UWF honors students learn the art and science of brewing
The University of West Florida Kugelman Honors Program is raising a glass to the craft beer trend this spring as students learn to brew and market their own beer.
Students enrolled in the Art and Science of Brewing, an honors seminar course, are learning to brew beer and developing marketing plans to sell the finished product. The class meets weekly and combines elements of biology, chemistry, history and business. It will culminate with a tasting event to select the winning beer on Wednesday, April 20, 2016, at 5:30 p.m. in the UWF Alumni Conference Room in Building 12 on the Pensacola Campus.
The class is led by instructors Dr. Jeffrey Eble and Joseph Moss. Eble, a research assistant professor with the UWF Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation, specializes in marine ecological genetics with a focus on identifying how populations interact and evolve. He is also Research Coordinator for the recently established Gulf Islands Research and Education Center. Moss, a research associate for the CEDB, is an accomplished molecular biologist specializing in waterborne pathogens and evaluating the diversity and function of microbial communities.
The winning concoction will be marketed and sold as part of the microbrewery at Goatlips Chew and Brewhouse on Copter Road for a limited time. Students must be at least 21 years of age to participate in accordance with state law.
“The UWF honors program has a strong commitment to our mission of providing active learning experiences in an interdisciplinary context,” said Dr. Gregory Lanier, director of the Kugelman Honors Program. “Most of our courses are focused on answering a single question by exploring it from multiple disciplines. We may have a chemist sitting next to an English major, and they each bring a unique perspective to the honors seminars.”
Another popular honors seminar course is the Politics of Food, led by Dr. Gregory Tomso. Students in the Politics of Food course began the UWF Community Garden, which is organic and open to the public, Lanier said.
The Kugelman Honors Program in University College accepts applications annually from high-achieving and creative high school seniors. Designed for students in all majors, the program is structured so that students complete their honors requirements over the course of their time as an undergraduate. In addition to taking honors-exclusive courses and seminars, honors students also complete an undergraduate thesis and a minimum of 100 community service hours before graduating as Kugelman Honors Scholars.
