It looks something like a lava lamp, tastes like raspberry lemonade and may help boost your brain power. For "Raspberry Wisdom," a beverage concocted for a recent nationwide competition sponsored by the Institute of Food Technologists, food science students at UC Davis received honorable mention. "We wanted to make something that would be healthy and would appeal to our age group," explained Vernon Lee, leader of the student team that presented Raspberry Wisdom as one of six national finalists in the June 15-16 competition in Orlando, Fla. First place in the contest went to a student team from the University of Nebraska that designed a main entree, combining pork and beef cuts with a natural binder into a marinated meat pinwheel called "Twist Steak." The UC Davis students, who have been working with the guidance of food science Professor Norman Haard, used fluid gel technology to suspend tiny juice sacks from lemons and oranges in raspberry-flavored lemonade. While the gel technology makes the pink beverage look thick and viscous, there is no hint of that texture once in the mouth. The final ingredient in Raspberry Wisdom is a dash of ginkgo extract, thought by some to improve blood flow to the brain -- thus the "wisdom." While there was a $1,000 first-place prize at stake in the competition, the UC Davis students still captured the biggest reward -- practical experience that will serve them well has they head toward careers in the food industry.