Needs for Program Advancement
a. Program Needs
The department desperately needs to restart graduate programs in Biosystems Engineering to allow it to move forward. Without graduate programs, it is difficult to recruit the highest quality faculty, secure extramural funding, and conduct high-quality research. Restarting the programs will not require additional expense for the university since all faculty are in place. In fact, restarting these programs will help increase overall university graduate student enrollment, increase credit hour production, and increase extramural funding.
b. Faculty Needs
After completing faculty searches that are underway, the department will have 11 full-time faculty including the department head. Of the current faculty, eight will have primary responsibilities in teaching and research, and two have extension responsibilities. It is anticipated that there will be one retirement in the ecological engineering area within the next four years. The primary faculty needs by 2008 are:
- one biological engineering faculty member,
- two production and process engineering faculty, and
- one off-highway vehicle engineering faculty member
- one ecological engineering faculty member.
Each of these new positions will have some level of expectation in all three land-grant mission areas: instruction, research, and outreach. Projected work areas for each position are listed next.
A senior faculty position in Production and Process Engineering, specifically Aquacultural Engineering, will allow the department to develop stronger ties with the world-renown Fisheries and Allied Aquaculture department and it will fill a long-standing need in the fisheries research program. Adding a strong engineering component to Auburn's fisheries and aquaculture programs will elevate both departments to greater levels of national and global prominence. A strong relationship with this program has the potential to significantly increase extramural funding and graduate student enrollment for the university. Hiring a senior faculty member will allow the department to assume a leadership role in this area in a much shorter time frame and it will begin a program that can elevate the department to a level of national prominence.
Junior faculty positions are needed first in Biological Engineering. This biological engineering faculty member will strengthen and compliment existing food engineering and food safety research or it may bring an additional dimension in basic bio-process engineering. New research work in bio-process engineering may develop relationships with genomics research that is underway at Auburn or it may focus on new processing and conversion methods for bio-energy. This work area would elevate the stature of both the department and college to those of other top 10 biosystems engineering departments and concurrently result in significant increases in graduate student enrollment and extramural funding.
A second junior faculty position is needed in Production and Processing Engineering. This position would focus on engineering needs in the processing sectors of the poultry and fisheries industries. Emphasis areas could include food safety, automation, and energy, water, and waste management. While this is a traditional engineering need, it is one that has not been addressed by Auburn and its peer institutions, but has the potential to make significant increases in the safety of our food supply and increase the competitiveness of our food processing industries.
A third junior faculty position is needed in Off-Highway Vehicle Engineering. This position will strengthen existing faculty expertise in off-highway vehicle engineering with additional focus on machine design topics and improving safety of off-highway vehicles. Significant opportunities exist for engineering contributions to forestry, agricultural, and construction equipment design.
A fourth junior faculty position is needed in Ecological Engineering. The focus of this position will depend on completion of faculty searches in 2004; however, this position could focus on water supply and management issues for both agricultural as well as urban and industrial uses. This is a critical work area for Alabama since our abundant water supplies are under great pressures from pollution and urban and industrial use.
|
Focus Area |
Final Desired Number of Faculty |
|
Biological Engineering |
3 |
|
Ecological Engineering |
5 or 6 |
|
Production and Process Engineering |
3 |
|
Off-Highway Vehicle Engineering |
3 |
c. Space Needs
The primary space need in Biosystems Engineering is for improved space. The department currently occupies one building on the main campus (the Tom Corley Building) with 29,000 square feet of gross space. However, over one half of that space was constructed in the 1940's and has never undergone a renovation. This 1940's space houses most of the laboratories for the department and is very deficient in its utilities (water is not potable and electricity is severely limited); in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; in lighting; in accessibility; and in its general comfort. Along with filling faculty positions and restarting a graduate program, renovation of this space would make significant improvements in the ability of the department to be successful in improving its educational, research, and outreach programs and regain a ranking of national prominence.
Currently, plans are in development to renovate departmental computing labs and one main classroom in the Corley Building during the Summer of 2004. Partial funding for computing equipment has been secured from the university, however, costs for renovation of the laboratory space may be prohibitive. The addition of a distance learning lab in the Corley Building would allow the department to send and receive more courses to/from other universities. This distance learning capability will allow the department to offer a wide variety of courses for students while concentrating faculty expertise in a few select research and outreach areas that are most appropriate for Auburn. One classroom in the Corley Building with approximately 900 square feet is available for converting to a distance learning classroom.
Additional space for biological- and microbiological-based process engineering research will be needed as more biological engineering faculty are hired. Current space in the Tom Corley Building does not have sufficient laboratories configured for conducting research in this area. To successfully build this type of research emphasis, at least 2000 square feet of new space or renovated space is required.
d. Equipment Needs
Major equipment needs in Biosystems Engineering are centered around the biological engineering and off-highway vehicle engineering focus areas. Research and instruction in biological engineering need equipment for studying bio-materials handling and processing; biosensors; robotics; and controls. This includes instrumentation for determining properties and behavior of biological materials. Estimated minimum costs for developing biological engineering laboratories are approximately $500,000. A general sensors, biosensors, and controls laboratory is also needed to serve all major program areas in Biosystems Engineering. The cost for this sensors and controls laboratory is estimated at $100,000.
Research and instruction in off-highway vehicles is limited by a lack of engine testing and exhaust emissions analysis equipment. Currently, no comprehensive engine testing facility exists on the Auburn campus for automotive, truck, or off-highway vehicle testing. This facility, which will benefit many programs in engineering, should include a computer-controlled chassis dynamometer, computer-controlled engine dynamometers, and real-time exhaust gas analyzers. The estimated cost for this facility is $500,000.
e. Undergraduate Scholarship Needs
One of the primary goals of the department is to increase undergraduate enrollment by 65% over the next five years. Additional scholarship funds will be needed to help recruit new students and accomplish this enrollment goal. At least four new scholarship endowments are needed over this same time period.
f. Graduate Fellowship Needs
Significantly increasing graduate student enrollment is another key to the success of the Biosystems Engineering Department. Graduate research assistantships from extramural funds are currently used to support Biosystems Engineering graduate students. To help attract more students, especially those with the highest possible academic credentials, at least four graduate fellowships are needed to supplement current assistantship levels. These four fellowships would be designated in each of the four program focus areas.
g. Technician Needs
The department currently employs only two full-time technicians: an engineering technician and an electronics technician. Faculty rely heavily on graduate students to conduct research projects. However, relying solely on graduate students for research support makes it difficult to maintain continuity in long term research efforts. To fully develop the potential of the four focus areas, one engineering technician is needed for each of the focus areas. Therefore at least four technicians are needed to help maintain continuous technical support for research and outreach programs. Biosystems Engineering faculty will endeavor to acquire extramural funds to hire this technical staff.
