The 15th Annual Ice Cream Wars was held at the Da Vinci Science Center at PPL Pavilion in Allentown, Pennsylvania on Saturday, Jan. 10^th. The competition featured 12 Lehigh Valley businesses who created unique, liquid nitrogen-frozen ice cream. The event showcased "sweet science" with interactive demos, providing a crash course on how liquid nitrogen takes milk and blends it into creamy ice cream.

ATAS’ entry this year was “Minecraft Creeper Crunch”, which was a delicious, deconstructed Dubai chocolate bar/cake.  The ingredients included birthday cake ice cream, candied pistachios, chocolate, pistachio butter and kataifi. The flavor won the award for the “Most Unique Flavor Overall”. The Minecraft theme carried over into the ATAS team’s event space, with a colorful backdrop, team t-shirts, table decorations, shovel spoons, pickaxe pencils, and a blockhead costume.  Led by team captain Julie Wheeland, co-captain Wendi Kirchner assisted her, and many other ATAS team members helped to make it a success.    

A record breaking 2,200+ people attended the event, and most were sampling every flavor before casting a vote for their favorite. Although the event is held in the winter, it offers a wonderful opportunity for families, couples, and individuals to come out and participate in this community event, while also exploring the Da Vinci Science Center’s educational exhibits.  

Eric Bus, Operations Manager of ATAS, currently serves as a trustee on the board of the Da Vinci Science Center, following the long-standing involvement of Dick Bus, President of ATAS, who also served on the board for many years. ATAS has actively supported the Science Center through participation in programs such as Career Connections Days and the WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) Forum. As a strong advocate for introducing students to careers in design, construction, engineering, and manufacturing, ATAS remains committed to investing in education and supporting its local communities.