Biological Systems Engineering (BSEN)

Description: Description of careers in biomedical, environmental, water resources, food and bioproducts, and agricultural engineering. The human, economic and environmental impacts of engineering in society. Communication, design, teamwork, and the role of ethics and professionalism in engineering work.

Description: Problem solving techniques and procedures through the use of Excel, MATLAB, and graphical methods. Emphasis on problem/solution communications with topics and problems from agricultural engineering and biological systems engineering.

Description: Use of computer-aided design software to communicate engineering ideas. Specifications, dimensioning, tolerancing, 2- and 3-D model development, topographic mapping, and process layout with environmental, bioprocess, and biomedical emphases.

Description: Introduction to methods of economic comparisons of engineering alternatives: time value of money, depreciation, taxes, concepts of accounting, activity-based costing, ethical principles, civics and stewardship, and their importance to society.

Description: Physical properties important to the design of harvesting, storage, and processing systems for agricultural crops; principles and techniques for measurement of properties including frictional effects, particle size, strength, moisture content, specific heat, and thermal conductivity.

Description: Introduction to the laws of thermodynamics and their application to biological and environmental systems. Zeroth, first, second, and third laws; open and closed systems; enthalpy and specific heat; and Gibb's free energy and chemical potential for biological and environmental systems. Applications to biochemical potentials, water potential, absorption, osmosis, radiation, membranes, surface tension, and fugacity. Thermodynamic cycles as they apply to living systems.

Description: Developing concepts in instrumentation relevant to agricultural and biological systems. Fundamental concepts of charge, current, voltage, impedance, power, and circuit analysis within the context of biological engineering. Introduction to sensors and their applications. Data collection using modern acquisition hardware and software. Electrical safety and effects of electricity on the human body.

Description: Introduction to performance parameters and characteristics of pumps, fans, presses, and solids handling, size reduction, separation and agitation equipment. Application of the various technologies studied with analysis of example systems.

Description: Mathematical modeling of biophysical systems. Continuous and discrete signals. Signal representation, system classification, impulse response, convolution, Fourier analysis, transfer functions, difference-equation approximations of differential equations. Basic filtering concepts.

Description: Research areas and applications related to biomedical engineering including bioelectricity, biosensors, biomechanics, cardiovascular mechanics, tissue engineering, biotechnology, and medical imaging. Identifying engineering methods used to develop biomedical technologies and communicating technical knowledge to a wide variety of audiences.

Description: Introduction to principles of environmental engineering including water quality, atmospheric quality, pollution prevention, and solid and hazardous wastes engineering. Design of water, air, and waste management systems.

Description: Introduction to principles of environmental engineering including water quality, atmospheric quality, pollution prevention, and solid and hazardous wastes engineering. Design of water, air, and waste management systems.

Description: Environmental engineering experiments, demonstrations, field trips, and projects. Experiments include the measurement and determination of environmental quality parameters such as solids, dissolved oxygen, biochemical and chemical oxygen demand, and alkalinity.

Description: Development of the concepts of stress and strain relevant to agricultural and biological systems. Stress analysis of axial, torsional, and bending stresses, combined loading analysis, deflection evaluation, static and dynamic failure theory. Practical applications in agricultural and biological systems will be discussed.

Description: Fundamentals of Power systems for machines. Introduction to fluid power (hydraulics, pneumatics), pumps, motors, cylinders, control devices and system design. Selection of electric motors as power sources, operating characteristics and circuits. Selection of internal combustion engines as power sources.

Description: Introduction to concurrent transport of energy and mass in biological and environmental processes. Modes of heat transfer, steady and non-steady state heat conduction, convective heat transfer, radiative heat transfer, and heat transfer with phase change. Equilibrium, kinetics, and modes of mass transfer, diffusion, dispersion, and convective mass transfer. Soil freezing and thawing, energy and mass balances of crops, diffusivities of membranes, photosynthesis, human and animal energy balances, and respiration.

Description: Introduction to soil and water resources and the engineering processes used to analyze watersheds. Soil water relations, evapotranspiration, precipitation, runoff, erosion, flow in natural waterways and through reservoirs, wetland and groundwater hydrology, and water quality. Geographic information system utilized to develop maps and analyze watershed characteristics. A selected watershed is investigated.

Description: Introduction to principles of ecological engineering including ecosystems ecology, river restoration, constructed wetlands, green infrastructure stormwater management, and environmental restoration. Ecological design of water and land protection practices. Includes introduction to water pollution and contaminant fate and remediation.

