The department was established in 1891. In 2018 the Department name, along with the graduate program names, changed to Biosystems Engineering. Like similar departments at most Land Grant universities, this department is jointly administered by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Engineering. Biosystems engineers use engineering, math, and life science to design systems to manage soil and water resources, produce food, develop biological products, and manage and analyze large data sets. They work on projects involving the wise use of energy, materials, biochemicals, and recyclable wastes. They combine technical knowledge, computer techniques, and control systems for a deeper understanding of agriculture and biology -- knowledge which someday may be used to design life support systems for colonies on other planets. Students may specialize in water resource engineering or biological engineering.
The Biosystems Engineering Master of Science Degree program offers students the opportunity for study and research in many fields, including the following: Controlled Environment Agriculture, Water Resources, Biometry and Biosystems Informatics, Food, Bioproducts, and Renewable Energy The flexibility of the program allows students, in consultation with their advisors, to develop programs specifically suited to their needs.
Our vision: BE will be a world leader known for developing technologies and systems for the safe production of food, bioenergy, bioproducts, and biological information for sustainable use of arid and semi-arid environments. Students, constituents, and professionals will come from across the world to participate with our programs.
Biometry and Biosystems Informatics deals with health issues, mostly pathogenic diseases, found among humans, animals, and the environment (air, water, and food). Emerging infectious diseases, including avian and swine influenza, SARS, tuberculosis, Shiga-toxin producing E. coli, etc., are closely associated with animals, food, and the environment. Solutions to infectious diseases need to be investigated at the level of ecological systems. The BE department has a strong tradition of addressing these issues, utilizing smartphone- and cloud-based diagnostics, big data analysis, genomic/proteomic identification of pathogens/diseases, lab-on-a-chip biosensors, and nanotechnology-based sensing and therapeutics.
