients. The concept behind the W(Hole) Apple is that the core is unnecessary and inconvenient to eat around. Students pondered the taste of an apple with its core replaced with fruit and nut granola.  I have tasted the final results of these dishes and can attest that they were absolutely delicious.

Nuvu was an excellent experience I would encourage other students to apply. I turned some of the coolest, innovative ideas I have heard of into tangible projects through this program.  I look forward to seeing what future Nuvu students will make.