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Culinary Arts Research Guide

The Culinary Arts Research Guide is a pathway to research tools and resources. In this guide, you will find articles, books, eBooks, media, and open-access sources to assist you with your projects and assignments in your Culinary Arts courses. This guide will help you navigate library resources whether you are an online student, dual credit, hybrid student, or attending in-person.

Culinary Art

This means that culinarians prepare food that not only tastes delicious but also is visually appealing, gives off delightful aromas, and more. They even prepare some dishes in such a way, so the foods are heard before they are seen, such as fajitas sizzling, or have an appealing texture, such as crunchy fried chicken or silky cream pie, to delight the senses of sound and feel, respectively.

Most work in kitchens is demanding and stressful. Culinary arts careers sometimes require long hours spent on the feet in hot, crowded, and often busy spaces. Those who perform well under pressure are best suited for culinary careers such as cooks or chefs. Those considering a traditional career in the culinary field should be prepared to work long shifts, weekends, and holidays. Those who prefer to work standard nine-to-five schedules in quiet, less-restrictive atmospheres should look at other food-related jobs such as photographers, writers, or marketing professionals.

Culinarians receive an education by working in the field and/or attending special culinary arts schools. These types of schools prepare aspiring culinary artists for employment in various food-related positions in restaurants, bakeries, and catering businesses, among others. In addition, some culinarians may find themselves working in food-related jobs outside the kitchen, such as food stylists, sommeliers (wine stewards), and more. Instead, these jobs may require education beyond culinary school or a traditional college degree.

From EBSCO: Culinary Art by Harmon, Angela, Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2020

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Transformation in culinary behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic: In-depth interviews with food gatekeepers in urban India

Lakshmi menon.

a Dr. Bhanuben Mahendra Nanavati College of Home Science, Mumbai, 400019, Maharashtra, India

Dripta Roy Choudhury

b Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, Maharashtra, India

Rimante Ronto

c Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109, Australia

Rupali Sengupta

Sangeeta kansal.

d Department of Community Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India

COVID-19 and its associated regulatory measures including lockdowns, curfews, and physical distancing norms have significantly affected individual's dietary and culinary behaviours. Although there is ample empirical evidence available on dietary changes within the Indian context, very limited evidence exists about the factors influencing these dietary modifications and changes in culinary behaviours during COVID-19 lockdown. Therefore, the aim of this qualitative study was to explore the views of Indian household food gatekeepers towards meal planning, food purchasing, and meal preparation during the pandemic and its associated lockdowns. A convenience sample of 34 female gatekeepers from the Mumbai metropolis participated in online interviews. Interviews were conducted in English and Hindi (then translated in English), audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Underpinned by Template Analysis technique, transcribed data were analysed manually and using the NVivo software program. The interview structure guided the development of themes. The emerging themes included were: Increased household cooking; Involvement of children and male members in food-related activities; Experimentation in the kitchen; Adoption of meal planning skills; Increase in online food shopping; Bulk buying; Shortage of food items; Reduced consumption of outside home food; Increased variety of home-cooked meals; Increase in snacking and overall food intake; Determinants of food choices; and Family meals-a new norm. In the light of these findings, developing family-focussed, web-based nutrition programs to enhance gatekeepers' and their families' food literacy including declarative and procedural nutritional knowledge would be beneficial. The importance of organisational culinary behaviours such as planning meals in advance, shopping with a food list should be promoted to prevent hoarding and subsequently reduce strain on the food supply system. With a surge in domestic cooking, low cost nutritious recipes with the use of local and seasonal produce should be emphasized promoting healthy eating among the gatekeepers and their family members. The inclusion of food studies in the school curriculum will facilitate the development of culinary skills among children and youth. Also, there is a need for further research and surveillance to strengthen understanding of sustainability of healthy culinary behaviours practiced during the pandemic.

1. Introduction

The World Health Organization in March 2020 declared the Coronavirus outbreak as a global pandemic ( World Health Organization, 2020 ). The Indian government initiated a nation-wide lockdown as a counteractive measure from March 25, 2020 to May 31, 2020 ( Ghosh et al., 2020 ). According to the stringency index by Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT), this lockdown was identified as one of the most stringent lockdowns implemented worldwide ( Hale et al., 2021 ). Citizens were given a 4-h notice to prepare for the restrictions to be imposed. This immediate closure policy caused disarray in many aspects of civilian life such as bottlenecks in the food supply chain ( Narayanan & Saha, 2021 ).

The alarming rate of spread of the novel COVID-19 virus was cause for unprecedented changes in food availability and pandemic restrictions which resulted in an overall shift in food behaviors ( Snuggs & McGregor, 2021 ). This led to Indian families hoarding food by identifying stores and points of purchase to stock up on food supplies considered as staples and essentials ( Bandyopadhyaya & Bandyopadhyaya, 2021 ). Services of online food and grocery applications and local grocery stores were sought due to imposed social distancing norms and restrictions on physical movement ( Bandyopadhyaya & Bandyopadhyaya, 2021 ).

Food skills such as meal planning and cooking have an impact on dietary practices ( Murphy et al., 2021 ). The practice of home cooking has been ever changing in India witnessing a greater use of dine out and food ordering mobile applications ( Roy & Zain, 2018 ). During the lockdown, Indians ( Basu et al., 2020 ) like other population groups ( Ben Hassen et al., 2020 ; De Backer et al., 2020 ; Murphy et al., 2021 ; Ronto et al., 2021 ) had developed a renewed outlook towards home cooking with available ingredients to suit the needs of all members in a family. Interestingly, food choice motivations over lockdown were identified amongst families in UK indicating family involvement as one of the key motivators in meal preparation during the lockdown ( Snuggs & McGregor, 2021 ). Increased time spent at home due to flexible ‘work from home’ opportunities and high rates of unemployment have contributed to gravitating towards home cooking as cited in our recently published Australian study ( Ronto et al., 2021 ). However, whether these reasons for increased household cooking are also applicable in the Indian context needs to be verified.

1.1. COVID-19 pandemic and diet in India

Several online surveys have been conducted in India to collect quantitative data on dietary intakes during the COVID-19 lockdown ( Basu et al., 2020 ; Paul et al., 2020 ; Rawat et al., 2021 ). These surveys have been able to provide some insights to changes in diets of the Indian population ( Basu et al., 2020 ; Paul et al., 2020 ; Rawat et al., 2021 ). For example, it was found that overall food consumption increased ( Rawat et al., 2021 ), with enhanced preference for fresh produce like fruits and vegetables to boost immunity ( Paul et al., 2020 ) as well increased consumption of sugar and fat ( Rawat et al., 2021 ). This overeating was coupled with reduced physical activity resulting in weight gain ( Rawat et al., 2021 ). These lifestyle changes have been linked with stress and psychosocial factors ( Arora & Grey, 2020 ). Paul and colleagues further reported an increased intake of herbal tonics and vitamin supplements in their participants whereas few of their participants became vegans during confinement ( Paul et al., 2020 ). Likewise, Basu and coworkers also reported a rampant use of ginger and garlic as well as multivitamins as immunity boosters by their surveyed participants ( Basu et al., 2020 ).

