{"id":64463,"date":"2025-01-13T07:57:40","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T12:57:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=64463"},"modified":"2025-01-27T07:44:19","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T12:44:19","slug":"brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Brewing science: How coffee fueled a UTC chemical engineering student\u2019s “grounds”-breaking research"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Chemical

Chemical engineering major Katelyn Hamilton, left, and Dr. Venkateswara Rao Kode perform research in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

Katelyn Hamilton describes making coffee as a \u201creally big science experiment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s what I tell everyone when I have this conversation about making coffee: You have to weigh everything. You have to measure the temperature of everything. You have ratios. Everything has to be on point to make a good cup of coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hamilton, a junior chemical engineering major at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, has transformed a high school coffee shop job into the cornerstone of her academic and career goals.<\/p>\n

A 2022 graduate of Tullahoma (Tennessee) High School, Hamilton began working at a coffee shop during her junior year of high school. What started as a part-time job quickly became a passion as she dove into the intricacies of coffee preparation\u2014studying the history and technicalities of coffee-making as part of earning her barista certification.<\/p>\n

After spending one semester at both Mississippi State University and Tennessee Tech, Hamilton arrived at UTC in August 2023 with a fascination with the science of coffee. Initially dreaming of working for NASA as a mission specialist, she experienced \u201can epiphany\u201d during a conversation with her Tennessee Tech roommate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was talking about space but I felt a little stressed; there are so many requirements that you need to even get to the point of working at NASA as an astronaut,\u201d she recalled. \u201cThen\u2014right after that\u2014we started talking about coffee and all the stresses just went away.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started talking about the science behind it and I thought, \u2018Wait a minute, there is chemical engineering in coffee roasting.\u2019 I decided to change my career path.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hamilton brought her enthusiasm for coffee and a growing curiosity about its environmental impacts to Chattanooga\u2014pairing her UTC schooling with a barista position at nearby Goodman Coffee Roasters.<\/p>\n

She had the opportunity to merge the two interests during the fall 2024 semester after noticing a bulletin board in the Engineering and Computer Science Building that featured Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering Venkateswara Rao Kode\u2019s research on bio-nanocomposites for 3D printing.<\/p>\n

Curiosity piqued, she contacted Kode and proposed using spent coffee grounds to create a 3D printing filament.<\/p>\n

Kode, who had never participated in coffee research, was intrigued.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe reached out to me and said, \u2018Dr. Kode, I work in a coffee shop and we have a lot of spent coffee grounds that we don\u2019t know what to do with. How can we effectively utilize this waste and help improve the ongoing research at UTC?\u2019\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018Bring it in. We can convert those spent coffee grounds into something useful.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Assistant

Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering Venkateswara Rao Kode and Katelyn Hamilton began researching coffee during the fall 2024 semester.<\/p><\/div>\n

Hamilton and Kode started working together in the lab researching the spent coffee grounds, as she learned how to conduct pyrolysis and use a scanning electron microscope.<\/p>\n

Pyrolysis is a process where organic material\u2014in this case, the spent coffee grounds\u2014is heated in the absence of oxygen. This heating breaks down the material into smaller compounds, leaving behind a carbon-rich product known as biochar. Hamilton used the scanning electron microscope to analyze the biochar\u2019s topography.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was mind-boggling \u2026 drying the coffee, baking it six hours total, and then we undergo pyrolysis using a tube furnace,\u201d Hamilton explained. \u201cYou can see all the different coffee components\u2014like the oils getting cooked away\u2014but at the very end it\u2019s just this black carbon. It\u2019s like, \u2018Wow, that\u2019s literally carbon that we\u2019re looking at.\u2019 That was just really, really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kode, who joined the UTC faculty at the start of the 2024-25 academic year, said Hamilton\u2019s enthusiasm for the research project\u2014which is funded by the Faculty Development Grant and the UTC Chemical Engineering Faculty Startup Grant\u2014has been inspiring.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s absolutely amazing to have undergraduate students like Katelyn working in the lab and learning state-of-the-art research, especially with the ongoing environmental concerns around the world to bring down the carbon emissions and help improve the overall circular economy and sustainability,\u201d Kode said. \u201cHer project aligns with our efforts to promote chemical engineering with an environmental science focus.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have lots of exciting things coming up (during the spring) semester, so this is just a footstep to the door of possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Hamilton\u2019s passion for coffee engineering is evident, she also shared challenges she has faced in her journey\u2014as she was diagnosed with ADHD at an early age.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith ADHD, the biggest downside is academics,\u201d she explained. \u201cI\u2019ve struggled with academics because of my ADHD for as long as I can remember\u2014and I know I\u2019m not the only one who struggles with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are some things that you can\u2019t do because it gets really hard sometimes. I didn\u2019t think I was going to work in STEM because of how difficult it was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hamilton talked about her days as an elementary school math student \u201cwhen everyone was doing multiplication and division\u201d while she was \u201cstill stuck adding and subtracting. It really feels like you\u2019re a step behind everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to really shine a light on it because if you have ADHD or something else, it shouldn\u2019t limit what you can do,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I\u2019ve had to work harder and stay determined.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like (the fall) semester gave me kind of the \u2018a-ha\u2019 moment of where I think I can succeed \u2026 getting hands-on experience and being able to integrate my interests and passions. Pyrolyzing and capturing the carbon was my first, \u2018Oh my gosh. I actually did something.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u201cWe

