Students with Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s fermentation science program are putting their brewing skills to use through a new co-op program with St. Nicholas Brewing Co., based in Du Quoin. Pictured here are, left to right, Matt McCarroll, professor and director of SIU’s Fermentation Science Institute; J.T. Heise, a senior in fermentation science: St. Nicholas Brewmaster James McCoy; and Carl Bundy, head brewer and certified cicerone. (Photo by Gayathri Baisa)
February 05, 2025
SIU’s fermentation science student gets co-op position with St. Nick’s
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Students with Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s fermentation science program are putting their brewing skills to use through a new co-op program with a local beer maker that provides part-time employment and training opportunities.
SIU and St. Nicholas Brewing Co., based in Du Quoin, formulated the program in 2024 with the first student starting work in January 2025, said Matt McCarroll, professor and director of SIU’s Fermentation Science Institute. The agreement will allow a selected student to work 20 hours per week applying the concepts and skills developed at SIU.
“There has always been interest from local businesses to hire our students, and many of our students must secure part-time jobs to help pay for their education,” McCarroll said. “The biggest challenge has been coordinating availability around the student’s course schedule.”
A key aspect of the SIU-St. Nicolas agreement is managing the timing so that the student can coordinate a work schedule during the course registration period, McCarroll said.
“With that in place, I saw this as a win-win scenario,” McCarroll said.
J.T. Heise, a senior in fermentation science from Waterloo, and the first student selected for the program, said his day-to-day duties include assisting with sanitation of the brewpub’s tap lines, milling malts to prepare for the next brew day and helping with the brewing process itself. That includes connecting transfer hoses, clearing out the grain bed from the mash tun and helping to clean up the work area when the job is finished.
Heise said his career goals include obtaining a position in a contract brewery and eventually opening his own establishment one day.
“This program helps me progress toward those goals by providing the kind of hands-on experience and knowledge that isn’t readily attainable in the classroom setting,” Heise said.
Abby Ancell, district manager and managing partner with St. Nicholas, said expanding education in brewing and fermentation not only strengthens the brewing industry but also supports small, independent brewers.
“As a proud 2008 graduate of SIU and a veteran of the beer and hospitality industry, I was thrilled to see this program come to SIU,” Ancell said. “By training more skilled professionals and increasing awareness of locally crafted beer, we can continue to showcase why it stands far above mass-produced alternatives. Our goal is to ensure this collaboration is not just a one-time opportunity but an ongoing effort to provide students with hands-on experience for years to come.”