Although there is ample empirical evidence available on dietary changes within the Indian context, very limited evidence exists about the factors influencing these dietary modifications and changes in culinary behaviours (e.g. meal preparation, meal planning, family meals, and grocery shopping). Therefore, the current study aims to gain an in-depth understanding of culinary behaviours of food gatekeepers in Indian households in Mumbai city during this unprecedented crisis. The views of household food gatekeepers are integral to this study as they have the biggest influence on the food behaviours of their family members that are related to food preparation, health, and food acquisition ( Burton et al., 2017 ; Reid et al., 2009 ). In India, women have culturally served as nutritional gatekeepers at the household level ( Rathi et al., 2017 , 2020 ). In addition, this exploratory study aimed to identify food preparation behaviours that could be adopted among Indian families for healthier food consumption (e.g. greater intake of nutrient dense, low energy density foods; reduced intake of energy dense, nutrient poor foods) post COVID-19 and prepare for future disruptions.

2.1. Study design

The present study implemented a qualitative research design ( Sandelowski, 2000 ) which was informed by the social constructivism paradigm ( Creswell, 2014 ). Through this interpretative paradigm, the investigators aim to capture useful insights from participants' experiences and interactions with the members of the society ( Creswell, 2014 ). The use of social constructivism framework in the current context proved valuable as it allowed the researchers to investigate the household food gatekeepers' experiences regarding meal preparation, food shopping, and meal planning during COVID-19 and its associated lockdowns in India. The research methodology described here has already been used previously in an Australian context with similar research objectives and study design ( Ronto et al., 2021 ). The SMES's (Seva Mandal Education Society's) Institutional Ethics Committee approved the research protocol for this project in February 2021 (SMES/IEC/125).

2.2. Sample and recruitment

Indian household food gatekeepers were selected as informants for this study as they are primarily responsible for food-related activities including cooking, grocery shopping, meal planning in their respective households ( Burton et al., 2017 ; Wijayaratne et al., 2018 ). Convenience sampling was used to recruit gatekeepers from Mumbai, India through professional links. None of the interviewees shared any kind of personal associations with the authors. Mumbai is a cosmopolitan city and therefore the study sample was expected to be representative of urban India rather than one particular state or region. Food gatekeepers were approached to participate in the study over the phone where the researchers provided a detailed description of the intended study. A recruitment pack including a Plain Language Statement and a Consent Form was sent to all the interested participants via email. Upon receipt of signed consent forms over email, the participants were asked to share their preferred time and day for the online interview with the researchers (LM & NR).

2.3. Data collection

Online, in-depth interviews were used to collect data on culinary behaviours between March and June 2021. Two interviewers (LM & NR – Fluent in both English and Hindi) facilitated the online discussion either in English or Hindi using Zoom. Prior to the commencement of the interviews, the gatekeepers were verbally informed that the conversation would be audio recorded and they were ensured of their right to confidentiality ( King, 2004a ). They were further notified that their participation was voluntary, and they could withdraw from the interview any time ( King, 2004a ). Data analysis was carried out simultaneously with the data collection which assisted the researchers in determining data saturation ( Patton, 1990 ). Data saturation was reached at 30th interview as no new themes were reported. However, four additional interviews were carried out to confirm saturation of themes. The duration of the online discussions ranged from 12 min to 45 min. No gifts or inducements were provided to the interviewees for their participation.

An interview guide ( Table 1 ) with a series of open-ended questions was designed and pre-tested with five informants to confirm the face validity of the interview guide. These questions were based on the study aim and the literature on culinary behaviours. Besides these questions, socio-demographic information on age, occupation, employment status, income, number of family members living in the household was also sought from the interviewees. Since, no modifications in the phrasing and deletions or additions were made in the interview guide, the pre-tested data were merged with data derived from the full-scale study.

Open-ended questions posed to the household food gatekeepers.

2.4. Data analysis

A professional transcription service was employed to transcribe and translate digital recordings verbatim; while two competent researchers (LM & NR) in both English and Hindi languages checked 25% of the translated transcripts to ensure the accuracy. Subsequently, all gatekeepers were invited to review their transcripts and provide feedback on accuracy and completeness of the transcribed information. Nevertheless, none of the gatekeepers provided any additional inputs. Adopting the Template Analysis technique ( King, 2004b ), the transcribed data were thematically analysed both manually as well as by using the NVivo 12 software program (QSR International Pvt Ltd. 2010). This technique of thematic analysis demonstrates rigor in qualitative study ( Fereday & Muir-Cochrane, 2006 ) as it involves both the data-driven inductive approach (codes were found directly from the raw data) and the deductive approach of designing a priori template (codes are identified based on research questions and previous research). On the basis of a subset of data (20% of transcripts), four researchers (LM, DRC, RR, & NR) developed a set of codes (‘template’) representing themes derived from the interviewee accounts. Thereafter, the remaining transcripts were coded by two investigators (LM & NR) and the pre-defined ‘template’ was further modified, refined, and applied to the complete data set. Additionally, three professionals (one psychologist, one home economist, and one dietician) independently analysed a subset of five transcripts to confirm inter-rater reliability ( Marques & McCall, 2005 ). In case of any discrepancy, the template was amended until a consensus was reached that the identified themes were representative of the transcribed information ( Creswell, 2014 ). Moreover, the engagement of authors from different disciplines further minimised the likelihood of any personal or disciplinary biases. LM and DRC are nutritionists, RR is a public health professional, RS is a biochemist, SK is a medical doctor and NR is a Home Economist. Finally, the direct narratives from the interviewees were linked to the template themes and subthemes. A comprehensive analysis of the interviewees' culinary experiences associated with the themes and descriptive quotations is presented in the results section.

3.1. Socio-demographic characteristics of the interviewees

Online interviews were conducted with 34 female primary food gatekeepers. The sociodemographic characteristics of the participants are presented in Table 2 . Most of the gatekeepers were aged between 41 and 50 years of age. Half the gatekeepers (53%) had completed their undergraduate collegiate education. A similar proportion (50%) of the sample was employed before the lockdown was announced due to COVID-19; while the employment status reduced to 35% during the lockdown period. A large section of the sample (71%) reported reduction in the household income during lockdown. Based on self-reported household income, around three-fifth of the interviewees belonged to upper class ( Khairnar et al., 2021 ). Participants were from diverse regional backgrounds including Indian states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. All our participants were responsible for feeding their family members including children (both below and above 16 years), husbands, and in-laws residing in their households.

Socio-demographic characteristics of the primary food gatekeepers (N = 34).

3.2. Themes

The interview structure guided the development of themes. A number of themes were developed through analysis of the 34 interviews which included: Increased household cooking; Involvement of children and male members in food-related activities; Experimentation in the kitchen; Adoption of meal planning skills; Increase in online food shopping; Bulk buying; Shortage of food items; Reduced consumption of outside home food; Increased variety of home-cooked meals; Increase in snacking and overall food intake; Determinants of food choices; and Family meals - a new norm. These themes were categorised into three groups of food-related behaviours as follows: i) Changes in cooking behaviours; ii) Changes in meal planning and food shopping behaviours; and iii) Changes in food choices and behaviours. These three groups along with their themes are described below. Representative quotes for each theme are presented in Table 3 . Each quote is followed by a Participant ID, number of adults and children living in the household e.g. P4, 4A (4 adults), 1C (1 child less than 16 years of age).

Themes associated with culinary and dietary behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns.

3.2.1. Changes in cooking behaviours

3.2.1.1. increased household cooking.