\u201cWe started talking about the science behind it and I thought, \u2018Wait a minute, there is chemical engineering in coffee roasting.\u2019 I decided to change my career path,” Katelyn Hamilton explained.<\/p><\/div>\n

The coffee research, she continued, has fueled her ambition to pursue a Ph.D. in chemical engineering.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with coffee is something I\u2019d love to do for the rest of my life,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s where I\u2019m at now.\u201d<\/p>\n

She cited a couple of environmentally friendly examples of decaffeinating coffee\u2014the Swiss Water Process and supercritical carbon dioxide extraction.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe there\u2019s a different way we can decaf coffee and make it more environmentally friendly because when it comes to coffee roasting, a lot of greenhouse gases are emitted,\u201d she said. \u201cMaybe there\u2019s something we can do to make coffee safer and better for the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her enthusiasm extends beyond the lab. Hamilton said she can frequently be found sharing her findings and ideas with her Goodman Coffee Roasters customers and colleagues.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaking coffee is one really big science experiment,\u201d she said with a laugh. \u201cI would definitely say that\u2014with my newfound interest and passions\u2014it has changed the way I see it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great because where I work, there are regulars who work in engineering fields and computer science and I get to talk with them and update them on what I\u2019ve been doing. They show a lot of interest in it. It\u2019s really fun to create a little community around coffee science.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

