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Professor, Associate Dean for Graduate Education
412-624-7364
rparker@pitt.edu
Profile
Robert (Bob) S. Parker joined Pitt in 2000 and is currently the Associate Dean for Graduate Education and the Robert v.d. Luft Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering in the Swanson School of Engineering. He began homebrewing when he moved to Pittsburgh, before taking a break from the hobby as he focused on earning tenure. He returned to homebrewing in 2006 when his wife Stacy told him, "you need a hobby". He has brewed ever since, bringing the ENGR 1933 class to fruition in 2017, and spending several pre-pandemic years brewing professionally as part of 30 Bridges Brewing. Bob enjoys the many styles of beer, though his favorites are Pilsners, IPAs, and fruit/spiced beer. His laboratory focuses on constructing mathematical models of disease systems to provide model-based decision support tools to practicing clinicians.
Director of Strategic Business and Financial Operations
412-624-9398
rtoplak@pitt.edu
Profile
Robert (Rob) F. Toplak, who joined Pitt in 1989, is currently the Director for Strategic Business and Financial Operations in the Swanson School of Engineering. Rob was introduced to homebrewing by Bob in 2014 and has been brewing and assisting with the ENGR 1933 and ENGR 1920 classes since their respective launches.
Associate Professor
dgcole@pitt.edu
Profile
Daniel (Dan) G. Cole has been at Pitt since 2006 and is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science in the Swanson School of Engineering. He has been homebrewing since 1999 and is a dedicated all grain brewer, although he is not afraid to modify a recipe to stretch his brew setup. He was a key enabler when creating the ENGR 1933 class. He brings his professional engineering expertise to lectures on energy, fluid flow, and heat transfer for the course. Dan loves most styles of beer but prefers pale ales, wheat beers, and lambics. His research portfolio is eclectic but emphasizes dynamic systems and control. He is currently focused on cyber-informed engineering and creating the engineering tools to secure our critical infrastructure.