Resrch

Research Interests

Recent activity has involved collaboration in an international project to conduct service-based chemistry research for improvement of coffee quality with Nicaraguan small-holder coffee farmers. This project has involved field work on farms in Nicaragua and laboratory studies in both Seattle and Managua. This project is being accomplished through partnership with students, faculty, and staff of Seattle University (SU), the University of Central America Managua, and Catholic Relief Services/Nicaragua (CRS/NI).

Prior to the initiation of the coffee chemistry research, work in my laboratory had primarily focused on application of computational science methods to chemical and physical problems involving the ground and excited state properties of small molecules, especially those that are of importance in Earth's atmosphere. Recent ab initio quantum chemical studies have focused on the overtone vibrational spectrum of ethanol and the photolysis of Cl₂O₂. The studies have employed large-scale CASSCF, configuration interaction, and perturbation theory calculations.

Recent Presentations

"Control of the Coffee Fermentation Process and Quality of Resulting Roasted Coffee: Studies in the Field Laboratory and on Small Farms in Nicaragua during the 2005-06 Harvest," presented by Susan Jackels and Charles Jackels at 21st International Conference on Coffee Science, Montpellier, France, Sep 11-15, 2006.
“Undergraduate Research within the B.S. in Computing and Software Systems Degree at the University of Washington, Bothell,” Charles F. Jackels, presented at 10^th National Conference of the Council on Undergraduate Research, La Crosse, Wisconsin, June 23-26, 2004.
“Field Study of Coffee Bean Fermentation on Farms in the Matagalpa Region of Nicaragua,” with Susan C. Jackels, presented to the Environmental Science Colloquium, University of Central America Managua, March 17, 2004.
“An ab initio and Experimental Investigation of the Hydroxyl Vibration of Ethanol,” with Jason D. Weibel and Robert L. Swofford; presented at Molecular Quantum Mechanics: The Right Answer for the Right Reason, an international conference in honor of Professor Ernest R. Davidson, Seattle, Washington, July 21-26, 2001.

Recent Publications

· "Conntrol of the Coffee Fermentation Process and Quality of Resulting Roasted Coffee: Studies in the Field Laboratory and on Small Farms in Nicaragua During the 2005-06 Harvest." S. Jackels, C. Jackels, C. Vallejos, S. Kleven, R. Rivas, and S. Fraser-Dauphinee, submitted to Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Coffee Science, International Association on Coffee Science, Montpellier, France, Sep 11-15, 2006.

· “Characterization of the Coffee Mucilage Fermentation Process Using Chemical Indicators: A Field Study in Nicaragua,” Susan C. Jackels and Charles F. Jackels, J. Food Science 70, C321-5 (2005).