Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

News & Updates

From the Chair

We are incredibly proud of our innovative, high-quality, highly-ranked, and ABET-accredited undergraduate program in biosystems engineering (We just had another very successful ABET accreditation outcome this past year). Our program has one of the highest biological science requirements among peer programs, with our students completing a minimum of five biological science courses (100- to 400-level), in addition to integrating that biological knowledge within our core biosystems engineering courses. Consequently, our graduates continue to be in high demand within the food, energy, environment, and health sectors, in addition to moving on to top-tier graduate and professional/medical schools.

The relevance and quality of our program owes a great deal to our extremely dedicated and active Industry Advisory Board (highlighted below), which engages directly with freshman, sophomore, and senior courses, including both advisory and evaluative roles in our year-long capstone design experience. Additionally, we have significantly increased our student involvement within ASABE this past year, including a 2nd-place finish in the ASABE Fountain Wars competition, with even greater participation expected in the coming year.

Just as our undergraduate curriculum integrates significant biological knowledge with core engineering principles, our faculty do the same in their research and outreach. I encourage you to click through to the stories below, highlighting just a few examples of the innovative and impactful programs that our faculty are leading in AI applications in food safety, agricultural conservation and environmental protection, sustainable climate solutions in animal agriculture, and risk assessment approaches for public health and environmental protection.

Please feel free to drop me a note anytime if you want to discuss ideas or opportunities for collaborations or partnerships.

Go Green!

Bradley Marks, Ph.D., P.E.

Professor and Department Chair

MSU Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

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BAE Industry Advisory Board

“The Biosystems Engineering (BE) Industry Advisory Board is mission-critical to our continuous program improvement process, which ensures that our educational objectives, student outcomes, and courses best position our graduates for long-term professional success,” says Dr. Bradley Marks, department chairperson and professor. “Their direct and regular engagement with students and faculty has been a significant contributor to our perennial success in the ABET accreditation process.”

Food

MSU researcher shows AI can be used for rapid pathogen detection in food sector

One in six people will experience a foodborne illness in their lifetime. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that foodborne illnesses cost the United States more than $15.6 billion each year. Research from Michigan State University (MSU) Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering (BAE) is using artificial intelligence (AI) to train a computer to detect pathogens to prevent foodborne illness.

Environment

MSU researcher examines agricultural conservation practices to reduce environmental impact on Great Lakes

For about two decades, annual algae blooms – fed primarily by nutrient runoff from sources like agricultural fields, animal facilities and wastewater treatment plants – have developed in the western portion of Lake Erie.

Ehsan Ghane, associate professor and MSU Extension specialist in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, focuses his research and outreach efforts on agricultural water quality and quantity. His goal is educating stakeholders (e.g. producers, drainage contractors, crop advisors, conservation professionals, and agency personnel) to increase the performance and profitability of subsurface drainage systems, while reducing harmful water-quality impacts.

Energy

MSU researchers link auto and dairy industries to explore sustainable climate solutions

One of the next climate change solutions might be found at your local dairy farm. A team of MSU researchers is studying ways to generate renewable energy from dairy farm waste to charge electric vehicles (EVs).

Wei Liao, a professor in MSU’s Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering (BAE) and the director of MSU’s Anaerobic Digestion Research and Education Center (ADREC), led a demonstration workshop July 19 showcasing the novel research linking dairy operations to the auto industry. He was joined by MSU animal science professor Barry Bradford, BAE professor Ajit Srivastava, dairy farm manager Jim Good and BAE research specialist and ADREC manager Sibel Uludag-Demirer.

Wei Liao standing infant of a barn talking into a microphone

Health

Assessing microbial risk to protect against infectious human diseases, preserve the environment

Everyone knows that air, water, soil and food are all vital components to human existence. But what happens when contamination occurs in one of these biosystems and persists with little to no detection? It festers and perpetuates, creating more complicated issues.

Jade Mitchell, MSU Department of Biosystems and Agriculture Engineering (BAE) associate professor and BAE associate department chair, studies chemical and microbial contaminants, determines their risks, and provides science-based information to treat and remediate the crises on hand.

Faculty Awards

Younsuk Dong: 2023 MSUE Innovative Technology Award | MSU CANR

Ehsan Ghane: 2023 Outstanding Extension Specialist Award | Michigan Association of Extension Agents

Jade Mitchell (SARS-CoV-2 Epidemiology-Wastewater Evaluation and Reporting (SEWERS) Network): Impact Award | MSU CANR Excellence in Research Award, co-sponsored by ABR and MSUE

Pouyan Nejadhashemi: Established (Mid-Career) Researcher Award | MSU CANR, sponsored by MSU AgBioResearch

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