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When you think of a scientist, you probably picture someone in a white coat, tucked away in a lab,

far from the public eye.

But every once in a while, one of them breaks into the spotlight.

On a recent weekday afternoon, CNN offered free chicken winks to anyone who wanted them,

if they filled out a brief survey about food.

Helping us, Cornell Professor Brian Wonsink, author of Mindless Eating and a leading researcher

on how people really behave around food.

In 2016, a social scientist named Brian Wonsink brought a wave of positive attention to Cornell University.

His research didn't just live in academic journals.

It captivated the public.

He was the guy who helped popularize the idea that eating from a smaller plate can make you feel fuller.

But that same year, Wonsink made a startling admission,

one that would call his entire body of research into question,

and pull Cornell into the center of a growing crisis in the world of science.

I'm Margo Gray, this week on Campus Files, the rise and fall of Brian Wantsing's

Food and Brand Lab and what it reveals about the future of academic research.

The Brian Wansing story crossed my desk in the fall of 2016.

Brian Wan-Sink was a professor at Cornell University,

and he ran a lab called the Cornell Food and Brand Lab.

And it's basically studied eating behaviors and food marketing.

...