Join us for the first-ever “drop-in” tour of our new exhibition, Lunchtime: The History of Science on the School Food Tray, as we explore the history and development of the school lunch. Learn about the complicated relationship between food scientists, the government, and the public throughout the last 200 years as ideas about nutrition and education have evolved.

Does school lunch affect student performance? How did innovations in agricultural science lead to the national school lunch program? What challenges do school lunch advocates face today? And why do we have guinea pigs to thank for our understanding of basic nutrition? We will answer all these questions and more!

This tour has an interactive component, too! You’ll have the chance to touch specially chosen artifacts from our handling collection, examine them in detail, and draw connections between your own experiences of school lunch and this fascinating facet of food history.


Drop-in tours are free and no reservations are necessary.

Featured image: Detail of the cover of The Conquest of Hunger, a comic book published by the National Fertilizer Association, 1951.

More events

Vintage ad for margarine featuring a knife spreading margarine on one piece of bread out of the loaf. The ad copy talks about the benefits of margarine.
October 18, 2025
Drop-In Tours

School Lunch Tour

This interactive drop-in tour reveals how food scientists, the government, and the public have shaped in-school nutrition.

color illustration of medicinal plants
October 18, 2025
For Families

Stories of Science: Spooky Science

Join us in our museum EVERY SATURDAY for a family-friendly program that highlights strange and surprising stories from the history of science!

Blue and green cover of book, "The Elements of Marie Curie"
October 22, 2025
Programs, Lectures & Talks

The Elements of Marie Curie

Join author Dava Sobel for an exciting evening exploring how the glow of radium lit a path for women in science.

    Republish

    Copy the above HTML to republish this content. We have formatted the material to follow our guidelines, which include our credit requirements. Please review our full list of guidelines for more information. By republishing this content, you agree to our republication requirements.