DaVinci Institute's Night with a Futurist: The Future of Beer

Beer. It’s one of the most popular beverages in the world and variations of it have been brewed for hundreds of years. But the last fifty years have seen the rise of major changes in the beer industry: micro breweries and home brewing. No longer do we just get beer from a small number of massive brewing institutions. Indeed, craft beer now represents over 12% of the global market, and imports grew 6.2% just in 2015.

There’s even more change coming in the beer industry, however, and this evening we’ll focus on the future of beer, with a conversation led by Dr. Michael Mosher, Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UNC and Dana Sedin, Manager of the Analytic Lab at New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins.

It’ll doubtless be an engaging, entertaining and illuminating evening.

Presenters
Dr. Mosher:
Dr. Mosher obtained a BS in professional chemistry from the University of Idaho, the MS degree in Chemistry from Dartmouth College, and a PhD specializing in Organic Chemistry from Texas Tech University. As an avid homebrewer, he has been involved in the brewing scene since 1987, and obtained the Diploma in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. He currently holds the rank of Professor and is Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Northern Colorado. He has won numerous awards at the national, regional, and local levels for his involvement in chemistry education. He has published over 50 journal articles and a textbook for use in college-level General Chemistry.

Dana Sedin:
Dana Sedin is the Manager of the Analytical Laboratory at New Belgium Brewing Company.  He began his career in the brewing industry at Coors Brewing Company where he held both scientific and laboratory manager positions for 10 years. He is an active member of the American Society of Brewing Chemists, and from 2008-2012 held the Technical Committee Chair Position on the American Society of Brewing Chemists Board of Directors.  Dana has a B.S. in chemistry from California State University, Sacramento and a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Colorado, Boulder.  In 2011, Dana completed his Post Graduate Certificate in Brewing from the University of Nottingham.  Outside of work, Dana's time is spent with his wife, Sarah, and daughter, Elena.

Host:
Victor Kiryak
As the director of Chemistry Education and Research Center, Victor is a passionate proponent of anything that has to do with chemistry and education. For many years he has been an active member of multiple communities across the US advocating for the accessibility of higher education and science education for general population. Victor holds a BS in chemistry and MS in organic chemistry from Saint Petersburg State University, Russia, MS in photochemistry from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and did his doctorate research in chemical education at the University of Northern Colorado. Victor has presented on chemistry education at numerous regional and national conferences and is an active member of American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Education, Russian Chemical Society, American Educational Research Association, National Association for Research in Science Teaching, and American Association for the Advancement of Science. Currently, his research focuses on the future trends in STEM* education and relationships between academics and private sector.