About 400 students from disciplines across the sciences got a free lunch Tuesday, as acting dean Charles Macdonald and associate dean Phil Dutton served up pizza to all comers in the Essex Hall student lounge.

It was a gesture of appreciation as the students finish the semester and prepare for exams, Dr. Macdonald said.

“As the academic year is coming to an end, we wanted to take some time to congratulate our students on their hard work,” he said. “Hopefully, this gives them an energy boost going into final exams.”

Tuesday’s lunch, which saw more than 800 slices of pizza consumed in less than an hour, was the second year for the event.