Project AROMA investigates how squirrels recognize processed foods and the potential role of scent in that process, bringing together animal cognition, behavior, and food chemistry.
United Squirrels Co-Founder and Treasurer Garfield Zhang brings an academic background in psychology and business to this interdisciplinary work. His psychology training provides a foundation for exploring how animals perceive and respond to cues in their environment.
Working with fellow members and collaborators, Garfield is extending that background into analytical chemistry through hands-on training in gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). His laboratory work examines volatile compounds in potato chips, contributing to the project’s investigation of olfactory cues in squirrel food recognition.
