SCIENCE ON TAP

Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!

No show in April!

Stay tuned for May’s topic!

June 12th at 7pm!

FIRE-BENDING: COFFEE ROASTING AND ITS EFFECT ON THE BEAN

The flames roaring, the ever-changing smells, the rhythmic sounds of the movement of the beans within the metal dragon. Inside, coffee beans are loosing water content, amino acids are catalyzing reactions with monosaccharides, oligosaccharides are undergoing caramelization, organic acids are breaking down while others are forming from the breakdown of these carbohydrates while developing pressures that can exceed 300 psi. At the end of the day, 300 volatile aromatics are transformed into over 1000. This craft, so often pictured in the artisanal idyllic is blending of science, art, and craft: bending fire to transform raw coffee into roasted beans.

In this session, Rob Hoos, author and Director of Coffee at Nossa Familia, will introduce us to the world of coffee roasting, as well as dive into some of the science that underpins and guides the profession of a coffee roaster. Looking at the process from start to finish, we will come to understand the basic design, chemistry, and thermodynamics of the process as well as dive into current research on the manipulation of flavor development during coffee roasting.

You can get advance tickets for this show here or at the Kiggins box office the night of show.

July 10th at 7pm!

LIVING IN EARTHQUAKE COUNTRY: WHAT CAN THE PACIFIC NW LEARN FROM RECENT QUAKES

The Pacific Northwest is due for a major earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, and a magnitude 9 Cascadia earthquake and tsunami would likely produce an unprecedented catastrophe much larger than any disaster the pacific northwest, or the nation, has ever faced. Vancouver isn’t ready, and significant preparation is needed to safeguard communities, businesses, and people. There are lessons to be learned from several recent earthquakes around the world including Chile, Japan, New Zealand, and Mexico. At this Science on Tap, Allison Pyrch, a local geotechnical engineer, will discuss SW Washington’s earthquake setting, what similar quakes can tell us about what to expect from a Cascadia earthquake, and how the Pacific Northwest is preparing for “the really big one.

Allison Pyrch is a geotechnical engineer whose experience includes site specific seismic design for buildings, roads, bridges, dock and port structures, large embankments, slopes and landslides, and water and wastewater infrastructure. Recognized as American Society of Civil Engineer’s 2018 Oregon/SW Washington Engineer of the Year, she has travelled to Chile, Japan, and Mexico after their recent subduction zone earthquakes and tsunamis to study the effects on lifelines.  Allison was also featured prominently in the awards-winning OPB documentary Unprepared, as well as the Al Jazeera program TechKnow.

You can get advance tickets for this show here or at the Kiggins box office the night of show.