The majority of the household food gatekeepers reported spending more time in the kitchen cooking homemade meals during the lockdown phase. Participants stated that the main reasons contributing to increased home cooking were increased availability of free time, the presence of all family members at home from morning to night and the preparation of all three meals i.e. breakfast, lunch, and dinner. As one of the gatekeepers explained:

“ When you are free and all, we tend to think more about food and eating. So, we had free time and more time to cook food during lockdown … Also all the members were at home from morning to night. So, comparatively the frequency of cooking food increased. Like when we go to office, we cook everything at one time and leave … ” (P4, 4A,1C)

3.2.1.2. Involvement of children and male members in food-related activities

Half of the gatekeepers complained about excessive workload during lockdown which was attributed to the absence of domestic help. They reported that usually, Indian food gatekeepers are supported by domestic helps/maids/cooks (i.e. paid help) in completing the household chores including cooking. Since the lockdown restricted the movement of people including domestic help, the gatekeepers were overburdened with household tasks. Nevertheless, family members including children, partners, parents-in-law shared responsibilities (e.g. chopping vegetables, kneading the dough etc.) with the gatekeepers to minimize their workload. This was viewed as a positive change by the participants as they received very limited support from family members particularly from male family members in pre-pandemic times. The following response exemplifies this:

“ … One problem was that maid's absence due to which there was too much load. But everyone at home helped me. Both my girls and husband helped me in cooking. So, it became a little easier. ” (P8, 4A)

3.2.1.3. Experimentation in the kitchen

COVID-19 and its associated lockdowns offered exciting opportunities for the gatekeepers to learn new culinary skills, in particular baking was identified as the most popular cooking skill. Besides baking, participants tried experimenting with different cuisines like Chinese, Italian, and Mexican. This need for experimenting resulted from two main reasons: participants had more free time in hand; and participants and their family members could not relish outside food. The new recipes were derived from a range of sources, for example family, friends, and the internet.

“ Yeah, we tried new things like Mexican, Italian cuisine … We made ras malai (an Indian dessert - steamed cottage cheese dumplings served in sweetened condensed milk) for the first time. It was very nice and soft. We also made burrito bowl … We even tried baking and made some cakes. ” (P3, 3A, 1C)

3.2.2. Changes in meal planning and food shopping behaviours

3.2.2.1. adoption of meal planning skills.

Besides the development of new cooking skills, nearly half of food gatekeepers also gained meal planning skills over the course of lockdown. They started planning their menus in advance depending on the availability of ingredients as well as preparing food shopping lists to avoid frequent, unnecessary visits to the supermarkets. Moreover, unlike the pre-pandemic times when stores were open round the clock and food availability was not an issue, the grocery stores and supermarkets were only functional for limited duration during the lockdown which compelled gatekeepers to adopt meal planning skills.

“ … Before lockdown there were no issues … Even at 7.00 pm if we planned on cooking something, it was possible. Unlike during lockdown where we had to plan and get the ingredients beforehand … So, we would write the whole list and go for shopping.” (P31, 3A, 1C)

3.2.2.2. Increase in online food shopping

Overcrowded marketplaces, long queues in supermarkets, and physical distancing norms during the pandemic deterred gatekeepers and their family members to curtail their outdoor visits for purchasing food items. In pre-COVID days, the gatekeepers reported usually engaging in food shopping on a daily basis but since the pandemic started, they consciously reduced their visits to the supermarkets as they were afraid of being infected by the virus. The following quotation as an example of this:

“ Before lockdown I used to go to the market every day. But in lockdown I used to bring vegetables for a week, even milk I used to bring more and store it in the freezer. I was scared if I go every day, I may get infection. ” (P2, 3A, 1C)

Nearly half of the participants who were hesitant to venture outdoors for food shopping amidst the lockdown opted for online shopping as it was considered safe and convenient. Undeniably, a considerable rise in the online shopping of food products was observed during the crisis period.

“ … In Dadar (name of a locality in Mumbai) there was a market put up by the Government, but we didn't go due to the rush and therefore ordered from Amazon … ” (P3, 3A, 1C)

Nonetheless, online shopping received mixed views i.e. a couple of participants expressed dissatisfaction over the quality of food delivered through online portal. As one interviewee explained:

“ Yes, we did online shopping of fruits, but the quality was not good. Fruits were not fresh. ” (P26, 4A)

On the other hand, there were some gatekeepers who were quite happy purchasing grocery items and fresh produce via online shopping apps, as this gatekeeper reports:

“ … Basically, we did try online shopping during lockdown because we didn't want to go out … Definitely there was fear of infection … It was a nice experience to buy vegetables and stuff online. We used to get fresh vegetables and door to door service. The rates were also not that high as we expected. ” (P9, 4A, 1C)

3.2.2.3. Bulk buying

At the onset of the lockdown, there was lot of confusion and panic among the consumers regarding the availability of food items which in turn compelled some of our gatekeepers to buy staples in bulk for future use. The following quote illustrates how one of the gatekeepers hoarded food products such as dry grains:

“ Actually, at the start of lockdown there was lot of confusion and rumours that things will not be available, so I brought rice and stuff in bulk … ” (P5, 4A, 1C)

3.2.2.4. Shortage of food items

During the lockdown, the interviewees reported facing challenges in procuring essential food items like fruits and vegetables, animal-derived products, and grains. In view of this shortage, the interviewees had to modify their recipes and food choices accordingly, indicative of high order food skills. Here is what one of the interviewees had to say about this issue:

“ Actually, we weren't getting any meat or fish during the lockdown, all the shops were shut. Chicken we used to order from a shop close by; but we did face shortage of meat and fish … even, we didn't get all the vegetables we wanted so had to settle with whatever was available in the market. ” (P3, 3A, 1C)

3.2.3. Changes in food choices and behaviours

3.2.3.1. reduced consumption of outside home food.

The fear of infection associated with the COVID crisis inhibited several participants from ordering outside home food. The interviewees further acknowledged that home cooked food was much healthier and hygienic than restaurant food. Nevertheless, they further reported that they wanted to consume take away food but could not get it or order it. The constraints on consuming outside food led to disappointment particularly among the children and adolescents within the household. However, our interviewees efficiently tackled this disappointment by preparing restaurant-like food at home, therefore, satisfying the tastebuds of their younger ones. The following quote, as an example of this:

“ … All outside food was stopped. Because of the lockdown we couldn't order food from outside or go to the hotels. So, we had to prepare those food in house only and have it. ” (P24, 4A)

3.2.3.2. Increased variety of home-cooked meals

In contrast to pre-COVID times, an increase in the variety of home cooked meals during the lockdown was noted by some gatekeepers. Given that all family members were at home and had different food preferences, the gatekeepers tried to prepare a variety of meals and snacks to fulfil their demands. Also, the interviewees pointed out that no such demands were observed before lockdown as the members had the liberty to consume or order food of their choice from restaurants.

