2000 BAE Alumni News-Advisory Committee

Advisory Committee members: Enrique Rotstein, Paul Josephson, John Brach, Mitch Voehl, Dan Peterson at the May 17th meeting.

We have formed an advisory committee to provide input to our undergraduate program. There are two primary objectives: 1) to improve the educational experience and outcomes for our students, and 2) to develop and document a process of meaningful input from alumni and employers to help meet new requirements for our ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accreditation. The committee members include:

Ted Bather (BAE 1980), AGRA-Simons
John Brach, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Paul Josephson (BAE 1974, MS 1976), Wenck Associates
Murray Madsen (BAE 1973), John Deere
Dan Peterson (BAE 1970, MS 1972), Toro
Robin Ney (BAE 1991), Cargill-Dow
Enrique Rotstein, Pillsbury Technology Center
Mitch Voehl (BAE 1983, MS 1986), CEC Corporation

The committee met for the first time on May 17. The committee reviewed and commented on drafts of program educational objectives and outcomes for our graduates. The current draft of the program educational objectives, still a work in progress, is shown in the box (right). We also reviewed the curriculum as recently revised for the change to the semester system.

We had an active discussion of a range of issues affecting our curriculum. Some of these included:

Programming languages and other computer software
Teamwork
Communication
Design
Teaching safety in design
Ability to complete the program in four years or two years if transferring from a two-year program

The input and discussion were very helpful, although as might be expected there was not a single opinion or position on a number of the issues. We will continue to seek input on curriculum, educational objectives, desired outcomes of our graduates, and ways to assess those outcomes. Another meeting of the advisory committee is planned for February 2001. We invite input from all alumni who are interested in helping us improve our program. Let us know if you would like to be informed of future meetings.

Educational Objectives

The educational objectives of the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering program at the University of Minnesota are to:

1. Produce graduates with a broad fundamental engineering background including mathematics, physical science, biological science, engineering science, and computational skills needed for their future practice of biosystems and agricultural engineering.

2. Produce graduates with the skills necessary to carry out an effective design process including the ability to think creatively, work cooperatively, formulate problems, synthesize information, develop and evaluate alternatives, implement solutions, and communicate effectively at all stages of the process.

3. Produce graduates with the ability to address issues of ethics, safety, professionalism, and social and economic impacts in engineering practice and design.

4. Produce graduates with specific abilities to pursue careers to integrate engineering and biology to design:: a.efficient, economical systems to produce and deliver high quality, safe food to consumers.; b.sustainable systems that protect the environment, humans, plants, and animals.; c.safe and efficient machines, processes, and practices for biological systems.
5. Provide opportunities for graduates to develop in-depth background in one of the following areas of emphasis:: a.Bioprocessing and Food design and develop systems for processing agricultural and biological materials to produce important products such as foods or pharmaceuticals.; b.Environment design and develop systems to preserve and protect agricultural and natural resources including soil, water, and air.; c.Machinery Systems design and develop systems for production and processing of food and other biological materials.