University distinguished professor of food science and chemical engineering Kris Berglund measures the volumetric flow of ethanol in the still to demonstrate in front of his class April 3, 2013, at MSU’s Artisan Distilled Research Facility. MSU hopes to create a specialization in beverage technology beginning in the fall. Danyelle Morrow/The State News
—For some students, alcohol is something they consume on a Friday night with friends. For others, alcohol is part of their GPA and now might be offered as a specialization.
Kris Berglund, a university distinguished professor of food science and chemical engineering, proposed a new specialization in beverage science and technology through the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition.
The specialization passed the University Committee on Curriculum Thursday and will go to the Faculty Senate on April 16 for final approval, Berglund said.
The proposed courses for the specialization are courses currently offered at MSU, although course names and numbers might change.
Students interested in taking the classes involving alcohol need to be at least 21 years old, and classes are held off campus — mostly at local wineries and breweries — because alcohol is not allowed on campus, Berglund said. He said most of the students who will pursue this specialization most likely have majors in food science, chemical engineering, chemistry, engineering and microbiology.
Berglund said the idea for this specialization emerged from conversations with people from the distilleries, who said they have a need for people with more training in the industry.
Chemical engineering senior Rafael Gosser currently is taking Chemical Engineering 491, or Brewing and Distilled Beverage Technology, for his major, but this course also is planned to be a part of the specialization. He said had he not been graduating this year, he would have considered the specialization, especially after he heard Berglund talk about companies demanding employees with skills in beverage science and technology.
Berglund said he has received positive feedback about the proposed specialization and has high hopes it will pass.
“People see it as kind of natural thing for a land-grant university to have a specialization like this — combining technology and agriculture,” Berglund said.
Chemical engineering senior Lukas Barnes, who is in Gosser’s class, said he would sign up for the specialization if he was not graduating.
“They teach you in the classes but it’s out of a textbook, so being able to come in and have the hands-on opportunities to work with the equipment and actually make the products — it’s something that companies look for,” Barnes said.
Barnes said the class is a nice break from his busy schedule, but he predicts not many students will take this specialization just for fun because of challenging chemical engineering aspects.
“We have a lot of hard classes over the years, so it’s nice to have a class that’s actually fun to go to,” Barnes said.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