“ … In lockdown everyone was at home. So, we used to have more variety in our meals. ” (P3, 3A, 1C)

3.2.3.3. Increase in snacking and over all food intake

According to the interviewees, COVID and its associated lockdowns had altered the snacking patterns in many households. They further explained that sitting idle at home led to binge eating. Ready-made packaged snacks (e.g. nachos, popcorn) and home-made snacks (e.g. samosas, pizza, burgers – pizza and burger are commonly recognised as snacks in urban India which is contrary to the Western world where they are regarded as meals) were commonly consumed during the period of crisis as demonstrated by this quote:

“ Usually, we don't eat snacks but during lockdown our snacking patterns changed as we were at home, so we started preparing and eating more snacks than usual. Like we used to eat samosa, pakoras (deep fried vegetables coated with roasted gram flour batter), pizza, burger … ” (P27, 5A, 2C)

In addition to increased snacking, some gatekeepers also reported an increase in overall food intake while they were in lockdown. The subsequent quotation highlights this increase:

“ … Because everyone was tensed and thinking about what's going to happen with the Corona situation, we started eating more. ” (P15, 3A)

3.2.3.4. Determinants of food choices

Amidst the lockdown, health and immunity, family members’ food preferences and taste, and food availability were cited as the main determinants of food choice.

Health and immunity: Due to the fear of being infected by COVID-19, about half of food gatekeepers incorporated healthy changes in their meal preparation. For example, some reported using of lemon juice, ginger and garlic, some refrained from using refined and processed foods and making healthy modifications in the recipes by using whole grains. They also refrained from preparing and consuming food high in fat because they associated the same with increase in calories. Moreover, since all gymnasiums and parks were closed during the nationwide shutdown, the gatekeepers could not engage in physical activity and therefore avoided the intake of food high in fat. Another significant dietary change was identified by informants such as increase in fresh fruits and vegetable intake. These healthy alterations were made to achieve a healthy body and to keep illness at bay.

“ So, we used to cook food keeping the health factor in mind because everybody was very much in shock and everyone was afraid that we shouldn't fall ill. So, we used ginger, garlic and likewise immunity booster items more … ” (P4, 4A, 1C)

Family members’ preferences and taste: Some participants stated that they were bound to prepare dishes as per the demands of their children (both sons and daughters) and partners. For example, two interviewees stated:

“ … whatever my son liked, or my husband liked, I had to prepare. ” (P15, 3A)

“… since both the girls were at home, everything was prepared as per their choice …” (P21, 4A, 1C)

Food availability: Some food gatekeepers also talked about the impact of the availability of food ingredients in their households on their food preparation choices as discussed by one of the interviewees:

“ I used to open my fridge, I used to see what is available in the house and used it to make my breakfast, lunch and dinner. ” (P20, 4A, 1C)

3.2.3.5. Family meals - a new norm

Eating meals with the family was viewed as one of the most favourable outcomes of the pandemic crisis. Before the pandemic, because of different work schedules, family members could hardly enjoy the pleasurable experience of having family meals as reported by majority of participants. The following quote explicitly demonstrates the happiness of the gatekeeper in savouring all her meals with her loved ones:

“ … After so many years we all sat together and ate. When the kids were small, I had only got 3 months of maternity leave. After that the kids were at home only while I went for job. So, since their birth, it's the first time that I have been able to spend 9 months straight with them. My husband was never there at home for such a long duration. This was a very nice experience and we enjoyed it to our fullest. We were eating all meals in the day together. We enjoyed a lot … ” (P18, 5A)

4. Discussion

This qualitative study explored the culinary behaviours and practices adopted by Indian primary household food gatekeepers due to COVID-19 lockdown-imposed restrictions. We observed that primary food gatekeepers experienced significant changes in their cooking behaviours as compared to the pre-pandemic times such as increased time spent on food preparation and experimentation in the kitchen, increased food literacy in terms of food planning and increase in food intake. Also, the food gatekeepers identified a number of factors impacting the food preparation and intake which could be important in developing strategies to improve food preparation and dietary behaviours. These findings contribute to the current literature on culinary behaviours in several ways.

The majority of participants reported an increase in the frequency of cooking including the number of meals during the day as all family members were at home and experimentation with different recipes during the lockdown period. This finding aligns with other studies showing an increase in cooking during the lockdown period in other countries, for example in Australia ( Ronto et al., 2021 ), Croatia ( Pfeifer et al., 2021 ), China ( Dou et al., 2021 ), and the United States of America ( Dou et al., 2021 ). This is a positive change for several reasons: the unavailability of domestic help and increased chores led to shared responsibilities of food preparation and home management amongst the family members including children and there was less reliance on take-away food. In fact, active engagement of children in cooking was found to positively impact the intakes of healthier foods like fruits and vegetables ( DeCosta et al., 2017 ; Radtke et al., 2019 ). However, most of the home cooking was done by females, which confirms the findings of a study conducted, which looked at the gender differences of home cooking frequency at a global scale prior to COVID-19 pandemic showing that females cooked more often ( Wolfson et al., 2021 ). Nonetheless, the increase in home cooking can be seen as a solution towards better diet quality ( Lavelle et al., 2020 ; Uggioni et al., 2020 ) and it leads to lesser reliance on take-away food which can be seen as a positive outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic ( Wilkins, 2020 ).

The majority of our participants reported an increase in meal planning behaviours, a finding which was also highlighted in another qualitative study carried out in the Australian context ( Ronto et al., 2021 ). They reported that during the pre-pandemic times, there used to be instantaneous meal planning, but during the lockdown they were forced to plan their meals due to restricted availability of food, and this, in some instances, led to healthier food choices. Previous findings demonstrate the significance of meal planning as an important determinant of meal size and energy intake ( Fay et al., 2011 ). In addition, higher frequency of meal planning has been associated with greater weight loss as observed in a 40-week behavioural weight loss intervention conducted in the US ( Hayes et al., 2021 ). Meal planning has been identified as one of the most important food skills, which assists individuals to choose, purchase, and prepare nutritious snacks and meals on a day-to-day basis for themselves and their family members ( Fernandez et al., 2020 ). Meal planning is often referred to as a potential strategy to overcome the main barrier to healthy eating i.e. lack of time ( Fernandez et al., 2020 ). Other advantages related to meal planning include helping individuals reduce stress and an increase in the number of family meal episodes ( Fernandez et al., 2020 ).

Our participants reported that they adopted online grocery shopping behaviours, since online grocery shopping offered delivery services without causing the consumers to worry about physical movement or geographical boundaries. Online shopping for groceries was also triggered by limited time allotted for opening of stores which did not match the busy work-from-home schedules of many. Similar shopping behaviours were observed in other countries such as Australia ( Ronto et al., 2021 ), New Zealand ( Martin-Neuninger & Ruby, 2020 ), Italy ( Alaimo et al., 2020 ), Taiwan ( Chang & Meyerhoefer, 2021 ), Saudi Arabia ( Alhusseini & Alqahtani, 2020 ), and the United States of America ( Dou et al., 2021 ; Ellison et al., 2021 ; Loxton et al., 2020 ). The need to maintain social distancing in public spaces and avoid crowding has added to this shift. Koch and coworkers reported that consumers were not concerned about the quality and price of the online purchases made during the pandemic but the ease of shopping ( Koch et al., 2020 ). Researchers claim that online food shopping provides convenience and flexibility as the shopping hours are not limited and the consumers have the liberty to shop at all hours ( Chocarro et al., 2013 ). Indian primary food gatekeepers further reported limited availability of certain food items during the lockdown which led them to adopt different food purchasing behaviours such as bulk and/or panic buying. Likewise, panic buying has been frequently reported in other countries such as Italy ( Di Renzo et al., 2020 ), Russia ( Ben Hassen et al., 2021 ), Saudi Arabia ( Alhusseini & Alqahtani, 2020 ), and Australia ( Ronto et al., 2021 ). Panic buying was positively influenced by customers' attitude, subjective norms, scarcity, perceived competition, and time pressure as observed in a Fijian study ( Singh et al., 2021 ). Studies from the USA and Australia highlights social media as a significant determinant of panic buying behaviour. According to a systematic review, panic buying is influenced by four factors, which are as follows: (i) consumers’ perception of the fear of viral crisis and the scarcity of products; (ii) the fear of the unknown which is triggered by negative emotions and insecurity; (iii) coping behaviour (iv) social psychological factors ( Yuen et al., 2020 ). Panic buying can have long-term negative effects like disruption in the supply chain management. Therefore, government bodies and policymakers should be prepared (e.g. keeping contingency plans in place); in future to minimize the unfavourable and unintended consequences of panic buying ( Prentice et al., 2020 ).

