The Gwangju National Science Museum and the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) will co-host the fourth installment of their 2026 Science School lecture series on Aug. 19 at 7 p.m. at Oryong Hall on the GIST campus.
The lecture, titled "Why Does Zero Cola Taste Sweet? The Science Behind Sugar Substitutes," will feature Kwon In-chan, a professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at GIST. Using regular cola and zero-sugar cola as everyday examples, Kwon will cover the principles of sugar and sweetness, the science of artificial sweeteners, and how to read beverage nutrition labels in an accessible and engaging way.
The session will examine why regular and zero-sugar cola produce a similarly sweet taste and explore how artificial sweeteners — used in place of sugar — are perceived as sweet by the human tongue. Attendees will also learn how to read nutritional information and ingredient lists on beverage labels to make better-informed, healthier choices.
Kwon earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in chemical engineering from Seoul National University and his doctorate in chemical engineering from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He went on to serve as an assistant professor of chemical engineering at Virginia Tech before joining GIST, where he is now a full professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering. He also serves as head of GIST's Science and Technology Innovation Project Division.
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