Every summer, Grandparents University (GPU) welcomes more than 1,000 children and their adult relatives to UW–Madison’s campus for a few enriching days dedicated to exploring the joys of lifelong learning.
Participants get the full college experience:
- Busy days of classes in their major
- Eating in the dining halls
- Attending parties like Bucky’s Night Out
- Sleeping in the dorms
After checking in, participants chose from 17 activities to start their first morning and then head to their majors to continue the fun.
Here’s a glimpse into a few of the new field trips and majors at this year’s GPU.
Alien Blood: Crime Scene Investigation
On the Alien Blood field trip, participants explored forensic science at the Biotechnology Center. They used adjustable pipettes, a tool invented at UW–Madison, to carefully measure and handle small amounts of “alien blood” samples. The main activity was gel electrophoresis, which separates DNA, RNA, or proteins based on size as they move through a gel under an electric current. Participants played the role of forensic scientists, applying these techniques to investigate and solve a mysterious alien crime scene.
Bakke Recreation and Wellbeing Center
This field trip featured a staff-guided tour of the Bakke Recreation and Wellbeing Center. Opened in 2023, the Bakke offers a wide range of amenities, including a 25-yard swimming pool, basketball courts, an ice rink, expanded fitness areas, and spaces dedicated to mental health. Additional highlights include an Esports room, a massage studio, nap pods, sports simulators, and a new Kilter Board. This innovative light-up, adjustable-angle board allows users to tackle over 100,000 climbing combinations.
Food Science
Participants dove spoon first into the field of dairy at the Food Science major. The day began with a tour of the Babcock Dairy Plant, where milk, cheese, and ice cream are made. They then headed upstairs for a behind-the-counter experience at the Babcock Dairy Store. Kids got to scoop (and eat) ice cream, make milkshakes, and try making waffle cones. Stomachs full, everyone returned downstairs to design and create custom ice cream flavors. Choosing between a chocolate or vanilla base was the easy part. Participants then got to select their flavoring and add-ins from tables full of fruit, candy, and peppers.
After letting their ice cream creations freeze overnight, the class returned on Day 2 for more ice cream fun. Participants investigated the ingredients, texture, and taste of store-bought ice cream. Then, they headed to another lab to make something “illegal” — extra-airy ice cream. Food regulations set a maximum to the amount of air mixed into what stores can call ice cream, but the class went over the top of fluffy texture.
To end the session, a panel of ice cream experts visited to judge the class’s unique creations before everyone had one last spoonful and packed up their ice cream to take home.
Nutritional Sciences
In the Nutritional Sciences major, students explored how nutrients affect the human body. They participated in hands-on activities, including building models of the digestive system, learning about the intricacies of digestion, and even acting out how food moves through a life-size model of the digestive tract. Students then learned about food groups, explored healthy options using MyPlate, and examined food labels and micronutrients. They discovered that the human body processes the equivalent of 25,000 pounds of food over a lifetime — roughly the weight of two elephants. The program also included comparisons of digestive tracts across different animals and took a look at UW–Madison’s notable nutrition discoveries , such as Warfarin and Vitamins A, B, and D.
When class ended, the students took all their new-found food knowledge and headed off to lunch!
Meat Science: Hot Dogs
If you’ve ever wondered why hot dogs taste so great, Meat Science: Hot Dogs is for you! In this major, participants discovered how the sausage is made by stepping into meat scientist and processor roles at the Meat Science and Animal Biologics Discovery Building. They learned about the intricacies of meat processing, including the differences between sausages and hotdogs and nitrites and nitrates. They even tested their sense of smell by guessing the seasonings used in popular hot dog recipes.
After a lesson in food safety, grandparents and grandchildren put their knowledge to work by making sausage patties. Combining meat, salt, and spices in a stand mixer emulsifies the fat to create a smooth, sticky mix called “batter.” Each group formed the batter into their preferred shape and thickness before being baked and eaten.
Day 2 focused on the star of the show: hot dogs. Participants observed how the meat mixture is ground and chopped before getting their hands on the stuffing machine. After learning the parts and assembling the machine, they stuffed their hotdogs into natural casings.
As the hot dogs cooked, the group headed downstairs to the building’s USDA Meat Plant, a facility that handles every aspect of meat processing, from harvesting to smoking and packaging.
After the tour, the class got to try their hand at professional sensory evaluation by comparing the taste, texture, and look of the sausage patties and hotdogs they made. With full stomachs, leftover hot dogs, and bags of goodies picked up from Bucky’s Varsity Meats store, the class was dismissed.
Graduation
Opened in fall 2019, the award-winning Hamel Music Center not only facilitates the Mead Witter School of Music’s more than 350 yearly public performances, also, starting this year, GPU graduation!
Students got to take photos in their graduation regalia before each major was called on stage to receive their “diplomas” and take a farewell photo with their classmates. and take a farewell photo with their classmates.