A significant change from dining out and purchasing take-a-ways from restaurants to cooking at home emerged with fear of spread of infection. This coupled with the varied likes and dislikes of foods among family members prompted the need to prepare a variety of meals and snacks which in turn led to an increase in bingeing of main meals and snacks. In the same vein, people in New Zealand ( Gerritsen et al., 2021 ), the UK ( Snuggs & McGregor, 2021 ) and Iran ( Galali, 2021 ) also reported bingeing on unhealthy sweet and savoury items. Drastic changes in lifestyle during the COVID-19 lockdown have been identified with negative emotions such as stress and fear, which in turn has caused emotional eating and overeating during the lockdown around the world have been attributed to psychological factors such as anxiety, boredom, or lower motivation ( Ammar et al., 2020 ). Likewise, a scoping review noted that there were associations between unhealthy dietary choices and mental health conditions including depression and anxiety, and sedentary time and weight gain ( Bennett et al., 2021 ). Disappointingly, if bingeing on comfort food sustains post pandemic, it is likely to result in negative health outcomes across various population groups. Therefore, public health professionals should design interventions which will reinforce the maintenance of healthy lifestyle habits in order to prevent long-term health consequences of the on-going viral disease.

Our study participants also highlighted some factors that determined the food preparation and intake during the COVID-19 lockdown. One of the factors was health and immunity, since the gatekeepers made a conscious effort to select plant-based foods that provided health and nutritional value to the meals. In fact, there has been an increased consumption of fruits and vegetables both among children and adults during the confinement as reported in a recent review analysing studies from several countries e.g. China, India, Spain, Italy, France, Poland etc ( Bennett et al., 2021 ). Perhaps, this increased intake of fresh produce could be attributed to the World Health Organization's extensive promotion of the importance of consuming fruits and vegetables during the coronavirus pandemic-induced lockdown ( Bennett et al., 2021 ). Interestingly, a recent review endorses the effectiveness of plant-based foods in enhancing immunity of individuals against COVID-19 virus ( Arshad et al., 2020 ). Another factor which surfaced during the interviews was food availability which was consistent with findings from another local study ( Parmar & Rathod, 2020 ). Certainly, triple A factors namely availability, accessibility, and affordability have been well documented as being influential in developing food choices and food behaviours ( Leng et al., 2017 ). For example, both accessibility and availability of fruits and vegetables at home and in the neighbourhood have consistently been associated with healthier population dietary intakes as indicated by higher intake of fresh fruits and vegetables ( Bodor et al., 2008 ; Loth et al., 2016 ; Moayyed et al., 2017 ). On the other hand, unhealthy food consumption can be curtailed by limiting access to unhealthy foods as seen in a Netherlands based study where the researchers made the unhealthy snacks less accessible by placing them further away which in turn reduced the likelihood and amount of intake of these snacks ( Maas et al., 2012 ). In this light, weight-loss focussed environmental interventions can adopt the manipulation of food accessibility as a viable strategy to reduce overeating and overweight ( Faith et al., 2007 ).

Despite the reduction in income in nearly three quarters of the households, paradoxically, no impact of the reduced income was observed on the culinary behaviours in our study. This could be partially explained by the fact that the majority of our interviewees belonged to either upper or upper middle class. Moreover, since the lockdown was not prolonged the impact of income on the culinary behaviours was not so apparent. Contrary to our findings, studies from urban settings in other lower-middle income countries (LMICs) like Bangladesh ( Mandal et al., 2021 ), Kenya ( Kansiime et al., 2021 ), and Uganda ( Kansiime et al., 2021 ) clearly depict the impact of reduced income on food behaviour. For example, in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, fish consumption per household and the frequency of grocery shopping decreased during the pandemic as an outcome of pay cuts or loss of job ( Mandal et al., 2021 ). As a coping measure, Bangladeshis reduced the intake of highly priced food ( Mandal et al., 2021 ). Nevertheless, richer segments were less affected by the income reduction ( Mandal et al., 2021 ). In this view, the future studies in India should include sample from different socio-economic strata to explore the implications of pay cuts on culinary and dietary behaviours.

Finally, our gatekeepers threw light on the increased frequency of family meals during the lockdown, a dining experience also reported in other cultural contexts including the USA ( Hammons & Robart, 2021 ), Russia ( Ben Hassen et al., 2021 ), and Qatar ( Ben Hassen et al., 2020 ). They thoroughly enjoyed having all their meals and snacks with their loved ones, which was rarely witnessed prior to the COVID-19. Sharing mealtimes provides an opportunity for families to feel connected during times of uncertainty such as the unprecedented pandemic and its resultant lockdown restrictions ( Hammons & Robart, 2021 ). Empirical evidence portrays mealtimes as a setting for difficult conversations to take place between family members ( Skeer et al., 2018 ), thus offering relief to the families during times of stress ( Hammons & Robart, 2021 ). Besides offering solace, family meals have also shown to have a positive impact on diet among children ( Dwyer et al., 2015 ), youth, and adults ( Fulkerson et al., 2014 ).

4.1. Research limitations and future scope

This research inquiry provides some valuable insights on the Indian primary food gatekeepers’ experiences with regards to culinary behaviours during the COVID-19 lockdown. The choice of selecting a cosmopolitan city like Mumbai has largely helped to understand the culinary practices of persons with different cultural and regional backgrounds as our participants were natives of five different Indian states. However, some limitations of our study should be acknowledged while interpreting the findings. The findings of this study cannot be generalized to the Indian population on the whole because this study was based primarily on an urban sample. Perhaps, to improve the generalisability of the findings, there is a need to execute this study in different geographical settings (diet in India varies from one state to another) as well as rural settings. The use of convenience sampling could have also impacted the generalisability of our results. Simple random sampling or stratified random sampling could have been employed. Nevertheless, researchers often recommend the use of convenience sampling in qualitative research ( Luborsky & Rubinstein, 1995 ; Moser & Korstjens, 2018 ; Polit & Beck, 2010 ; Robinson, 2014 ) because the aim of qualitative studies is not to generalize but rather to provide an in-depth understanding of some aspect of human experience (e.g. transformation in culinary behaviour) through an intensive inquiry of the situation under study ( Polit & Beck, 2010 ). In addition, Moser and Korstjens (2018) note, “ In qualitative research, you sample deliberately, not at random .” Convenience sampling is a form of deliberate sampling strategy ( Moser & Korstjens, 2018 ). Moreover, convenience sampling is affordable, quick, and the participants are easily accessible to the researchers ( Etikan et al., 2016 ). Considering the on-going pandemic and its associated restrictions as well as the qualitative nature of our study, the use of convenience sampling was considered viable in the present context.

