UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A course offered by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences presents different aspects of ice creams and frozen desserts for people who are considering entry into the business of owning an ice cream parlor.

"Ice Cream 101: Introduction to Frozen Desserts," to be held Jan. 28-29 at the Nittany Lion Inn on Penn State's University Park campus, is designed for people who are fascinated by ice cream or may be considering their own small ice cream parlor, but don't want the scientific and professional rigor of the world-famous Penn State Ice Cream Short Course.

"The course is a sort of science camp for grown-ups," says Bob Roberts, seminar coordinator and associate professor of food science. "It covers the science and technology at a very introductory level to give people a chance to learn what it means to make ice cream and then decide if they want to go into business.

"We won't cover the business aspects, but a person who takes this course will get an introduction to the language and information to communicate with people in the industry: what questions to ask, how to purchase mix, how to talk to vendors. They also will have a good set of contact people that they can go to for help in solving problems."

Past and present Penn State faculty will join ice cream industry representatives to answer such questions as what transforms various ingredients into "ice cream" and how ice creams differ. Attendees also will discover how ice cream differs from soft serve and other frozen desserts, and how ingredients affect product quality.

For information on registration fees and lodging, contact the Office of Conferences and Short Courses by phone at 814-865-8301 or toll-free at (877) 778-2937, or by e-mail at http://conferences.cas.psu.edu.

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EDITORS: For more information on course content, contact Bob Roberts at 814-863-2959 or by e-mail at rfr3@psu.edu.

Writer/Editor: Gary AbdullahOffice 814-863-2708