from the President Partner with Students!

t was a great honor to be with so and earlier this year, leadership adopted a five-point set of sup- many members at the Annual portive Goals and Strategies (www.asabe.org/about-us/gover- International Meeting in nance/strategic-priorities.aspx). To achieve these objectives, IOrlando in July and to share my we must give priority to activities that: thoughts on the upcoming year for • Provide value to employers supporting employee ASABE and my presidency. It was membership and involvement. especially exciting to see the num- • Provide value to our members who participate in ber of student members and those in Section and Society activities. the early years of their professional • Meet the needs of preprofessionals and young profes- careers attending the meeting—over sionals, engaging them in Society activities and tech- 40%. Many attended to actively nical communities. engage in one of the ten student • Enhance our digital footprint to meet expectations of competitions featured at the meeting or to present results of the current generation of engineers and beyond, com- project work they had been involved in. municating our message more effectively. I’ve chosen Stewardship as an overarching theme of my • Reach out to those working in the ABE fields who presidency. Stewardship is central to much of what we do as have not discovered the benefits of participating in agricultural and biological engineers. I suggest that it is basic ASABE activities, helping them realize the value of to all of our professional activities: providing better nutrition, membership and participation in our Society. safe water to drink, a clean and sustainable environment, and • Proactively engage organizations around the world a higher standard of living for the world’s population with the that share the engineering space related to agricultural goal of ensuring the same for future generations. As profes- and biological systems, partnering our combined sionals applying the science of engineering to the essentials efforts and expertise to solve the Grand Challenges of of life, we can take credit for some incredible achievements our planet. in the past few decades. • Take a responsible role in sharing scientific informa- While we have had remarkable successes, the challenges tion relevant to our profession with the public and that lie ahead will require even more exceptional achievements with policy makers, enabling all to make better deci- to meet the Grand Challenges that face us as the world popula- sions for the future. tion grows from the current 7.5 billion to a projected 9.5 billion I look forward to the coming year, promoting our by 2050—all in the space we currently occupy. ASABE and its Society’s efforts to implement the Goals and Strategies that members will play a key role in meeting these challenges. The will strengthen our society, and making us a greater force in task requires foresight and dedication to the vision for the long the future. Please feel free to share your thoughts and sugges- term. ASABE leadership has been working for some time to tions with me at [email protected]. formulate strategies to help our Society focus on this endeavor, Maynard Herron, P.E. events calendar 2017 July 16-19 ASABE Annual International Meeting. ASABE CONFERENCES AND INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS Spokane, Wash., USA. To receive more information about ASABE conferences and meet- ings, call ASABE at (800) 371-2723 or e-mail [email protected]. 2018 2016 July 29- ASABE Annual International Meeting. Aug. 1 Detroit, Mich., USA. Sept 6-9 10th International Drainage Symposium. Minneapolis, Minn., USA. ASABE ENDORSED EVENTS Oct. 24-27 Engineering and Technology Innovation for 2016 Global Food Security. Cape Town Stellenbosch, South Africa. Oct. 11-14 Improving Irrigation Water Management. Fort Collins, Colo., USA. Dec. 3-9 21st Century Watershed Technology Conference and Workshop. Quito, Ecuador 2017 Feb. 21-24 45th International Symposium Actual Tasks on Agricultural Engineering. Grand Hotel Adriatic, Opatija, Croatia.

2 September/October 2016 RESOURCE September/October 2016 Vol. 23 No. 5 www.asabe.org/Resource

Magazine staff: Joseph C. Walker, Publisher, [email protected]; Sue Mitrovich, Managing Editor, [email protected]; Glenn Laing, engineering and technology for a sustainable world September/October 2016 Technical Editor, [email protected]; Melissa Miller, Professional Opportunities and Production Editor, [email protected]; Sandy Rutter, Consultants Listings, [email protected]; Darrin Drollinger, Executive Director, [email protected]. FEATURES

Editorial Board: Chair Tony Grift, University of Illinois; Secretary/Vice Chair Stephen Zahos, 4 The First Word: Capstones and Stepping Stones University of Illinois; Past Chair, Brian Steward, Steve Zahos, Guest Editor Iowa State University; Board Members Thomas Brumm, Iowa State University; Victor Duraj, 5 Real Designs for Real Clients University of California, Davis; Israel Dunmade, W. Cully Hession, P.E. Mount Royal University, Calgary; Morgan 6 Hayes, University of Illinois; Timothy Mains, 6 An “Outside the Box” Capstone Success Story University of Tennessee; Debabrata Sahoo, Sonia Maassel Jacobsen, P.E., and Jonathan Chaplin, P.E. Woolpert Inc.; and Shane Williams, Kuhn North America. 7 Core Design Courses in the Curriculum

Resource: engineering and technology for a Danny Mann, P.Eng., and Kris Dick, P.Eng. sustainable world (ISSN 1076-3333) 8 Seniors Design Solutions for Real Problems (USPS 009-560) is published six times per year—January/February, March/April, Michael Sama, P.E., and John Evans May/June, July/August, September/October, 9 A Bridge from Academia to the Workplace November/December—by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Leanne Lucas and Steve Zahos Engineers (ASABE), 2950 Niles Road, 10 Designing Agrotechnology for Dense Urban Communities St. Joseph, MI 49085-9659, USA. 7 Eric McLamore and Richard Scholtz POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Resource, 2950 Niles Road, St. Joseph, MI 11 Good Design is the Key to Success 49085-9659, USA. Periodical postage is paid at Peter Livingston and Kitt Farrell-Poe St. Joseph, MI, USA, and additional post offices. DEPARTMENTS ADVERTISING: www.asabe.org/advertise. 12 Taking the Show on the Road D. Ken Giles SUBSCRIPTIONS: Contact ASABE order 2 From the President/ department, 269-932-7004. 13 Local, National, and Global Engagement Events Calendar COPYRIGHT 2016 by American Society of Rabi H. Mohtar Agricultural and Biological Engineers. 29 Focus on the 14 Prize-Winning Designs Permission to reprint articles available on Foundation: Setting 15 request. Reprints can be ordered in large Jasmine Greene Fundraising Priorities quantities for a fee. Contact Sandy Rutter, 15 Capstone Communication 269-932-7004. Statements in this publication 30 Professional Listings represent individual opinions. Robert M. Stwalley III, P.E.

Resource: engineering and technology for a 16 Making an Impact on Grain Bin Safety Training 31 Last Word: Capturing sustainable world and ASABE assume no Jeffrey Catchmark the Big Picture: The responsibility for statements and opinions expressed by contributors. Views advanced 17 To the Moon and Back 2015 Capstone Design in the editorials are those of the contributors Paul Weckler, P.E. Survey Susannah Howe and do not necessarily represent the official position of ASABE. 18 Making it Real Luke Reese ON THE COVER: 16 University of Arizona senior 19 Senior Design Wraps It Up Marko Obrodov welds a Edwin Brokesh, P.E. macadamia nut harvester 20 Applying What You Have Learned for his senior project in Gretchen Mosher, Norman Muzzy, P.E., and Dana Woolley automation. Photo by Kenneth Hickman. 21 Building Technical Skills and Success Skills Mark Dougherty, P.E., Jeremiah Davis, P.E., David Blersch, Oladiran Fasina, P.E., and Steven Taylor, P.E.

22 Engaging Students in the Land O’Lakes Global Food Challenge 22 John Lumkes Jr., P.E., and Kurt Rosentrater

American Society of Agricultural and UPDATE Biological Engineers 2950 Niles Road 26 Students’ biofilter media design vies for EPA prize St. Joseph, MI 49085-9659, USA 269.429.0300, fax 269.429.3852 [email protected], www.asabe.org 28 Building and racing edible vehicles the first word

Capstones and Stepping Stones

elcome to the first-ever Capstone issue of An old expression says that business is easy until people Resource! I should have known that a suggestion are involved. How true this could be for Capstone teams as for a Capstone issue would be instantly welcomed well. Students from a variety of backgrounds, geographic Wby ASABE’s terrific publication. In addition, as areas, native languages, and other circumstances must come we spread the word about the plans for this together for sixteen or more grueling weeks, special issue, we expected an outpouring of while juggling other coursework, family, and support from our contributing institutions, outside work responsibilities. For many, it’s and that’s what we got. It’s been uplifting and the first time they’ve been involved in a exciting to read about the dedicated, hard- team-based, open-ended, and possibly indus- working students, faculty, alumni, and try-linked project. And, for the most part, industry leaders who are creating meaning- they handle it very well. My predecessor ful real-world experiences. told me of the time when he had to defuse a fistfight between team members in the trac- As you read through this issue, you’ll be tor lab. We didn’t ask for any such anecdotes amazed at the diversity of Capstone projects from our contributors, nor were any offered, and the breadth of how the projects were but I know that Capstone is a high-stress selected, staffed, and conducted. Even the undertaking. geographic focus was global. Here at the University of Illinois, we are fond of saying None of the projects featured in this that our students work on the land, in the air, issue were easy or routine. Nothing impor- and in space. We are not alone! Guest editor and ASABE member tant ever is. You will get a sense that the stu- Steve Zahos, MS, MBA, Senior dents believe in engineering as their calling, In talking to my colleagues and through Design Capstone Coordinator, and their Capstone projects were a learning my work as an ABET Program Evaluator, it’s Department of Agricultural and experience that they will remember and use been my experience that Capstone is a seri- Biological Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, for a lifetime. Many engineering lessons, ous component of an engineering program’s [email protected]. and life lessons, were exchanged among the accreditation efforts. It’s the perfect demon- students. The faculty advisors donated time stration that the graduates have had major that they could have used for other responsi- design experience within reasonable constraints, including bilities, and each sponsor dedicated a high-value working consideration of standards, economics, ethics, professional- engineer, often two, to guide the students and evaluate the ism, and a global context. projects. Many of the participating students received, and accepted, job offers from their clients. The quality of the tools that are available to students is so high that it is shaking some traditional beliefs about what a The Resource staff and I started out believing that the design project should entail. I graduated back in the 20th cen- ASABE family would be interested in what is happening with tury. Today, students can routinely generate everything on Capstone in member institutions. I think you will agree that paper or on line, run a finite element analysis, and even skip the family is “playing nice” and that we can all be proud of the usual prototype phase. Thankfully, although that kind of the dedicated people involved. There are a lot of moving parts abstract engineering is possible, I believe that my colleagues, and motivations in Capstone, and the stories in this issue on balance, don’t want their students to miss out on the expe- prove that the concept is in good hands. The engineer’s drive rience of building, testing, breaking, redesigning, and seeing toward continuous improvement will see to that. their work deployed. In fact, projects that start out as purely paper studies are practically passé. What counts is work that can be handed over to the sponsoring entity for further devel- opment. That’s what happens in the real world!

4 September/October 2016 RESOURCE Virginia Tech Biological Systems Engineering Real Designs for Real Clients W. Cully Hession, P.E.

Team members (from left) Mark Piatkowski, Corbin Moore, and Heather Members of the Lick Run composting team listen as Rick Williams Bomberger finalize their image processing software in the new Senior describes composting and land management needs. The final design Design Laboratory. Their work resulted in a kiosk that provides real-time will be implemented this fall using external grant funding. Photo by visualization of UV damage to skin to promote sunscreen use at water Kyle Jacobs. parks. Photo by Patrick Gallagher.

he BSE Comprehensive Design “One of the major constraints I placed on the compost facility Project is a two-semester, real- design was minimizing the use of fossil fuels for aerating the feed- world team experience for seniors. TIn 2015-2016, we had 49 students in stock. I was interested in deliberate technological simplification and 14 teams developing designs across two focus creative design to amplify human muscle power in making compost. I areas: biomolecular engineering and watershed science and engineering⎯as well as food, bio- had my own ideas, which I shared, but the students came up with processing, and health-related engineering. Ten their own creative solutions that were quite different from my design projects were developed with industry thinking. They let themselves be guided by my constraints without clients, three were related to faculty-derived ideas, and one was fully developed by the stu- being constrained by my guidance. Very impressive.” dent team. The locations of the designs were ⎯Rick Williams local (on campus and in town), regional (the cities of Roanoke and Salem), eastern Virginia Founder, Lick Run Farm and Community Development Center (Saluda), and international (Malawi). For the first time, we had two teams working on the same design problem and, given that we have Some of the best experiences were with 70 seniors in the 2016-2017 class, we will be very energetic nonprofits, particularly Lick moving toward having more teams developing Run Farm and Community Development alternative designs for the same client. Designs Center and Impact+Amplify in Roanoke. These were developed for nonprofit groups (the Lick groups are led by high-energy individuals Run Farm and Community Development working to revitalize low-income neighbor- Center, Lick Run Watershed Association, and hoods and promote sustainable, healthy com- Impact+Amplify), for-profit groups or compa- munities. As one student commented, “Working nies (Afri-Nut Ltd., Cardinal Mechatronics, on a real project for a real client with a real Cell Free Bioinnovations, and Novozymes), need enhanced our sense of purpose as a team. government agencies (City of Roanoke, The reward was far greater than the typical sat- Virginia Department of Corrections, and isfaction felt from a completed test or assign- Team members Joseph Kleiner and Sara Virginia Tech Dining Services), and a local Gokturk survey a pond inlet channel. The final ment.” Similarly, another student stated that apartment complex. design resulted in a two-stage channel lined working with a nonprofit was “both challeng- with native vegetation for reducing sediment ing and rewarding” and felt their project “was and nutrient inputs to the pond, which had contributing toward a higher cause.” severe algae bloom problems. Photo by Kyle Jacobs.

RESOURCE September/October 2016 5 University of Minnesota Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering An “Outside the Box” Capstone Success Story Sonia Maassel Jacobsen, P.E., and Jonathan Chaplin, P.E.

elp villages in a developing coun- different access sizes for cattle try share water resources among versus goats and sheep. The people, livestock, and crops? “You faculty advisor, Bruce Wilson, H bet!” was the response of Rebecca met weekly with the BBE Mattson, Noah Slocum, Nathan Senger, and team. “Even under limiting Sara Bossenbroek, seniors in the BBE 4502W conditions,” he said, “The stu- Senior Capstone course. “Culminating four dents were able to complete BBE years with a humanitarian water supply their designs using basic engi- project is the best outcome imaginable,” said neering principles.” Bossenbroek. Senger was excited to work with Further objectives were to the client, Somali Green Initiatives and reduce waterborne disease Technology, Ltd. (SOMGIT), because “they’re among humans and reduce the interested in lasting solutions for the commu- spread of disease among ani- nity, not just completing design objectives.” mals that share the watering Mattson agreed: “It has been a unique, fulfilling facilities. World Health opportunity that directly improves the quality of Organization guidelines were life for an entire community.” applied as a standard quality The Somali villages of Danica Baloow are measure, and water test results The Danica Baloow borehole during its pump test. Because of the distance that community members must travel to fetch clean being assisted by SOMGIT from its offices in showed no need for water treat- water, even the pump test discharge didn’t go to waste. Mogadishu and near Dallas, Texas. SOMGIT ment for agricultural use. has created an R&D site to test practices for Disinfection methods are not likely to be sus- SOMGIT soon realized that working with supplying potable and agricultural water. Drip tainable due to lack of funding for operation students and their mentors offered unique ben- irrigation methods have been tested, and spe- and maintenance and lack of access to a reliable efits. The students were very curious about cific crops have been recommended. Using source of chlorine. Somalia and asked important questions that components provided by SOMGIT, the BBE The team’s professional mentor, Walter helped SOMGIT expand its understanding of team designed the entire water system for Eshenaur, said, “The students’ attention to appropriate technologies and practices. Danica Baloow. The project became a design- detail and probing questions gave them the Thinking “outside the box” helped SOMGIT build process in which components were built background to design a unique, high-quality, provide an efficient and profitable water sys- in Africa as fast as the team could design them. appropriate solution for Danica Baloow.” tem. With the cash crops produced by irriga- The main objective was to provide a water Eshenaur indicated that SOMGIT approached tion, the construction cost of the entire system distribution system that is sustainable, innova- cautiously at first. However, countless e-mails will be recouped within two years. tive, and economical. While the BBE team pur- and numerous Skype calls helped everyone stay The BBE Senior Capstone course involves sued this, a Senior Capstone team in civil on track. “Because the students were highly a team of faculty, with the goal that each stu- engineering designed a water tower. The team motivated and maintained good communica- dent team has a faculty advisor and an industry also designed a unique watering trough that dis- tion, important decisions were made quickly advisor. We’re especially grateful to have an courages animals from stepping into it and uses and easily.” active industry advisory council—including alumni, employers of our graduates, and other interested companies and agencies—that pro- poses projects and provides advisors and men- tors. Enrollment in the Senior Capstone course produced five teams in 2014, ten teams in 2015, and nine teams in 2016, with an emphasis in environmental, ecological, bioproducts, and food engineering. Previous projects have included work with a local distillery on malting processes, a drying system to increase produc- tion of a healthy nut flour in Guatemala, design of water management features at a new state park, compost and fuel options for cabbage waste from egg roll manufacturing, and devel- opment of a dryer for small parts at a window Water is brought to the community daily by tanker. This is time-consuming, expensive, and unreliable. The new water system will provide reliable, safe water at much lower cost. manufacturer.

6 September/October 2016 RESOURCE University of Manitoba Biosystems Engineering Core Design Courses in the Curriculum Danny Mann, P.Eng., and Kris Dick, P.Eng.

t the University of Manitoba, all A recent project came to us from McCain engineering students complete a Foods’ French fry production facility in Portage “Our management team had two common preliminary year and then la Prairie, Manitoba. McCain asked for assis- issues to address: the process by Aspend the remaining three years of tance with a dumping station for potatoes and their degree program in a specific department. fries that fall off the line. The design involved which we move waste potatoes As of May 2016, undergraduate enrollment in ergonomic considerations, mechanical systems, from the floor to waste containers the biosystems engineering department was and had to be easy to clean. McCain is now using wheelbarrows, and the approximately 125, and student numbers are implementing the students’ design. An addi- ergonomics around the area where expected to increase in September 2016. Our tional project was an inspection station that potatoes are removed from the line. biosystems engineering department is growing, required our students to evaluate ergonomic and we’re committed to providing an excep- aspects and design an improved station that “One aspect of the wheelbarrow tional student experience. reduced worker fatigue. project that really stood out was The department has a long history of inno- Beginning in the 2016-2017 academic the prototyping that took place vative teaching in engineering design. About year, a fourth core design course is being intro- with full-size models to reflect 15 years ago, we introduced three design duced into the curriculum. In Design 1, stu- different areas of the manufac- courses to the core of the program to provide a dents are introduced to fundamentals of safety dedicated design experience each year. In the engineering and human factors engineering so turing floor. These models helped original conception, students were to experi- they learn to consider these principles from the the group develop a fully func- ence three industry design projects with beginning in every design problem. In tioning prototype that addressed increasing expectations in each year, essentially Design 2, we introduce reverse engineering as a all of our needs and made the providing an opportunity for mastery learning tool to deduce design features from previously implementation incredibly simple. of the engineering design process. Technical designed products or systems. Considerations communication was integrated into these such as design for sustainability and design for “The most impressive aspect of courses to teach students the importance of disassembly are introduced. In Design 3, stu- the ergonomic project was the communication skills when interacting with dents prepare a preliminary design for an large study the students under- industry clients. industry client based on a real industry prob- took to review several aspects of In 2010, the last two design courses were lem. Finally, in Design 4, students have the the current state and the pro- re-configured into a two-semester, year-long opportunity to validate their conceptual solu- Capstone course to enable teams of four or five tion through prototype fabrication and testing. posed solution. The simplicity of students to prepare a conceptual design and Our core design courses play a prominent the solution required very little then fabricate a prototype as a means of validat- role in developing several graduate attributes modification to the existing ing the conceptual design. Students are pro- mandated by the Canadian Engineering booth. However, it produced huge vided with basic training in fabrication Accreditation Board, including design experi- results in the comfort and overall processes, including welding, woodworking, ence, teamwork, and communication skills. copper pipe soldering, and sheet well-being of the people who work metal, so that they can fabricate in that area. their prototypes under the super- “The entire McCain management vision and guidance of the shop team was very impressed with technicians and instructor. In the the final outcomes. Both projects fall term, each student works from a set of drawings to make are being implemented in our the parts and assemble a small Portage facility, as they address project that includes all of the all of our issues. I highly recom- skills mentioned above. mend this program to all busi- Students are typically amazed nesses looking to solve any by how much their designs change from the conceptual process issues. The value for the design prepared at the end of the industry partner and for the stu- fall semester to the prototype dents involved is enormous.” that’s constructed by the end of ―Eric Durand, P.Eng. the winter semester. Engineering Manager, McCain Foods The dumping station project.

RESOURCE September/October 2016 7 University of Kentucky Biosystems Engineering Seniors Design Solutions for Real Problems Michael Sama, P.E., and John Evans

iosystems Engineering Design I and and hydraulics to a real-world problem for II, commonly referred to as Senior which many of the parameters and constraints Design, is a two-semester Capstone were unknown or difficult to predict. The team Bseries that provides real-world expe- worked alongside staff engineers and machinists rience with discipline-specific design projects for at the Agricultural Machinery Research seniors in biosystems engineering. In recent Laboratory (aka “The Shop”) to fabricate the years, 10 to 30 students have been enrolled in system, and they ultimately tested it at Mr. Senior Design. The students are assigned to Klingenfus’ farm. teams of three or four based on their area of inter- The results were greater than anyone est. Teams are assigned a faculty mentor and, in expected. Not only did the custom tillage tool many cases, a client who has requested engineer- function, it worked so well that we had to pry it ing support to solve a real-world problem. away from Mr. Klingenfus just to make modifi- The projects typically fall into one of four cations the following year! The same tool has disciplines within BAE: bioenvironmental, been in use at the farm for over three years now. Wireless monitoring of oxygen in the CBP profile. food and bioprocessing, machine systems, and Mr. Klingenfus reports that the tool has pre-biomedical. The teams are required to for- improved herd health and reduced the amount mulate a problem statement, determine the of bedding material needed to operate, provid- tractors of 44 to 60 kW with rototillers or culti- motivating economics, produce a preliminary ing an annual cost savings of $10,000 to vators to aerate CPBs. Rototillers, while provid- design, report on their design, consult with $35,000. ing an excellent surface finish, do not aerate and advisors and the client, produce a final design, mix the material below 20 cm. Cultivators tend and then fabricate and test the end product. Editor’s note: John Evans went on to complete to leave large clumps of material on the surface, Throughout the year, the teams are also given an MS under Dr. Michael Sama, where he con- which limits the drying rate. Both tools result in formal lectures on ethics, economics, statistics, tinued to develop the system by adding forced a partially composted system in which only a drafting, and written and oral communication aeration and a novel data acquisition system for portion of the CBP is actually aerobically wireless monitoring of the spatial distribution to make sure they have all of the tools needed decomposing. Other available tools, such as of oxygen within the CBP to measure the sys- to successfully complete their project and rotary spaders, require more power than is typi- tem’s effectiveness. Evans is currently pursuing a effectively present the results. cally available. This concern led Mr. Klingenfus PhD in biological engineering at the University A notable project during the 2012-2013 to inquire about developing a custom tillage tool of Nebraska-Lincoln. He credits his experience academic year was proposed by Robert that would provide a good surface finish while with Senior Design for giving him the inspira- Klingenfus, owner and operator of Harvest digging deeper, to increase the depth at which tion to pursue his graduate degrees, with the Home Dairy in Oldham County, Kentucky. goal of providing engineered solutions for the aerobic decomposition could occur. Mr. Klingenfus had recently converted his problems that producers face. It was a great opportunity for undergradu- 110-cow freestall barn to a compost bedded ate students in need of their first comprehensive pack (CBP) barn. CBP barns replace the indi- design project. John Evans, Jeff Clark, and vidual stalls found in freestall barns with a Stephanie Hunt large open bedding area, where manure is com- were given the task. posted in place rather than being removed daily. The team ultimately Controlling moisture is crucial for proper oper- settled on a hybrid ation. Excessively high moisture impedes aero- tillage system that bic decomposition, which causes CBP barns to included a tradi- fill up faster and produce greenhouse gases tional rototiller cou- (e.g., NH and CH ) at a higher rate. Regular 3 4 pled with an aeration and incorporation of a carbon source adjustable-depth (typically wood shavings) are key management deep-shank tillage practices to ensure thorough composting and a tool. Designing the dry bedding environment for the cows. custom tillage tool Mr. Klingenfus was particularly concerned required applying about the need to aerate the CBP. Unlike the engineering windrow composting, the CBP must be mixed principles they had in situ, which limits the types of tractors and learned in tillage, implements that can be used inside the facility. traction, mechanics, In Kentucky, many producers use older model The custom tillage tool equipped with forced aeration.

8 September/October 2016 RESOURCE University of Illinois Agricultural and Biological Engineering A Bridge from Academia to the Workplace Leanne Lucas and Steve Zaho

he transition from academia to the construct a drainage solution for the runoff workplace can be difficult for grad- problem on the school’s playground. “We uating students to negotiate, but implemented a three-fold solution,” said team TABE 469, the Capstone design member Anav Pant. “First, we installed two course in the Department of Agricultural and subsurface drainage tiles to increase infiltration Biological Engineering at the University of and divert water away from the play area. Illinois, equips students with the knowledge Second, we seeded the entire play area with a and skills they need to become proficient and robust species of clover, to further increase competent engineers. The overall goal is to infiltration and reduce soil erosion. Third, on allow students to experience modern engineer- sloped areas, we installed erosion control blan- ing practices with industry-linked, team-ori- kets, composed of jute and straw held together ented, open-ended design projects. by nylon netting, to reduce the loss of seeds due The course was established in 1985. When to runoff before the seeds were able to germi- I began teaching the course in 2004, as a former nate. Because the jute and straw biodegrade and engineer, business manager, and entrepreneur, I the nylon photodegrades, the play area will be broadened the format developed by my prede- left completely covered with clover.” cessors. They created an excellent foundation Seth Partridge, another member of that focused on industrial product development. Naturally Fun, said, “This was a real-life engi- Dr. Joe Harper lends a hand when Capstone Now the course has expanded, and we focus on teams need specialized fabrication help from neering project, and we had the freedom to the process as much as the product. Time man- faculty. change things as we saw fit. That meant we had agement, project planning, working as a team, to decide what was important to present to the talking with clients, following protocol, sub- Although many projects are still industry client, the professor, and the class. At times, it mitting reports⎯those aspects of the job are as oriented, the project sponsors have become was difficult to decide what information was important as the end product. more diverse. We’ve tried to provide a broader most important. But we worked together as a We impress on students the need to pre- project portfolio to encompass student interests team to determine what each audience would pare a package that they can hand off to the in our various concentrations. Those concentra- want to know about the project.” client. In the real world, engineers often hand tions include renewable energy systems, off- “The most valuable tool I gained from this off a project to another group or organization. road equipment engineering, soil and water project was personal development,” said The likelihood of taking a project from start to resources engineering, bioenvironmental engi- Natalie Walk, a third team member. “I became finish is pretty small. When they hand off their neering, ecological engineering, food and bio- more confident in presenting to the class and to projects, the students must ask their clients, process engineering, and nano-scale biological the client because I was able to communicate “Can you work with what we’ve given you?” engineering. Many of the “engineering tool- our team’s ideas in an effective way. And I loved And the clients almost always say, “Yes, we can box” skills learned along the way and through working with UPS!” take this into our organization.” About half of guest lectures by industry experts are incorpo- Dr. Ali Lewis, director of UPS, was our projects find their way to implementation. rated into the projects. equally enthusiastic about the project and the This past year, eleven members of Naturally Fun. “This team worked teams with a total of 43 students so well together,” said Lewis. “They had a clear were sponsored by ten clients. way of designating responsibilities according to Each team must recruit a faculty their specialty areas. Their timeline was really member in their project’s area of aggressive. After doing their research on the concentration to act as an advi- slope of the area, the type of soil, and the most sor. It’s an opportunity for the effect kind of ground cover, they put together a students to leverage the expert- work day for our parents. One team member, ise that we have in our depart- who had a unique ability to lead without domi- ment, and the faculty members nating, was the point person. As a team, they are always helpful. organized the priorities for the work day, and One team, called Naturally we all felt that our time and our efforts were Fun, worked with the honored and worthwhile. I’m still in awe of all University of Illinois Primary this team was able to accomplish.” School (UPS) to design and

Dr. Paul Davidson often advises students on the finer points of data collection.

RESOURCE September/October 2016 9 University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Designing Agrotechnology for Dense Urban Communities Eric McLamore and Richard Scholtz

he ability to design, build, and test Water treatment in Colombia technology is critical to the develop- According to the UN, over 10% of the ment of undergraduate engineering global population does not have access to clean Tstudents. Our Capstone senior drinking water. In addition, the chemicals used design class is driven by student innovation, to disinfect drinking water also produce harm- and the teams are encouraged to seek advice ful byproducts, which is a serious problem in from professionals other than the instructors developing countries. Non-chemical treatment and collaborators who are directly involved methods, such as filtration membranes and with the project. This allows students the flexi- solar disinfection, are being implemented, but bility needed to create innovative solutions to inactivation or removal of pathogens over long complex engineering challenges. periods remains a challenge. Disinfection of The Capstone senior design class is the A food security project water using natural biological products that can second part of a two-semester design sequence challenged the students be produced locally is a critical tool to augment —including Robert taken by all ABE students. Students have the physical and chemical treatment methods. Gresham—to design, opportunity to work on a wide variety of proj- build, and test In the last decade, a number of organiza- ects under the guidance of a faculty member or autonomous hydroponic tions have used plant-based proteins, known as professional engineer as project mentor. The systems for use in dense lectins, as a mechanism for removing harmful students demonstrate learning through a series urban Africa (Nairobi, bacteria from drinking water. Lectins have been Kenya, or Addis Ababa, of design-build-test homework exercises, in- detected in over 1,000 species of plants. Lectins Ethiopia). The students class writing activities, written reports, and two also designed and tested can be extracted from seeds using simple tech- oral presentations in front of professional engi- biosensors for measuring niques, such as grinding and salt precipitation. neers and business executives. In addition to dangerous bacteria in The senior design teams in 2016 were tasked their design work, the teams attend guest lec- irrigation water. with designing a field-ready kit for extracting tures given by a diverse group of experts from seed lectins and developing a bacteria filtration UF and outside the university. The goal of the senior design projects for system for application in a community of dis- The two projects summarized below 2014 and 2015 was to build and demonstrate a placed persons in Santander de Quilichao, addressed food security and safety issues in sustainable hydroponic unit for urban produc- Colombia. The teams successfully developed a urban agriculture, with a focus on developing tion of food crops, complete with biosensors field extraction kit for seed lectins and demon- nations. These projects represent recent efforts for monitoring pathogens. The student teams strated proof-of-concept for a lectin-based water at UF to incorporate biotechnology (e.g., sus- designed, tested, and demonstrated a number of filtration device combined with activated carbon. tainable hydroponics) and nanotechnology working hydroponic systems, including ebb- The feedback that these projects have (e.g., biosensors) into urban agriculture. and-flow, aeroponic sprayers, and solar-actu- received from faculty, students, and funding ated irrigation. The teams constructed pathogen agencies has been overwhelmingly positive, Hydroponics in urban East Africa sensors for measuring Escherichia coli in particularly for the global aspects of the proj- There is a widespread, urgent need for hydroponics systems using either electrochem- ects. In addition, these projects have produced reliable, cost-efficient technologies to maintain ical techniques or gold nanoparticle (optical) a number of academic achievements for the stu- a safe supply of basic resources in East African transduction. dents, including two student-authored peer- countries. Due to the poor soil quality in dense reviewed papers that were published in 2016. urban areas, many cities are exploring the use of hydroponics to improve net food production, and the practice has moved from research labs to community-based efforts. Hydroponic sys- tems typically have higher yields and reduced costs for transportation, tilling, cultivating, and fumigation. However, while hydroponics is a useful practice, it imposes new risks of disease transmission through waterborne pathogens. For this reason, a disposable biosensor for mon- itoring pathogen indicator organisms is a criti- A water treatment project in Cali, Colombia, challenged the students to develop technologies based cal design challenge. on field-extractable lectins derived from tropical seeds. The seed protein (lectin) captures bacteria by binding cell-surface sugars. Student teams designed a field kit for extracting and purifying lectins to be used in water purification (left to right: Maria Villancio-Wolter, Eric Dieckman, Amber Tsirnikas, Mary Regan, and Kristin Byers).

10 September/October 2016 RESOURCE University of California, Davis, Biological and Agricultural Engineering Taking the Show on the Road D. Ken Giles

he Capstone design project in the Biological Systems Engineering program at the University of TCalifornia, Davis, is conducted as a full academic-year course sequence in which students address an important engineering topic of concern. In the fall quarter, the course is pri- marily classroom and laboratory instruction where design principles, ethics, safety, team- work, and communication are emphasized. In the laboratory sessions, all students fabricate a simple assembly of metal, plastic, and wood elements to gain experience in manufacturing, machine shop operations, communication and safety, reading drawings, and creating bills of materials and cost estimates. The fabrication facilities in Uganda. Moving the mobile irrigation system up a The students also meet with project spon- muddy grade on Mt. Elgon. sors, typically including campus faculty, indus- gation system in which the motorcycle both need for adaptability and how opportunities can try cooperators, and representatives from transported the system and powered the pump. arise from perceived problems: “There was a nonprofit organizations. These potential spon- The project presented not only mechanical week when the power was out almost every day, sors present their engineering problems and design challenges but also management and which meant we couldn’t use the equipment in design needs. The students then form teams, communication challenges, including time, lan- the shop. On those days, the only thing I could do select projects, and submit design proposals. guage, and technology barriers and the uncer- was visit the local internet café and use power During the winter and spring quarters, the stu- tainties of translating and adapting a design from their backup generator to edit the design dents work with two or more faculty advisors developed in California to the local capabili- manual on my computer. It ended up being very and complete their design projects, including ties, resources, and customs of Uganda. helpful to have the design manual completed fabrication and testing. The experience con- Throughout the stateside design, fabrication, while we were still in country, and that wouldn’t cludes with a College of Engineering Design and testing processes, it was critical to antici- have happened if the power had not gone out!” Showcase in which all projects are presented to pate the unanticipated challenges that would be Even without power, for these students industry judges and the public. present in Uganda. The project concluded with clearly the light still shines. For UC Davis stu- The 2016 cohort of 26 students engaged in members of the team traveling to Uganda, dents, the scope of engineering opportunities, seven team projects. The projects represented along with tools, components, and fabrication from specialty crop production in California to the spectrum of instruction and research in the instructions necessary to implement the design more basic needs in developing countries, pro- department and ranged from mechanical among local machine shops and farmers. vides challenges for the high-quality students in designs of separation systems for removal of The team members reported that the experi- the Biological Systems Engineering program. noxious weed seeds from certified crop seeds, ence challenged their technical design and fabri- to the development of processes for encapsulat- cation skills and ing nutraceuticals into algae to preserve their highlighted the effectiveness, to the design of a production sys- importance of the tem for insect larvae as a poultry feed source. human element in A recent Capstone project was the design engineering, particu- and deployment of a mobile irrigation system larly in the commu- for farmers in Uganda. Through a collaboration nication of design with the UC Davis D-Lab, a design-focused goals and constraints program including students from all majors on and in the ability to campus, the Humphrey Fellows Program, and adapt as the situation the Richard Blum Center for Developing changes. Team mem- Economies, a client in Uganda presented the ber Noelle Patterson, need for a mobile irrigation system that could who worked on-site be locally produced and deployed by Ugandan in Uganda, provided farmers. A team of three students undertook the an example of this challenge of designing a motorcycle-based irri- A demonstration for local farmers.

RESOURCE September/October 2016 11 University of Arizona Biosystems Engineering Good Design is the Key to Success Peter Livingston and Kitt Farrell-Poe

he primary goal of the Capstone Once the preliminary skills needed for tated by the Design Day competition, which is design class in the University of design are mastered, the students meet with their sponsored by our College of Engineering. The Arizona’s Biosystems Engineering mentors to obtain further project information so college brings in judges from industry to Tprogram is to provide a student-dri- that they can move ahead with alternative formu- review over 100 Capstone projects and award ven interdisciplinary design experience for our lations. These alternative designs are based on cash prizes to the teams. Team management students. Benefits for the students include client-provided constraints, but the students are becomes critical as the semester winds down expansion of skills, opportunities to work with encouraged to formulate outside-the-box solu- and Design Day approaches. professionals in industry, and ultimately obtain a tions. The alternatives are then compared in a job. A benefit for the Department of Agricultural decision matrix using standard criteria that and Biosystems Engineering is contact with include capital cost, operation and maintenance industry supporters and outside funding for proj- costs, skill level required to operate the design, ects. Recruiting meaningful projects for the stu- and environmental impacts. The students present dents is a year-long effort with our industry their decision matrixes to the class and their partners. This effort steps up in the summer as mentors in a round-table format. The preferred the fall semester looms. Most students register alternative is typically a combination of features for their fall classes in March or April. Once the from multiple designs. Once a preferred alterna- class roster is available, the instructor starts tive has been identified, the students prepare a polling the students on their interests and back- final design. Designs should include computer- grounds. This information is used to prioritize generated drawings (ACAD or Solid Works), the search for projects and establish the number material lists, a refined budget, and a detailed of projects that will be needed. Faculty members implementation schedule. We teach Microsoft are solicited to mentor the projects, and the Project. This software is an expensive add-on to industry sponsors are asked to cover the material the MS Office package, but we feel that it is an costs. The ABE department has some funds of its important skill for the students, as they will own ($1,000 per project), so we also accept one encounter this tool in industry. A container-based growth chamber was or two projects per year from faculty or industry developed at the request of a UA donor without funding. who challenged students to provide a percentage of daily nutrition needs for a The first few class meetings in the fall are The design phase is the key family of four living in an apartment. used to continue the project selection process. Questionnaires are distributed to the students to to success in the construction gather details on their skills and interests. A sec- . ond handout provides short descriptions of the phase If the students don’t Mushroom Growth Chamber available projects. Normally, the instructor can , An inquiry came from an individual readily assign students to the various project have a detailed design then in Atlanta looking for a student team to teams. In rare cases, there may be groups of stu- design and build a container-based mush- dents who do not connect with any of the avail- they will have trouble staying room growth chamber for a food desert. able projects. When that happens, the instructor on schedule. Twelve students were interested in this meets with them to identify common interests, project, so we divided the project into and the search begins for additional projects. three teams: irrigation, plant infrastruc- The primary instructional goal of the fall All of our students are expected to fabri- ture, and growth chamber. A student semester is to teach the design process to the cate their designs. Our instrument maker project manager was chosen by the stu- students. The lectures start with preliminary teaches the students how to use the shop fabri- dents to handle communication between tasks, such as process diagrams, data collec- cation equipment. Many teams start with mod- the teams and the mentor, acquire the tion, and identification of standards applicable els printed using department 3-D printers. Most needed supplies, update the MS Project to the design, ethics, safety, and environmental teams have a team leader, whose job is to schedule, and manage the team mem- consequences of the projects. The lectures update the MS Project schedule, assist with bers. Each team also had its own team include a presentation on LEED because stu- procurement of materials, serve as primary leader. The project was a great success dents are encouraged to evaluate their projects contact with the mentor, and manage the team. and culminated with the sponsor coming based on life-cycle costs. The students’ ultimate So far, we have mastered the technical side of to Tucson for Design Day. The success of goal for the semester is to have a final design teaching project management; in the future, we this project has inspired the sponsor to completed and accepted by their mentors. will spend more time on the personnel side of fund other projects in the future. the equation. The construction schedule is dic-

12 September/October 2016 RESOURCE Texas A&M University Biological and Agricultural Engineering Local, National, and Global Engagement Rabi H. Mohtar

he Global Design Team (GDT) class • Sustainable, effective, and budget-friendly spans the academic year to provide stormwater mitigation for a Texas Target real-world engineering challenges Community. Tfrom the private and public sectors. • An effective, cost-efficient water storage Teams of three to five students work with their and distribution system in Nicaragua. sponsors to develop practical solutions to the • A design, operation, and maintenance plan challenges posed. Projects are high-impact, for a small wastewater treatment facility in full-cycle design experiences that help raise Ecuador. global awareness at home and abroad. GDT is • A rainwater harvesting system with inex- part of the BAEN Capstone course. Teams pensive technologies for wastewater treat- travel to the project site, whether in Texas or ment and improved water quality in abroad. The stakeholders, students, partner Mexico for the World Wildlife Fund. organizations, interested corporations, aca- • A mobile app reader for an RFID chip to Stevia, kale, basil, and tomatoes in the demic partners, and community members in the assist with cotton ginning processing man- growbed with mixed growth media. host locations share the costs. Working agement. together, using the technical skills and compe- • A plan for crop layouts and irrigation depletion of soil nutrients are increasingly tencies of the students, employees, and volun- installation for local community-sup- addressed through aquaponics. The method teers involved in the project, the goal is to ported agriculture. used could help reduce the need to produce address a specific challenge within the commu- • An environmentally friendly, natural food- food on water-stressed land by relying instead nity for mutual benefit. growing method that combines the best on the symbiotic relationship between vegeta- Projects are selected based on their rele- attributes of aquaculture and hydroponics. bles and fish in a self-contained ecosystem. vance to community-identified needs and their For the last project listed above, our The student team, Cody Mertink, Cody ability to offer the students an opportunity for aquaponics team worked with Organized Nedbalek, Andrew Polasek, and Grant Weaver, creative, effective, sustainable problem solving. Organics, a San Diego-based NGO. The project built a family-sized vertical farming unit using Quality control and accountability are ensured goal was to grow nutritious, often organic, food retrofitted furniture, a custom growbed with an through ongoing assessment of personal and plants for home consumption with a low-power innovative irrigation system, sensors, and sole- community needs, and progress toward the end indoor aquaponics system that is aesthetically noid valves. The growbed at the top of the unit goal is carefully monitored. Logistical and pleasing, automated, and produces a small car- is irrigated with water from a fish tank below, engineering support is provided by the partner bon footprint. The impact of this project could and any runoff re-enters the tank to feed the organizations (NGOs, government organiza- be widespread, as freshwater scarcity and fish. The team found that LEDs produced the tions, industry and business, and academic most suitable lighting, which institutions), and financial assistance comes keeps electricity consump- from the partner organization, the university, tion low. and the students themselves. The team also provided GDT offers hands-on experiential learning a detailed analysis of the that develops skills useful in future careers, power consumption and family life, and the community. The students water requirements for the and their community partners give and receive prototype. The overall time, energy, knowledge, and creativity while monthly cost of operation is accomplishing the requirements of the senior approximately $6.92 per Capstone project. The 2016 GDT projects month in San Diego, $7.66 in included: New York, and only $4.69 • A mobile unit for remote sample collec- here in College Station, tion for the San Antonio River Authority. Texas. This environmentally • A low-cost, locally sourced, off-grid sys- friendly, natural food-grow- tem for improved water quality and heavy ing system combines the best metal removal for Progressive Vellore in attributes of aquaculture and India. hydroponics without wasting • A streamlined process to maximize profits The student team with the unit stocked with fish and the LED light- water or adding chemical fer- for post-harvest processing of cardamom ing on: simple to use, cost efficient, maximizes food production, tilizers. in Guatemala. and amenable for an average-size family home.

RESOURCE September/October 2016 13 South Dakota State University Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Prize-Winning Designs Jasmine Greene

DSU’s 2015-2016 ABE senior Industry partners design course had 15 students out of have a direct stake in their the 70 enrolled in ABE. This year’s sponsored project. Each Sgroup was remarkably successful sponsor meets with the and took home three of the six awards at the student design team multi- annual Engineering Expo for the College of ple times per semester to Engineering for their final design projects. One ensure that the team is ABE team took first in the Non-Consumer considering relevant Products category for their design of an air fil- issues such as safety, stan- ter aspiration system for AGCO machines. dards, and other con- Another team took first place in the Consumer straints. Products category for their design of a position Students begin to control systems for axle width on a Rogator for assimilate design skills in AGCO. Third place in Consumer Products was their second year in the awarded for the design of a second-tier bale Engineering Properties of Sam Amundson, Andrew Bakker, and Tom Logeais designed an arm accumulator for Farm King. Biological Materials lift system for stacking bales. Other senior design projects from the 2015-2016 academic year included an AGCO project for designing the mapping and analysis “The students did a great job with their projects and were able to protocol to test the field performance of sprayer work with industry groups to solve a problem. The last few weeks systems in a static mode and a USDA-NRCS of the spring semester are the best because all the teams are get- project to redesign a sheep production facility and runoff management system. The final sen- ting their prototypes ready. My favorite experience: I accompanied ior design project also involved working with the Amundson, Bakker, and Logeais team to the SDSU Dairy Farm to the NRCS to redesign a beef feeding facility with a runoff management system. test the third-row stacking round bale trailer. When the lift arm The senior Capstone design experience is system they designed easily raised the bale, they cheered with the culmination of an ABE student’s educa- excitement and high-fived. I smiled and thought to myself how well tional experience at SDSU. Industry partners provide the design problems based on the needs this experience encapsulated all their coursework.” and desires of their companies. These design ⎯Joseph Darrington problems are thus based on real-world prob- lems that industry partners want solved. Senior Assistant Professor ABE students work on these problems in teams of three to five students for two semesters. course and lab. Design skills are added and process. Upper-level courses then focus on refined in subsequent courses, such as the sec- designing components, structures, or systems ond-year Project to solve specific problems. Examples include Development for power takeoff (PTO) shafts, grassed waterways, ABE and the four and hydraulic drop structures. core courses gen- The Capstone design experience integrates erally taken dur- all the students’ knowledge and experience into ing the third and a two-semester project. ABE students begin dur- fourth years of ing the fall semester and complete their design study. Lower- projects by the end of the spring semester. We level courses tend have been fortunate to have excellent participa- to focus on build- tion from machine industry partners in the ing skills and recent past. Companies such as AGCO, Raven, gaining experi- and Bobcat consistently bring excellent ence with design Capstone design projects to the table for our stu- problems while dents. Company representatives stay in commu- becoming fluent nication with the design team and provide guidance to students while challenging them. Shawn Mack exhibits his test sprayer module. in the design

14 September/October 2016 RESOURCE Purdue University Agricultural and Biological Engineering Capstone Communication Robert M. Stwalley III, P.E.

he Capstone projects at Purdue learning into other projects through presenta- University are designed to mimic tions. During my Purdue years, I would have the objectives and responsibilities really welcomed a Capstone experience and an Tof an entry-level engineering job introduction to the presentation and group within a “safe” academic environment. effort processes.” Typically, Capstone projects run from the fall Teamwork is also a valuable part of the pro- through the spring semesters, and 30 to 35 proj- gram. Although self-proposed individual efforts ects occur each school year. Project sponsor- are allowed in the Purdue ABE Capstone ship varies from industrial clients needing to sequence, team experiences are the normal explore potential commercial solutions, to aca- route. Course instructors place most students on demic researchers requiring the design and project teams to provide diverse skill sets and construction of specialized apparatus, to NGOs backgrounds, maximizing each team’s collective seeking assistance for specific issues in the effort. Mike Cox, a USDA conservation engi- developing world. The communication and neer and Capstone judge, states that “working interaction between sponsor and students is together as a group for a common goal and uti- critical to a successful project, and communica- lizing the individual talents of each team mem- Senior Justin Lewton explains his seed press tion skills are emphasized throughout the ber to achieve the goals of the project is how wheel project. course. For Capstone team member Jakob professionals function.” Students also come to Keldsen, “having the opportunity to interact understand this fundamental aspect of the pro- defense of the year’s work. Many students have with and take advice from industry representa- fessional world. Graduating senior Danielle told us that the impact of the program was sig- tives” was the key aspect of the experience. McNeely says, “I learned how to bond with team nificant for them in determining the initial ABE professors Bernie Engel, Martin members, spend long hours on a difficult direction of their professional careers. Okos, and Bob Stwalley emphasize how vital process, and work for a community sponsor.” communication is to the successful completion Purdue ABE Capstone projects are “The Capstone experience was a of technical projects. Stwalley says, “We con- designed to be meaningful. Students need to tinually tell students that they can have the best see the utility of what they do, along with how great opportunity to have a chance idea in the world, but if they can’t communicate it will affect their organization. A reasonably to see what it would be like working anything about it, it will have no impact.” steady panel of external and internal reviewers with a company on a design project. Business developer and Capstone judge Larry provides consistent feedback, and the opportu- Loehr agrees: “In an industrial company, pre- nity for the students to make corrections during It was by far the best part of my sentations are a part of life! We advance ideas, the program is provided by multiple reviews senior year at Purdue University.” gain support for resources, report on status, over the length of the program. The reporting communicate to stakeholders, and leverage our structure concludes with a poster session ―Scott Snider

Trevor Overstreet expands on his national 2nd place Parker Scott Snider discusses his unified hydraulic and electric connection block. Chainless Challenge entry.

RESOURCE September/October 2016 15 Penn State Agricultural and Biological Engineering Making an Impact on Grain Bin Safety Training Jeffrey Catchmark

hen Penn State’s ABE department and consider safety and ethical introduced its new senior issues in their design. In the sec- Capstone design experience in fall ond course, the students do the Wof 2015, I had no idea it would detailed design, testing, and an make such an impact so soon. The new Capstone economic analysis. program is a team-based engineering design I am amazed by the project experience in which most projects are sponsored diversity, which engages over 40 by external organizations, such as companies or students per semester. Projects local communities. However, in spring 2015, range from ag machinery to food Dennis Murphy, Nationwide Insurance and bioprocessing to natural Professor of Agricultural Safety and Health, and resources engineering, so that the Davis Hill, Senior Extension Associate for Capstone experience can be cus- Agricultural Safety and Health, sponsored a tomized based on student special- project to create a portable grain bin facility to ization. For example, many of the train workers and emergency response personnel natural resources projects were The team tests their design by filling the bin with grain, on the dangers of grain bin entrapment and how sponsored by local communities entrapping Ean Julius, and demonstrating use of a rescue tube. to rescue entrapped workers. seeking creative solutions to The challenge to create a suitable entrap- stormwater management challenges. Students most challenging aspect was fully understand- ment simulator was met by five senior biologi- analyzed stormwater flow rates, generated ing the task at hand. Being from Long Island, cal engineering undergraduate students: Ean AutoCAD design drawings, and tested their New York, grain bin safety was not a familiar Julius (team leader), Daniel Lutz, Rachel designs using simulation software. issue for me.” She agreed that the most reward- Sacchetti, Samantha Goldberg, and Jordan Fair. In contrast, projects like the grain bin ing aspect is making an impact: “It is amazing They enrolled in a series of two design courses entrapment simulator required students to con- to think it took us two semesters to build some- that make up the Capstone experience taught by struct the final design and test the device. I thing, and Penn State is already using it to Megan Marshall and me. In the first course, we mentored the grain bin safety design team, and potentially save lives.” teach the students how to manage a design proj- they were unique from the beginning. First, ect, including how to become a high-perfor- team leader Ean Julius, who worked to get the mance team, establish design specifications, project off the ground in the summer of 2015, “On average, about 30 grain develop and select preliminary design options, proposed including the project in the Capstone entrapments occur each year course. He connected with Davis Hill, who became the technical sponsor for the project, across the U.S., many resulting and Len Lobaugh, owner of TAM Systems, in death. The simulator is a who was a financial sponsor. The grain bin safety design team also engaged Brock, GSI hands-on tool that illustrates Group, and Sudenga Industries. In total, the what it’s like to become sponsors donated approximately $15,000 in entrapped and not be able to funds and materials used to construct the simu- lator. After more than a semester of work, the escape without assistance. Our team constructed a working mobile grain bin hope is that staying out of that allowed eight people to watch a rescue demonstration. the bin―or at least wearing a According to Julius, “This project taught harness attached to a lifeline me valuable lessons about working in a team and having a second person and building off each other’s strengths to develop an extremely useful final project. watching―will become stan- There were also practical lessons as well about dard practice. It will help Student team members (top to bottom): Ean, the building process and communicating with Jordan, Samantha, Rachel, and Daniel stand on industry sponsors—very useful for transition- improve farm safety and the stairs to the viewing platform where work- ing from college to industry.” ers and emergency personnel can watch the emergency response training.” Goldberg echoed those thoughts: “I think safety demonstration. Galen Julius, TAM ―Davis Hill Systems (front left) and Davis Hill (front right), the most valuable lesson was working in a team Senior Extension Associate, project sponsors. in which everyone had different skill sets. The Senior Extension Associate

16 September/October 2016 RESOURCE Oklahoma State University Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering To the Moon and Back Paul Weckler, P.E.

