Serving bite-sized sweet treats on the side of coffee is part of many different cultures as it is a custom to serve a cup of coffee with Turkish delight in Turkey, biscotti in Italy, churros in Spain and dates in Arabia. However, on conventional saucers these treats slide towards the hot coffee cup and stick or get wet from the coffee spills. To prevent this, this coffee cup has a saucer with dedicated slots keeping the coffee treats in place. Since coffee is one of the quintessential hot beverages, improving the quality of the coffee drinking experience has importance in regard to daily life.

Rana N Ozdeslik received her PhD in Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology from Brown University and holds two BS degrees in Molecular Biology & Genetics and in Chemistry from Bogazici University. Long nurturing of an entrepreneurial spirit, Rana has engaged in a number of projects: designing and 3D-printing functional hands for children born with upper limb abnormalities; starting a business designing scientifically-accurate table-top 3D models of proteins; and creating “Brain Flipbook”, a book that affords tangible visualizations of the brain which was awarded the 2014 Art of Science Award of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at Brown University. Through all her endeavors, Rana has a particular interest in how to improve the quality of products with the goal of improving the quality of life.

Brown University is an Ivy League research university in Rhode Island, United States. The origin of Brown University is dated to 1761, making it the 7th oldest higher education institution in the United States. The core mission of Brown is to advance discovery and knowledge, cultivate innovation and prepare students to succeed in an ever-changing and complex world. Aligned with Brown’s mission, a commitment for being in service of society, taking the knowledge gained in classrooms to further the public good and using it to address the world’s needs and challenges are intrinsic parts of the Brown ethos.