Description: Introduction to basic human movement involving kinematics, kinetics, and other quantitative analysis including linear and angular position, velocity, and acceleration. Emphasis on the muscular and skeletal systems as well as other basic human systems. Human capabilities and injuries will demonstrate the limitations of the human body.

Description: Application of engineering methods to the development of assistive technology for people with injuries and disabilities. Characterization of the physical and mental capabilities of people with impairment, universal design, assistive technologies associated with seating, transportation, communication, and recreation. Integration of engineering design principles in a rehabilitation design project.

Description: Underlying physics, instrumentation, and signal analysis of biomedical and biological imaging modalities. MRI, X-ray, CT, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, and the human visual system. Energy-tissue interactions. Resolution, point spread function, contrast, diffraction, comparisons. Information content in images for biological systems.

Description: Introduction to all types of bio-materials, metals, ceramics, polymers, and natural materials. Characterization of biomaterials, mechanical and physical properties, cell-biomaterials interactions, degradation, and host reaction to biomaterials. FDA testing and applications of biomaterials, implants, tissue engineering scaffolds, artificial organs, drug delivery, and adhesives.

Description: Introduction to engineering biological substitutes that can restore, maintain or improve organ function in therapy of diseases. Engineering methods and principles to design tissues and organs, cell and tissue biology, tissue growth and development, biomaterial scaffolds, growth factor and drug delivery, scaffold-cell interactions, and bioreactors.

Description: Introduction to pollution prevention (P2) and waste minimization methods. Practical applications to small businesses and industries. Legislative and historical development of P2 systems analysis, waste estimation, P2 methods, P2 economics, and sources of P2 information.

Description: Characterization of wastes from animal production. Specification and design of collection, transport, storage, treatment, and land application systems. Air and water pollution, regulatory and management aspects.

Description: Engineering processes for biomass conversion and bioenergy production. Topics include biomass chemistry, conversion reactions, current and emerging bioenergy technologies, feedstock logistics, life cycle assessment. Analysis of primary research literature required for graduate credit.

Description: Engineering topics related to processing of biological materials into valuable products. Enzyme kinetics, microbial kinetics, application of enzymes in industrial processes, bioreactor design, equipment scale-up, gas transfer in reactors and bioseparations.

Description: Application of heat, mass, and moment transport in analysis and design of unit operations for biological and agricultural materials. Evaporation, drying, distillation, extraction, leaching, thermal processing, membrane separation, centrifugation, and filtration.

Description: Analytical and design consideration of evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and water movement as related to irrigation and drainage systems; analysis and design of components of irrigation and drainage systems including water supplies, pumping plants, sprinkler systems, and center pivots.

Description: Identification, characterization, and assessment of nonpoint source pollutants; transport mechanisms and remediation technologies; design methodologies and case studies.

Description: Use of GIS to create inputs to models such as HEC-HMS and SWAT. Processes to simulate hydrology and erosion in models. Development and calibration of models based on student's area of interest.

Description: Application of engineering principles to the movement of groundwater. Analysis and design of wells, well fields, and artificial recharge. Analysis of pollutant movement..

Description: Analysis and design of instrumentation and controls for agricultural, biological, and biomedical applications. Theory of basic sensors and transducers, analog and digital electrical control circuits, and the interfacing of computers with instruments and controls. LabVIEW Programming. Emphasis on signal analysis and interpretation for improving system performance.

Description: Physical, chemical and biological processes that occur in wetlands; the hydrology and soils of wetland systems; organisms occurring in wetlands and their ecology wetland creation, delineation, management and ecotoxicology.

Description: Definition, scope, analysis, and synthesis of a comprehensive design problem within the areas of emphasis in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering. Identification of a client's engineering problem to solve, and development of objectives and anticipated results.

Description: Interaction between earth's climate and the hydrologic cycle. Energy and water fluxes at the land-atmosphere interface. Atmospheric moisture transport, precipitation, evaporation, snowmelt, and runoff. Impacts of climate variability and change on the hydrologic cycle.

Description: Definition, scope, analysis, and synthesis of a comprehensive engineering problem in an engineering area of emphasis within the Department of Biological Systems Engineering. Design activity using the team approach to develop a solution.

Description: Subject matter in emerging areas of Biological Systems Engineering not covered in other courses within the curriculum. Topics, activities, and delivery methods vary.

Description: Investigation and written report on engineering problems not covered in sufficient depth through existing courses.

Description: Independent project which meets the requirements of the University Honors Program, conducted under the guidance of a faculty member in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering. The project should contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field. Written thesis and formal presentation required.