Outreach Events
CFSF inspires awareness of the science of food in Illinois’ students through K-12 programs designed to educate and excite. We attend STEM events to share with students how they can learn more about the science of food. This includes providing awards for 4-H Club Food Science competitions.
We also support our mission with ongoing educator engagement and curriculum development.
Upcoming Events
4-H State-wide Virtual Workshop
January 22, 2026
@ 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Virtual
- 1 CFSF STEM Volunteer
Ranch View Elementary STEAM Fair
February 4, 2026
@ 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Naperville
Set-up @ 4:30
- 4x CFSF STEM Volunteers
Black Creative Career Event
February 16, 2026
@ 9:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Chicago Museum of Science and Industry
Lake County Tech Campus Food Science Day
February 26, 2026
@ 8:15 AM – 2:40 PM
Grayslake
- 4x Career Speakers
- 4x STEM Volunteers
Grayslake North High School Food Science Day
March 10, 2026
@ 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Grayslake
- 6x Career Speakers
- 12x Company Expo
- 4x STEM Volunteers
Career Fair and Project Showcase
March 11, 2026
@ 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Zion
- 2x STEM Volunteers
Meadow Glens Elementary STEM Night
March 13, 2026
@ 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Naperville
Set-up 4:30, Hospitality 5:00 – 6:00 PM
- 5x STEM Volunteers
Grant Community High School Career Expo
March 18, 2026
@ 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Foxlake
- 5x STEM Volunteers
Linconway East High School – CICI Event
March 27, 2026
@ 8:30 PM – 1:00 PM
Frankfort
- 5x STEM Volunteers
Woodland Elementary STEM Night
April 9, 2026
@ 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Gurnee
- 4x STEM Volunteers
Roosevelt Elementary Science Fair
April 10, 2026
@ 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Park Ridge
Set-up 5:30 – 6:00 PM, Reptile Show 6:00 – 7:00 PM, Booths 7:00 – 8:00 PM
- 3x STEM Volunteers
Vernon Hills Food Science Day
April 16, 2026
@ 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Vernon Hills
- 6x Career Speakers
- 12x Company Expo
- 5x STEM Volunteers
CHSAS Food Science Day
March 24, 2026
@ 7:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Chicago – South Side
- 6x Career Speakers
- 12x Company Expo
- 5x STEM Volunteers
Educator Event
June 17, 2026
@ 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Virtual
How You Can Get Involved
1. CFSF STEM Volunteer
- The simplest way to participate.
- Attend the event at the scheduled time and help students with hands-on experiments at the CFSF table.
- All materials and instructions are provided.
- Every event features a dedicated CFSF table.
2. Company Expo Volunteer
- Available at Food Science Days events with an industry expo.
- Represent your company at a tabletop station where students can learn about your organization and careers in food science.
- We recommend offering a hands-on activity or handouts to draw student interest.
- We aim to feature 10–15 companies per event.
3. Career Speaker Volunteer
- Also part of Food Science Days events.
- Share your career journey in 30-minute presentations, repeated for different groups of students as they rotate.
- Hands-on or interactive activities are encouraged to keep students engaged.
- We target 4–8 speakers per event, depending on the school’s schedule.