UTC College of Engineering and Computer Science<\/a><\/p>\n

Chemical Engineering<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo gallery by Angela Foster<\/h4>\n
\"Katelyn <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Katelyn <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Katelyn <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Katelyn <\/a> <\/div>
\"Katelyn <\/a> <\/div>
\"Katelyn <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Katelyn Hamilton, a junior chemical engineering major at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, has transformed a high school coffee shop job into the cornerstone of her academic and career goals.<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1493,"featured_media":64871,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12737,70,123864,59,3,7712,64,48007,661,124930],"tags":[123827,123826,125040,125038,123828,124776,123829,125039],"class_list":{"0":"post-64463","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-advancement-and-alumni","9":"category-chemical-engineering","10":"category-college-of-engineering-and-computer-science","11":"category-community","12":"category-faculty-and-staff","13":"category-news","14":"category-research-academics","15":"category-students","16":"category-transfer-students","17":"tag-creating-the-mocs-experience","18":"tag-cultivating-a-culture-of-innovation","19":"tag-goodman-coffee-roasters","20":"tag-katelyn-hamilton","21":"tag-leveraging-our-special-place-as-chattanoogas-university","22":"tag-mocs-learn-mocs-do-mocs-lead","23":"tag-operating-with-excellence","24":"tag-venkateswara-rao-kode","25":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nBrewing science: How coffee fueled a UTC chemical engineering student\u2019s "grounds"-breaking research | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Katelyn Hamilton, a junior chemical engineering major at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, has transformed a high school coffee shop job into the cornerstone of her academic and career goals.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Brewing science: How coffee fueled a UTC chemical engineering student\u2019s "grounds"-breaking research | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Katelyn Hamilton, a junior chemical engineering major at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, has transformed a high school coffee shop job into the cornerstone of her academic and career goals.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-01-13T12:57:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-27T12:44:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2024\/12\/Katelyn-Hamilton-and-Dr.-Kode-Venkateswara-25-1559.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"814\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chuck Wasserstrom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UTChattanooga\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Chuck Wasserstrom\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Chuck Wasserstrom\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ba12ddef664be78c31809fda10eae4e5\"},\"headline\":\"Brewing science: How coffee fueled a UTC chemical engineering student\u2019s “grounds”-breaking research\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-13T12:57:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-27T12:44:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1268,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/files\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/Katelyn-Hamilton-and-Dr.-Kode-Venkateswara-25-1559.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Creating the Mocs Experience\",\"Cultivating a Culture of Innovation\",\"Goodman Coffee Roasters\",\"Katelyn Hamilton\",\"Leveraging Our Special Place as Chattanooga\u2019s University\",\"Mocs Learn Mocs Do Mocs Lead\",\"Operating with Excellence\",\"Venkateswara Rao Kode\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Academics\",\"Advancement and Alumni\",\"Chemical Engineering\",\"College of Engineering and Computer Science\",\"Community\",\"Faculty and Staff\",\"News\",\"Research\",\"Students\",\"Transfer Students\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\\\/\",\"name\":\"Brewing science: How coffee fueled a UTC chemical engineering student\u2019s \\\"grounds\\\"-breaking research | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/files\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/Katelyn-Hamilton-and-Dr.-Kode-Venkateswara-25-1559.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-13T12:57:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-27T12:44:19+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ba12ddef664be78c31809fda10eae4e5\"},\"description\":\"Katelyn Hamilton, a junior chemical engineering major at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, has transformed a high school coffee shop job into the cornerstone of her academic and career goals.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/files\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/Katelyn-Hamilton-and-Dr.-Kode-Venkateswara-25-1559.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/files\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/Katelyn-Hamilton-and-Dr.-Kode-Venkateswara-25-1559.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":814,\"caption\":\"Katelyn Hamilton and Dr. Kode Venkateswara Research, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 in ECS\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/2025\\\/01\\\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Brewing science: How coffee fueled a UTC chemical engineering student\u2019s “grounds”-breaking research\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\",\"description\":\"Official news releases of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ba12ddef664be78c31809fda10eae4e5\",\"name\":\"Chuck Wasserstrom\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/adff2964e628ba03f65fe21e0b0b94ca0667bdce5def0433d41884758501f284?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/adff2964e628ba03f65fe21e0b0b94ca0667bdce5def0433d41884758501f284?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/adff2964e628ba03f65fe21e0b0b94ca0667bdce5def0433d41884758501f284?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Chuck Wasserstrom\"},\"description\":\"Chuck Wasserstrom is the director of communications in the UTC Division of Communications and Marketing.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogarchive.utc.edu\\\/news\\\/author\\\/wyf557\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Brewing science: How coffee fueled a UTC chemical engineering student\u2019s \"grounds\"-breaking research | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025","description":"Katelyn Hamilton, a junior chemical engineering major at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, has transformed a high school coffee shop job into the cornerstone of her academic and career goals.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Brewing science: How coffee fueled a UTC chemical engineering student\u2019s \"grounds\"-breaking research | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025","og_description":"Katelyn Hamilton, a junior chemical engineering major at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, has transformed a high school coffee shop job into the cornerstone of her academic and career goals.","og_url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\/","og_site_name":"UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UTChattanooga","article_published_time":"2025-01-13T12:57:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-01-27T12:44:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":814,"url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2024\/12\/Katelyn-Hamilton-and-Dr.-Kode-Venkateswara-25-1559.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Chuck Wasserstrom","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@UTChattanooga","twitter_site":"@UTChattanooga","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Chuck Wasserstrom","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\/"},"author":{"name":"Chuck Wasserstrom","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/ba12ddef664be78c31809fda10eae4e5"},"headline":"Brewing science: How coffee fueled a UTC chemical engineering student\u2019s “grounds”-breaking research","datePublished":"2025-01-13T12:57:40+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-27T12:44:19+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\/"},"wordCount":1268,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2024\/12\/Katelyn-Hamilton-and-Dr.-Kode-Venkateswara-25-1559.jpg","keywords":["Creating the Mocs Experience","Cultivating a Culture of Innovation","Goodman Coffee Roasters","Katelyn Hamilton","Leveraging Our Special Place as Chattanooga\u2019s University","Mocs Learn Mocs Do Mocs Lead","Operating with Excellence","Venkateswara Rao Kode"],"articleSection":["Academics","Advancement and Alumni","Chemical Engineering","College of Engineering and Computer Science","Community","Faculty and Staff","News","Research","Students","Transfer Students"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\/","url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\/","name":"Brewing science: How coffee fueled a UTC chemical engineering student\u2019s \"grounds\"-breaking research | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2024\/12\/Katelyn-Hamilton-and-Dr.-Kode-Venkateswara-25-1559.jpg","datePublished":"2025-01-13T12:57:40+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-27T12:44:19+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/ba12ddef664be78c31809fda10eae4e5"},"description":"Katelyn Hamilton, a junior chemical engineering major at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, has transformed a high school coffee shop job into the cornerstone of her academic and career goals.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2024\/12\/Katelyn-Hamilton-and-Dr.-Kode-Venkateswara-25-1559.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2024\/12\/Katelyn-Hamilton-and-Dr.-Kode-Venkateswara-25-1559.jpg","width":1200,"height":814,"caption":"Katelyn Hamilton and Dr. Kode Venkateswara Research, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 in ECS"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/01\/brewing-science-how-coffee-fueled-a-utc-chemical-engineering-students-grounds-breaking-research\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Brewing science: How coffee fueled a UTC chemical engineering student\u2019s “grounds”-breaking research"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/","name":"UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025","description":"Official news releases of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/ba12ddef664be78c31809fda10eae4e5","name":"Chuck Wasserstrom","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/adff2964e628ba03f65fe21e0b0b94ca0667bdce5def0433d41884758501f284?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/adff2964e628ba03f65fe21e0b0b94ca0667bdce5def0433d41884758501f284?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/adff2964e628ba03f65fe21e0b0b94ca0667bdce5def0433d41884758501f284?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Chuck Wasserstrom"},"description":"Chuck Wasserstrom is the director of communications in the UTC Division of Communications and Marketing.","url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/author\/wyf557\/"}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2024\/12\/Katelyn-Hamilton-and-Dr.-Kode-Venkateswara-25-1559.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2024\/12\/Katelyn-Hamilton-and-Dr.-Kode-Venkateswara-25-1559.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Chuck Wasserstrom","author_link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/author\/wyf557\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2024\/12\/Katelyn-Hamilton-and-Dr.-Kode-Venkateswara-25-1559.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1493"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64463"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65110,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64463\/revisions\/65110"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}