Colorado State University

Instead of asking if the glass is half-empty or half-full, Bethany King is posing a different question: What’s the carbon footprint of that glass?

King, a third-year chemical engineering student, is developing a user-friendly, open-source tool that will allow microbreweries to calculate and better understand the full scope of their environmental impact.

This summer, King is conducting background research necessary for further developing a platform for use by brew pubs throughout Colorado, with plans to continue her work and project development into the fall semester. The ultimate goal is to create a tool that any brewery across the country can use to better understand the scope of their carbon footprint, including everything from the impact of the materials and ingredients they use to their brewery processes and building energy consumption, she said.

“My passion is in environmental sustainability, and I want to go to grad school for that after graduation. This internship really allows me to get my foot in the door,” she said.

King hopes this internship will also serve as the foundation for further academic and professional pursuits in environmental sustainability.

“This internship is helping me transition from a passive student with no research experience to an active student researcher. It is preparing me for admission into – and success in – grad school, through actual experience in the field that I am passionate about: Sustainability,” she said.

The recipe for finding a successful research project? “Put yourself out there,” she said. “It really helps to start talking to professors early on to see if you can get your foot in the door.”