Ecological Engineering
Since Alabama has so many engineering needs in preserving and enhancing its environment
and natural resources, Biosystems Engineering remains focused on ecological engineering.
This focus area includes traditional land and water conservation engineering along
with watershed and stream protection and restoration. These land and water engineering
efforts will encompass agricultural, forestry, and other natural resource problems.
This focus area also includes management of agricultural waste products and the
application of geospatial technologies to improving management decisions for our
environment and natural resources.
Faculty working in this area include:
Current and recent projects in this area include:
- Erosion and recreational trails: construction and maintenance practices to minimize
watershed impacts
- Monitoring off-trail sediment production of the Kentuck ORV system
- Alternative forest road stream crossing structures to reduce water quality impacts
- Sediment movement and export from biomass reduction operations
- Subsurface Drip Irrigation techniques and precision agriculture
- Long-term study of constructed wetlands for treating agricultural wastes
- Techniques for sludge removal from animal waste lagoons
- Development and evaluation of TMDL planning and assessment tools and processes
- Family and community development through integrated watershed management and
education in the middle Jequitinhonha river valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Alley cropping for environmental and economic sustainability of hillside farming
- Soil erosion and water quality under cattle grazing
- Certified Animal Waste Vendor training for ADEM's AFO/CAFO program
- CREES' national Animal Waste Initiative
- University Parkerson Mill Creek Restoration
- Field Test of Geo-textile Filtration Tube for Dewatering Dairy Lagoon Sludge
- Juniper Creek Clean Water Partnership Pollution Prevention Project
