One of the most surprising aspects of YYGS was that my questions were fully answered. The professors and lecturers found every idea intriguing and attentively respected my thoughts. It was the first time in which I realized the true joy and love of learning. This led me to think that it does not necessarily have to be something grand that could be a subject of study, but rather something that excites me.
I always cooked simply for fun. But YYGS taught me that my passion could turn into an amazing research topic, and that it may lead to new discoveries. I decided to dive deeper into the science behind cooking; I started off with simple experiments such as observing the coagulation of milk proteins, measuring the optimum temperature of beta-amylase contained within Sikhye (fermented rice drink) and investigating the rate of fermentation in yogurt. It was only a matter of time until I realized I loved learning about fermentation. When the new school year started, I went up to my chemistry and biology teacher and asked if I could conduct a more sophisticated research on fermentation. She agreed to guide me. I am currently in the process of researching about the effect of rice types and cookedness on the rate of fermentation of Sikhye. Up until now, I have found out that different rice types have varying levels of Glycemic Index and carbohydrate content (starch). My hypothesis is that rice with a higher quantity of starch would be likely to speed up the fermentation process.