Carla Ramsdell
Carla Ramsdell is a registered professional mechanical engineer and teaches in the physics and astronomy department at Appalachian State University as a Practitioner-in-Residence. Her research, outreach and coursework are focused on the food / energy / water / climate change / equity nexus. Prior to her career in higher education, she worked as a thermodynamic design and test engineer in the energy industry & energy-efficient building design sector for 17 years. This experience helps her to view food as a critical energy resource which must be more sustainably and equitably managed. At Appalachian State, Carla teaches courses on general physics, energy and the physics of food and cooking. At Appalachian, she is the director of the SPICE (Sustainable, Physics-Inspired Culinary Education) Lab which is part science research lab and part kitchen recording studio for synchronous and asynchronous lessons on the physics of food and cooking for improved sustainability. Beyond her Appalachian State work, she maintains a website with a blog, YouTube channel, TikTok and Instagram accounts to help disseminate information about the physics of a future sustainable food system. #knowwattscooking