2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

BOARD #131: Brewing Interest in Engineering and Computer Science: A Hands-On Coffee Roasting and Brewing Lab for High School Outreach

Presented at Poster Session-Electrical and Computer Engineering Division (ECE)

This paper presents a hands-on outreach activity aimed at increasing high school students’ interest in engineering disciplines through a practical, real-world application: coffee brewing analysis and sensor interfacing. The activity, designed for 10th-grade students, introduces basic concepts in engineering, computing, and data analysis by allowing students to collect data using Phidget sensors and analyze coffee brewing variables such as pH, turbidity, and extraction yield. By combining curiosity-driven inquiry with interactive, hands-on learning experiences, this activity encourages students to explore potential careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). We discuss the design of the lab, its implementation, and preliminary results from student feedback. Our findings suggest that this multifaceted, real-world application of engineering principles significantly enhances student engagement and understanding of engineering concepts.

Authors

Dr. Kumar Yelamarthi http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0072-3909 Tennessee Technological University [biography]

Kumar Yelamarthi received his Ph.D. and M.S degree from Wright State University in 2008 and 2004, and B.E. from University of Madras, India in 2000. He is currently the Associate Dean and Professor in the College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech University. In the past, he served as the Director for School of Engineering and Technology, and Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and at Central Michigan University (CMU). He served as the chair for Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering programs, and Assistant to the Dean of College of Science and Engineering at CMU. His research interest is in the areas of Internet of Things, wireless sensor networks, edge computing, embedded systems, and engineering education. He has published over 160 articles and delivered over 100 talks in these areas. He has successfully raised several externally funded grants of over $8.0 Million from organizations such as NSF, NASA, and the industry.
Dr. Susmit Shannigrahi Tennessee Technological University [biography]

Susmit Shannigrahi received his Ph.D. from Colorado State University in 2019. His research focuses on building tools and protocols that facilitate next generation of connected applications. He runs the Next Generation Networking Lab at Tennessee Tech (https://tntech-ngin.net) where he and his students study, design, and build intelligent protocols for distributed systems and next-generation Internet.
Sahaya Jestus Lazer Tennessee Technological University [biography]

Sahaya Jestus Lazer is a Master’s student in Computer Science at Tennessee Technological University. He earned his Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science and Engineering from Anna University, India, in 2010. He has over 13 years of experience in the IT industry. He worked at IBM and Infosys, specializing in middleware systems. As a consultant, he supported clients such as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Citizens Bank, ANZ Bank, and Equinor (Statoil). His industry background shapes his academic research. His Master’s thesis applies machine learning to network traffic analysis. He studies how machine learning models can detect anomalies and perform fine-grained traffic classification in large research networks with homogeneous traffic patterns. His research interests include artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and intelligent systems for infrastructure protection.

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