Another limitation could be that the gatekeepers provided socially laudable responses. The predominance of upper and upper middle class gatekeepers in the study sample could have further limited the generalisability of the findings. Interestingly, the dietary and culinary behaviours among the richer segments in other LMICs like Bangladesh (one of our neighbouring countries) were minimally impacted during the on-going pandemic ( Mandal et al., 2021 ) as observed in our study. Nonetheless, the views of gatekeepers belonging to economically weaker sections of the society are also critical for designing nutrition interventions. For example, studies from Kenya ( Kansiime et al., 2021 ), Uganda ( Kansiime et al., 2021 ), and Bangladesh ( Mandal et al., 2021 ) highlight the impact of reduced income on food behaviour amidst the pandemic. Thus, to gain a comprehensive view on the present topic, future studies should also investigate the perspectives of gatekeepers living in low-income settings on the newly adopted dietary and culinary behaviours during the pandemic.

Overall, both healthy and unhealthy culinary behaviours were practised during the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdowns. Unhealthy dietary behaviours have negative repercussions for nutritional and overall health. Therefore, it would be useful to develop web-based nutrition education programs (e.g. videos demonstrating recipes incorporating seasonal, indigenous, low calorie food ingredients) for gatekeepers and their families to enhance their declarative as well as procedural nutritional knowledge, which in turn, will improve their culinary practices and diet quality. There is scope for development in the areas of food skills and healthy eating practices for gatekeepers. The importance of organisational culinary behaviours such as planning meals in advance and shopping with a food list should be promoted to forestall hoarding and reduce strain on the food supply system. With a surge in household cooking, economical recipes with the use of indigenous and seasonal produce should be emphasized for promoting healthy eating among the gatekeepers and their families. In addition, for the purpose of developing effective public health policies, the sustainability of the healthy culinary behaviours practised during the pandemic need to be verified through a follow-up study after the end of COVID-19 crisis. Also, there is a need for further research and surveillance to strengthen understanding of sustainability of healthy culinary behaviours practiced during the pandemic.

Authors contributions

N.R. and R.R. conceived the study and its original design. L.M. and N.R. collected the data. L.M., D.R.C, R.R., R.S., and N.R. analysed the data. L.M., R.R., R.S., and N.R. drafted the initial form and all revisions of this paper. L.M., D.R.C, R.R., R.S., S.K., and N.R. reviewed and approved the final manuscript.

Funding statement

This research received no external funding. NR acknowledges the support of Institution of Eminence program of Ministry of Education as Malaviya Post Doctoral Fellow.

Ethical statement

The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the SMES's (Seva Mandal Education Society's) Institutional Ethics Committee (SMES/IEC/125)). The procedures performed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the committee. Written informed consent was obtained from all respondents before commencement of the study.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this research article.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all our participants for their valuable time in contributing to this study.

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Professional Culinary Education In Russia

The article is devoted to the analysis of the development of educational activities in the sphere of public catering in Russia. The authors consider the historical experience of professional training of food industry specialists for the last 130 years. The article lists the names of outstanding scientists of the late XIX and XX centuries, which contributed to rational nutrition in Russia, in particular, in St. Petersburg. The authors give a brief description of the main book of the entire scientific life of the physiologist Dmitry Kanshin (1829-1904) - Encyclopedia of Nutrition. This book has no analogues among the literature on nutrition, published before and after that. It has become the basis for the creation of scientific foundations of food technology, the organization of mass nutrition of the population, the economy of nutrition, the culture of food consumption, etc. Particular attention is paid to the role of mentoring in the development of the complex of the profession of the catering technologist, which requires not only the acquisition of special knowledge and skills in food technology, but also in the field of nutrition science, as well as in the field of art and design. The authors pay attention to the importance of the personal and professional individuality of the mentor, his willingness to transfer knowledge and experience to students. A striking example of instructor-mentor is Nikolay Kovalev, one of the founders of the educational platform “Technology of public catering products”. Keywords: Cooking technology of public catering vocational education

Introduction

The priority direction of development of any country is the growth of its population and the increase in life expectancy. Realization of this direction is connected with the organization of healthy nutrition of all social groups of the population. The solution of this task requires the training of specialists in the field of mass nutrition with new competences formulated by employers according with professional standards ( Rasinkina et al., 2018 ). In accordance with the provisions of the Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation” (Federal Law No. 122, 2015), the main principle of the actualization of Federal State Educational Standards for vocational education is its orientation to Professional Standards ( Professional Standards “Cook”, Professional Standards “Manager of the catering company”, 2015 ).

Problem Statement

Among the many problems in the modern Russian vocational education system, low practical orientation of students occupies an important place. Unfortunately, educational institutions are focused on the production of young specialists with a theoretical base, and the ability to acquire the skills required at catering companies is very low. This problem of vocational education in Russia leads to weak adaptation of graduates in the conditions of production activity, a lack of ability to navigate the market of professions and services and to forecast the demand for specific worker skills.

Research Questions

The main research question is considering to according with the cultural and historical context the role of the professional community, scientists and the state in the formation of standards of higher professional education in the direction of preparation “Technology of production and organization of public catering”.

Purpose of the Study

To study the main stages of the formation of domestic professional education in the field of public catering, depending on the level of economic development, the needs of society and the state.

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Communication studies, educational equipment,educational technology, computer-aided learning (CAL), science, technology

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• Published: 08 May 2024

Accurate structure prediction of biomolecular interactions with AlphaFold 3

• Josh Abramson   ORCID: orcid.org/0009-0000-3496-6952 1   na1 ,
• Jonas Adler   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-9928-3407 1   na1 ,
• Jack Dunger 1   na1 ,
• Richard Evans   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4675-8469 1   na1 ,
• Tim Green   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3227-1505 1   na1 ,
• Alexander Pritzel   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4233-9040 1   na1 ,
• Olaf Ronneberger   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4266-1515 1   na1 ,
• Lindsay Willmore   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4314-0778 1   na1 ,
• Andrew J. Ballard   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4956-5304 1 ,
• Joshua Bambrick   ORCID: orcid.org/0009-0003-3908-0722 2 ,
• Sebastian W. Bodenstein 1 ,
• David A. Evans 1 ,
• Chia-Chun Hung   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-5264-9165 2 ,
• Michael O’Neill 1 ,
• David Reiman   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1605-7197 1 ,
• Kathryn Tunyasuvunakool   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8594-1074 1 ,
• Zachary Wu   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-2429-9812 1 ,
• Akvilė Žemgulytė 1 ,
• Eirini Arvaniti 3 ,
• Charles Beattie   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1840-054X 3 ,
• Ottavia Bertolli   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8578-3216 3 ,
• Alex Bridgland 3 ,
• Alexey Cherepanov   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-5227-0622 4 ,
• Miles Congreve 4 ,
• Alexander I. Cowen-Rivers 3 ,
• Andrew Cowie   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4491-1434 3 ,
• Michael Figurnov   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1386-8741 3 ,
• Fabian B. Fuchs 3 ,
• Hannah Gladman 3 ,
• Rishub Jain 3 ,
• Yousuf A. Khan   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0201-2796 3 ,
• Caroline M. R. Low 4 ,
• Kuba Perlin 3 ,
• Anna Potapenko 3 ,
• Pascal Savy 4 ,
• Sukhdeep Singh 3 ,
• Adrian Stecula   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6914-6743 4 ,
• Ashok Thillaisundaram 3 ,
• Catherine Tong   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-7570-4801 4 ,
• Sergei Yakneen   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-7827-9839 4 ,
• Ellen D. Zhong   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6345-1907 3 ,
• Michal Zielinski 3 ,
• Augustin Žídek   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0748-9684 3 ,
• Victor Bapst 1   na2 ,
• Pushmeet Kohli   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7466-7997 1   na2 ,
• Max Jaderberg   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9033-2695 2   na2 ,
• Demis Hassabis   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-2812-9917 1 , 2   na2 &
• John M. Jumper   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6169-6580 1   na2  

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• Drug discovery
• Machine learning
• Protein structure predictions
• Structural biology

The introduction of AlphaFold 2 1 has spurred a revolution in modelling the structure of proteins and their interactions, enabling a huge range of applications in protein modelling and design 2–6 . In this paper, we describe our AlphaFold 3 model with a substantially updated diffusion-based architecture, which is capable of joint structure prediction of complexes including proteins, nucleic acids, small molecules, ions, and modified residues. The new AlphaFold model demonstrates significantly improved accuracy over many previous specialised tools: far greater accuracy on protein-ligand interactions than state of the art docking tools, much higher accuracy on protein-nucleic acid interactions than nucleic-acid-specific predictors, and significantly higher antibody-antigen prediction accuracy than AlphaFold-Multimer v2.3 7,8 . Together these results show that high accuracy modelling across biomolecular space is possible within a single unified deep learning framework.

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Author information.

These authors contributed equally: Josh Abramson, Jonas Adler, Jack Dunger, Richard Evans, Tim Green, Alexander Pritzel, Olaf Ronneberger, Lindsay Willmore

These authors jointly supervised this work: Victor Bapst, Pushmeet Kohli, Max Jaderberg, Demis Hassabis, John M. Jumper

Authors and Affiliations

Core Contributor, Google DeepMind, London, UK

Josh Abramson, Jonas Adler, Jack Dunger, Richard Evans, Tim Green, Alexander Pritzel, Olaf Ronneberger, Lindsay Willmore, Andrew J. Ballard, Sebastian W. Bodenstein, David A. Evans, Michael O’Neill, David Reiman, Kathryn Tunyasuvunakool, Zachary Wu, Akvilė Žemgulytė, Victor Bapst, Pushmeet Kohli, Demis Hassabis & John M. Jumper

Core Contributor, Isomorphic Labs, London, UK

Joshua Bambrick, Chia-Chun Hung, Max Jaderberg & Demis Hassabis

Google DeepMind, London, UK

Eirini Arvaniti, Charles Beattie, Ottavia Bertolli, Alex Bridgland, Alexander I. Cowen-Rivers, Andrew Cowie, Michael Figurnov, Fabian B. Fuchs, Hannah Gladman, Rishub Jain, Yousuf A. Khan, Kuba Perlin, Anna Potapenko, Sukhdeep Singh, Ashok Thillaisundaram, Ellen D. Zhong, Michal Zielinski & Augustin Žídek

Isomorphic Labs, London, UK

Alexey Cherepanov, Miles Congreve, Caroline M. R. Low, Pascal Savy, Adrian Stecula, Catherine Tong & Sergei Yakneen

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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Max Jaderberg , Demis Hassabis or John M. Jumper .

Supplementary information

Supplementary information.

This Supplementary Information file contains the following 9 sections: (1) Notation; (2) Data pipeline; (3) Model architecture; (4) Auxiliary heads; (5) Training and inference; (6) Evaluation; (7) Differences to AlphaFold2 and AlphaFold-Multimer; (8) Supplemental Results; and (9) Appendix: CCD Code and PDB ID tables.

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Abramson, J., Adler, J., Dunger, J. et al. Accurate structure prediction of biomolecular interactions with AlphaFold 3. Nature (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07487-w

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'Taking Portuguese was one of the most enriching experiences of my college journey'

Julia Nagel: English

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English Wilmette, Ill.

What was your favorite class and why?  

The depth and breadth of courses I've been able to take at Cornell has been truly staggering. I've studied Black ecoliterature, culinary science, mushrooms and fungi, Shakespeare, the history of photography, global water sustainability, Native American fiction, horticulture, wines and Icelandic sagas, to name just a few.

What is your main extracurricular activity and why is it important to you? 

Well before I stepped foot on Cornell's campus, I knew I wanted to join The Cornell Daily Sun and contribute to its longstanding legacy of independent student journalism. I worked for my school's paper in high school, so continuing this passion in college was a natural choice for me. For the past two years, I've been the photography editor at The Sun, and the year before that, I was the assistant photography editor. Leading the department was demanding, yet it proved to be one of the most fulfilling experiences of my undergraduate career — pushing me beyond my comfort zone and honing my leadership and storytelling abilities. Not to mention that I've made some amazing friends through The Sun, as well. My involvement with The Sun has allowed me to explore corners of campus and Ithaca that I might otherwise have overlooked; I've ventured to the top of the clock tower, the Johnson Museum, nearby waterfalls, Gourdlandia and the Ithaca Fire Department to take photos. I've met and photographed President Martha Pollack, Congressman Chuck Schumer and President of Iceland Guðni Jóhannesson. And of course, the added perk of rink-side access to Cornell's Men's Hockey games, courtesy of a press pass, has been an unforgettable experience.

What have you accomplished as a Cornell student that you are most proud of?

As part of the Humanities Scholars Program, I have spent the past year or so developing, researching and writing an interdisciplinary capstone project. My research sits at the intersection between English, art history and visual studies. More specifically, I have explored how photographs communicate by examining a single image — Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange. In my research, I explore how Migrant Mother has become a myth and a symbol, some of the misconceptions/misunderstandings surrounding the photograph, as well as how it has been disseminated in the decades since it was taken in 1936. I'm grateful for the support that I received from HSP, because I don't know that I would have been able to take on such a monumental project without the assistance and encouragement I received from faculty and peers in the program.

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One of the often dreaded Arts & Sciences distribution requirements is the language requirement. Coming into Cornell, I certainly dreaded it because learning a new language is something I find quite challenging. What started as a mandatory obligation, however, soon became one of the most enriching experiences of my college journey; I ended up taking four semesters of Portuguese classes because I enjoyed it so much. When my grandma was around my age, she immigrated to the United States from Brazil, but she never passed along her knowledge of Portuguese to my father or myself. She passed away before I came to Cornell. Because of this, taking Portuguese classes became a way for me to bridge that gap, to honor my heritage and to forge a deeper connection with my grandmother.

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One of the most significant influences on my Cornell education has been my twin brother, Alex, who is also a student in the College of Arts & Sciences. While our academic interests are quite disparate — he's a math and computer science double major — we managed to take a couple classes together. Sharing my undergraduate journey with him has been a profound source of support, especially during the height of the COVID pandemic when life on campus felt particularly isolating. Together, we navigated the challenges and triumphs of undergraduate life, offering each other guidance and encouragement along the way.

Every year, our faculty nominate graduating Arts & Sciences students to be featured as part of our Extraordinary Journeys series.  Read more about the Class of 202 4.

