Van Kelley, Head
Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Agricultural Engineering 107
605-688-5141
e-mail: van.kelley@sdstate.edu
http://abe.sdstate.edu/
Faculty
Associate Professor Kelley, Head; Professors Anderson, Hellickson, Humburg, Julson, Muthukumarappan, Pohl, Trooien; Professors Emeriti Chu, DeBoer; Werner, Associate Professor Nicola; Assistant Professors Schipull, Todey; Assistant Professors Emeriti Bender, Pahl.
Programs
Food and Biological Materials Engineering is a unique discipline specialization in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering that provides students with an exceptional opportunity to serve the bioenergy, food, fiber, and feed processing industry. The processing of biological materials adds value to agricultural commodities and provides additional capacity for economic growth in the region. Graduates will have the capability to design, install and maintain processing technologies that are used in the biofuel, food, fiber, and feed industry.
Students take foundation courses in mathematics, physics, chemistry and microbiology. Additional coursework stresses communication skills, engineering mechanics, food science, food safety, and engineering design. This program of study is excellent preparation for people seeking careers in bio-energy, corn, soybean, and wheat processing; grain milling and baking; processed food; beverage production; oil processing; meat processing; and pharmaceutical production. Food and Biological Materials Engineering offers an outstanding career opportunity to the student who has an interest in the biological and physical sciences.
The Program Educational Objectives of the Food and Biological Materials Engineering specialization are:
To produce engineers that become competent in methods of analysis involving use of mathematics, fundamental physical and biological sciences, engineering sciences, and in the computation skills needed for the practice of agricultural and biosystems engineering. To produce engineers that develop design skills, including abilities necessary to think creatively, to formulate problem statements, to communicate effectively, to synthesize information, and to evaluate and implement problem solutions. To produce engineers that become capable of addressing issues of ethics, safety, professionalism, cultural diversity, globalization, environmental impact, and social and economic impact in engineering practice. To produce engineers that will contribute to agricultural profitability through the development, adoption and proper use of improved and safer engineering technologies, production systems and management practices.
Engineering design is taught throughout the academic program beginning with the freshman ABE 122 course and culminating in a two semester, senior capstone design experience via the ABE 411 and ABE 422 courses. Senior students are members of design teams which design, build, test and demonstrate engineered products. Design projects solicited from industry provide students with relevant “real world” design experience.
See Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering for courses and curriculum.
Return to: