An engineering education from UW-Madison prepares students with knowledge and skills that are highly useful for solving all manner of problems.
Dean Verhoeven holding the Joeveo Temperfect mug.
For alumnus Dean Verhoeven (BSME ‘84, MSME ‘86), the problem of a trying to enjoy his morning coffee while it was at just the right temperature inspired him to develop a new product—a travel mug that features technology based in large part on the thermodynamics and heat transfer knowledge he learned from Mechanical Engineering Professor Sanford Klein during ME361.
The Joeveo Temperfect mug employs a phase change material as an insulation layer in the wall of the mug. The material quickly absorbs the excess heat from freshly brewed hot coffee, bringing the coffee to a comfortable drinking temperature. Then, the material slowly releases that stored heat to keep the coffee at the optimal drinking temperature for hours.
“This mug is a perfect demonstration of mechanical engineering fundamentals of thermodynamics and heat transfer applied to an everyday product in a new way,” Verhoeven says.