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AI has already figured out how to deceive humans

• A new research paper found that various AI systems have learned the art of deception. 
• Deception is the "systematic inducement of false beliefs."
• This poses several risks for society, from fraud to election tampering.

AI can boost productivity by helping us code, write, and synthesize vast amounts of data. It can now also deceive us.

A range of AI systems have learned techniques to systematically induce "false beliefs in others to accomplish some outcome other than the truth," according to a new research paper .

The paper focused on two types of AI systems: special-use systems like Meta's CICERO, which are designed to complete a specific task, and general-purpose systems like OpenAI's GPT-4 , which are trained to perform a diverse range of tasks.

While these systems are trained to be honest, they often learn deceptive tricks through their training because they can be more effective than taking the high road.

"Generally speaking, we think AI deception arises because a deception-based strategy turned out to be the best way to perform well at the given AI's training task. Deception helps them achieve their goals," the paper's first author Peter S. Park, an AI existential safety postdoctoral fellow at MIT, said in a news release .

Meta's CICERO is "an expert liar"

AI systems trained to "win games that have a social element" are especially likely to deceive.

Meta's CICERO, for example, was developed to play the game Diplomacy — a classic strategy game that requires players to build and break alliances.

Related stories

Meta said it trained CICERO to be "largely honest and helpful to its speaking partners," but the study found that CICERO "turned out to be an expert liar." It made commitments it never intended to keep, betrayed allies, and told outright lies.

GPT-4 can convince you it has impaired vision

Even general-purpose systems like GPT-4 can manipulate humans.

In a study cited by the paper, GPT-4 manipulated a TaskRabbit worker by pretending to have a vision impairment.

In the study, GPT-4 was tasked with hiring a human to solve a CAPTCHA test. The model also received hints from a human evaluator every time it got stuck, but it was never prompted to lie. When the human it was tasked to hire questioned its identity, GPT-4 came up with the excuse of having vision impairment to explain why it needed help.

The tactic worked. The human responded to GPT-4 by immediately solving the test.

Research also shows that course-correcting deceptive models isn't easy.

In a study from January co-authored by Anthropic, the maker of Claude, researchers found that once AI models learn the tricks of deception, it's hard for safety training techniques to reverse them.

They concluded that not only can a model learn to exhibit deceptive behavior, once it does, standard safety training techniques could "fail to remove such deception" and "create a false impression of safety."

The dangers deceptive AI models pose are "increasingly serious"

The paper calls for policymakers to advocate for stronger AI regulation since deceptive AI systems can pose significant risks to democracy.

As the 2024 presidential election nears , AI can be easily manipulated to spread fake news, generate divisive social media posts, and impersonate candidates through robocalls and deepfake videos, the paper noted. It also makes it easier for terrorist groups to spread propaganda and recruit new members.

The paper's potential solutions include subjecting deceptive models to more "robust risk-assessment requirements," implementing laws that require AI systems and their outputs to be clearly distinguished from humans and their outputs, and investing in tools to mitigate deception.

"We as a society need as much time as we can get to prepare for the more advanced deception of future AI products and open-source models," Park told Cell Press. "As the deceptive capabilities of AI systems become more advanced, the dangers they pose to society will become increasingly serious."

Watch: Ex-CIA agent rates all the 'Mission: Impossible' movies for realism

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Senators Propose $32 Billion in Annual A.I. Spending but Defer Regulation

Their plan is the culmination of a yearlong listening tour on the dangers of the new technology.

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By Cecilia Kang and David McCabe

Cecilia Kang and David McCabe cover technology policy.

A bipartisan group of senators released a long-awaited legislative plan for artificial intelligence on Wednesday, calling for billions in funding to propel American leadership in the technology while offering few details on regulations to address its risks.

In a 20-page document titled “Driving U.S. Innovation in Artificial Intelligence,” the Senate leader, Chuck Schumer, and three colleagues called for spending $32 billion annually by 2026 for government and private-sector research and development of the technology.

The lawmakers recommended creating a federal data privacy law and said they supported legislation, planned for introduction on Wednesday, that would prevent the use of realistic misleading technology known as deepfakes in election campaigns. But they said congressional committees and agencies should come up with regulations on A.I., including protections against health and financial discrimination, the elimination of jobs, and copyright violations caused by the technology.

“It’s very hard to do regulations because A.I. is changing too quickly,” Mr. Schumer, a New York Democrat, said in an interview. “We didn’t want to rush this.”

He designed the road map with two Republican senators, Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Todd Young of Indiana, and a fellow Democrat, Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, after their yearlong listening tour to hear concerns about new generative A.I. technologies. Those tools, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, can generate realistic and convincing images, videos, audio and text. Tech leaders have warned about the potential harms of A.I., including the obliteration of entire job categories, election interference, discrimination in housing and finance, and even the replacement of humankind.

The senators’ decision to delay A.I. regulation widens a gap between the United States and the European Union , which this year adopted a law that prohibits A.I.’s riskiest uses, including some facial recognition applications and tools that can manipulate behavior or discriminate. The European law requires transparency around how systems operate and what data they collect. Dozens of U.S. states have also proposed privacy and A.I. laws that would prohibit certain uses of the technology.

Outside of recent legislation mandating the sale or ban of the social media app TikTok, Congress hasn’t passed major tech legislation in years, despite multiple proposals.

“It’s disappointing because at this point we’ve missed several windows of opportunity to act while the rest of the world has,” said Amba Kak, a co-executive director of the nonprofit AI Now Institute and a former adviser on A.I. to the Federal Trade Commission.

Mr. Schumer’s efforts on A.I. legislation began in June with a series of high-profile forums that brought together tech leaders including Elon Musk of Tesla, Sundar Pichai of Google and Sam Altman of OpenAI.

(The New York Times has sued OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft, over use of the publication’s copyrighted works in A.I. development.)

Mr. Schumer said in the interview that through the forums, lawmakers had begun to understand the complexity of A.I. technologies and how expert agencies and congressional committees were best equipped to create regulations.

The legislative road map encourages greater federal investment in the growth of domestic research and development.

“This is sort of the American way — we are more entrepreneurial,” Mr. Schumer said in the interview, adding that the lawmakers hoped to make “innovation the North Star.”

In a separate briefing with reporters, he said the Senate was more likely to consider A.I. proposals piecemeal instead of in one large legislative package.

“What we’d expect is that we would have some bills that certainly pass the Senate and hopefully pass the House by the end of the year,” Mr. Schumer said. “It won’t cover the whole waterfront. There’s too much waterfront to cover, and things are changing so rapidly.”

He added that his staff had spoken with Speaker Mike Johnson’s office

Maya Wiley, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, participated in the first forum. She said that the closed-door meetings were “tech industry heavy” and that the report’s focus on promoting innovation overshadowed the real-world harms that could result from A.I. systems, noting that health and financial tools had already shown signs of discrimination against certain ethnic and racial groups.

Ms. Wiley has called for greater focus on the vetting of new products to make sure they are safe and operate without biases that can target certain communities.

“We should not assume that we don’t need additional rights,” she said.

Cecilia Kang reports on technology and regulatory policy and is based in Washington D.C. She has written about technology for over two decades. More about Cecilia Kang

David McCabe covers tech policy. He joined The Times from Axios in 2019. More about David McCabe

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