‘Chocolate Cake’ video wins CASE Best of Asia-Pacific Award

A welcome video for second-year chemical engineering students at University of Melbourne has been recognised in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Best of Asia-Pacific Awards.

The video, which was produced in collaboration with the University of Melbourne Video and Media team, was recognised by the US-based global non-profit in the ‘Video: Student Audience’ category.

Taking a novel approach to introducing concepts students could expect to find in their Material and Energy Balances unit, Education Focused Lecturer Dr Catherine Sutton poses the question; What does it take to produce thousands of chocolate cakes at an industrial scale?

The video opens with a chocolate cake, a symbol of decadence and celebration, but Dr Sutton asks students to consider some of the fundamental elements that go into making this cake, and thousands just like it on a daily basis.

From here, Dr Sutton calls to mind the same questions for tackling other real-world issues such as improving efficiency in food production and reducing waste in the recycling process.

“Our goal was to make the video engaging, relatable, and inspiring by connecting it to real-world applications,” Dr Sutton said. “With our chocolate cake taking centre stage, we could demonstrate how Material and Energy Balance principles are applied in food manufacturing, including managing ingredients, optimising energy and improving efficiency.”