Engineering of Coffee

The parallels between brewing a cup of coffee and chemical engineering are surprising, however applying engineering principles like including mass balances, chemical kinetics, mass transfer, conservation of energy, and fluid mechanics can result in turning a coffee cherry into a perfect cup of coffee. Making coffee is a great way to explore and explain how the world of chemical and materials engineering impacts the world.

The Faculty of Engineering introduced the course, Coffee and Chemical Engineering in 2023. Taught by Dr. William McCaffrey in collaboration with Canadian coffee industry partners including, Rogue Wave Coffee, Eight Ounce Coffee, and Coanda R&D, and many other industry partners, the coffee lab has opened to help students and industry explore these connections.

Event Details

Join us to explore the chemistry, physics, and engineering of all things coffee. The in-person event will include a coffee tasting sponsored by Rogue Wave Coffee and short networking reception prior to the lecture at 2 p.m. with Dr. William McCaffrey. An expert panel discussion will follow with Josh Hockin from Eight Ounce Coffee in Calgary, Ply Pasarj from Rogue Wave Coffee, and Wayne Brown from Coanda R&D.

• Doors Open: 1 p.m.
• In-person Coffee tasting: 1 p.m. - 1:55 p.m.
• Lecture and panel: 2 - 3 p.m.

Registration

This event will also be live-streamed. Registration is required for both in-person and online attendance. Registration will be open until capacity is reached, or until April 22, 2024, whichever comes first. 

For more information, please contact Katherine Kupchenko at katherine.kupchenko@ualberta.ca. 

Register

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