Senior design prepared me well to data summarize the economic impact of senior enter the professional engineering design projects instigated through the FAPC community.” and Applications Engineering Program. The OSU Applications In spring 2014, we took on a different Engineers are a major source of proj- design challenge. An interdisciplinary group of ect suggestions. The Applications OSU faculty submitted a proposal to the NASA Engineering Program is a partner- eXploration Habitat (X-Hab) Academic ship between Oklahoma State Innovation Challenge program. The proposal University, the Oklahoma Alliance was for an interdisciplinary senior design proj- for Manufacturing Excellence, and ect to design, build, and evaluate a deployable the Oklahoma Center for the greenhouse for food production on long-dura- Advancement of Science and tion missions to the Moon or Mars. The pro- Technology (OCAST), which brings posal was funded with more than $25,000 for engineering assistance to rural the 2014-2015 academic year. Oklahoma’s small manufacturers. The project included a short-term goal of A scale model of the X-Hab. These small companies often lack an interdisciplinary senior design project to the technical expertise required to design, build, and evaluate a horizontally ori- he BAE Capstone design course solve their problems, or the problem might not ented habitat and a long-term goal to develop sequence allows students to demon- be their most pressing priority. The capabilities in education, research, and out- strate their ability to develop solu- Applications Engineering Program has been a reach in the field of space habitat design. This Ttions for real-world, open-ended pipeline for companies willing to sponsor a included both technical engineering and out- projects for clients in private industry and gov- senior design project. The OSU Food and reach efforts and will continue our ongoing ernment agencies. Project suggestions come Agricultural Products Center (FAPC) and the work to build a complete habitat mockup for from departmental faculty, alumni, the external OSU New Product Development Center use in research and education. This project was advisory committee, and business. (NPDC) are also sources for and partners in the focal point of our efforts in the 2014-2015 Occasionally, projects focus on a design prob- BAE senior design projects. academic year and is part of OSU’s continuing lem for a philanthropic or charitable organiza- The BAE senior design class has had a development of a formal interdisciplinary pro- tion. Students are often very eager to perform significant economic development impact. gram in space engineering and architecture. “public service” engineering design. Collin Over $345,000 in cost savings have been real- This development includes diverse specialties Craige, a 2013 BAE graduate says, “My team ized by clients, as well as 49 jobs created and at from the various schools involved, with the ulti- and I were able to use classroom skills to least 30 jobs retained. The Oklahoma Alliance mate goal of developing technology and design, develop, and manufacture an ultrafiltra- for Manufacturing Excellence conducts assess- designs to facilitate human habitation in space. tion technology to increase drinking water ments of the Applications Engineering Program availability in developing regions of the world. and the benefits to the program’s clients. Their

Interior of the X-Hab. Grow lights in the greenhouse.

RESOURCE September/October 2016 17 Michigan State University Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Making it Real Luke Reese

ow “real” can a Capstone project Thereafter, necessary background materials are other diverse audiences for critique before sub- be? The MSU Biosystems provided on the problem, as well as non-disclo- mitting a final report to their clients. Engineering (BE) Capstone sure agreements, design alternatives, and BE 485 and 487 emphasize significant H design program is a sequence of instruction in project management, technical contact with industry representatives. Industry two courses (three credits each): BE 485 writing, and elements of effective presenta- representatives and non-instructors contribute Biosystems Design Techniques is taught in the tions. The semester culminates with a prelimi- approximately 10% of the grade for each fall, and BE 487 Biosystems Design Project is nary design report that is approved to move course. Teams and industry interact through taught in the spring. The projects are open- forward to the spring for final design, possible project introductions, required client meetings, ended, relevant, real-world challenges with real prototyping, possible modeling/testing, opti- industry advisory board interactions (including constraints, providing students unique, team- mizing, and full-scale economic analysis. formal meetings, required communications, and based problem-solving experiences. Each team Teams present their designs to the full BE final report critique), on-site visits (for evalua- has three to four members, a project sponsor faculty, who evaluate the project outcomes (for tion, measurement, prototyping, and testing), who serves as a client, faculty advisors, and an a portion of the course grade) and provide sug- public presentations, and the poster session. industrial guidance and evaluation panel. gestions for finalizing the design. Through sev- Is a Capstone project “real”? Team mem- Projects are solicited from industry in mid- eral iterative project reviews by instructors, ber Jackie Thelen put it this way: “I put over summer for a fall start, vetted, and selected by faculty advisors, the faculty jury, and the client, 500 hours into this project alone. It’s the closest BE faculty using the following criteria: feedback on the technical content is incorpo- I’ve ever felt to a real project outside my actual • Requires a substantial amount of design. rated into a 90% project completion report that industry co-op experience, and I think it will be • Integrates science with engineering. is submitted to an industry evaluator panel (two one of the most valuable experiences in my pro- • Relates to macro- and/or microbiology. to four practicing professionals, with at least fessional career for a long time to come.” • Requires a systems approach. one P.E. preferred for each panel). BE 487 cul- How “real”? Chris Taylor’s senior design • Requires understanding of design impacts minates with a public BE Design Showcase in project turned into a career opportunity, as he on society and the environment. April, where the evaluator panels, who received was hired by the client, JBT Corporation, upon • Involves data analysis and the use of statistics. the project completion report two weeks in graduation in 2015. The same can be said for • Considers the efficiency of the solution as advance, spend one hour with their assigned 2016 graduates David Olson and Nicholas measured by economic analysis. teams discussing the designs and providing Niedermaier, who were hired from the JBT • Requests funding from industry (direct feedback and a grade. The teams must also Capstone team, too. and/or in-kind) to support project expenses present publically and in a poster session to and associated costs to improve and main- tain the Capstone design experience. “JBT Corporation is a leading equipment • Matches the program emphases and con- solutions provider to food processors globally. centrations (food, ecosystems, bioenergy, JBT and MSU BE have primarily interfaced and/or biomedical). with engineers at our Tech Center in Sandusky, • Requires a sponsor to serve as a client Ohio, which houses full-scale industrial ovens, with realistic demands, expectations, and freezers, fryers, portioning, and coating equip- constraints. ment for continuous processing. JBT provides • Requires a BE faculty advisor with the spiral, impingement, fluidized bed, and contact appropriate expertise to support the project. Team members David Olson and Jackie Thelen chilling and freezing of meat, seafood, poultry, BE 485 instructors assign teams within the collect baseline crust freezing measurements ready-to-eat meals, fruits, vegetables, and bak- first two weeks of the fall semester. From the at the JBT Tech Center. ery products; cooking, frying, and coating pro- project list, students individually submit their cessing solutions for poultry, meat, seafood, vegetable, and bakery products; and intelligent top three choices with their rationale and the slicing, trimming, and portioning of red meat, pork, fish, and poultry. qualifications they would bring to the projects Several of the JBT-sponsored design projects have included increasing the cooling rate or through a formal cover letter and résumé. The mixing performance of batter mixers, exploring hygiene improvements related to belt washer and students also submit a self-rated competency dryer technologies for spiral freezers, and exploring sustainable alternatives to the disposable evaluation of 11 core skills and can voluntarily polyethylene film used on film and plate contact freezers. By mentoring and financially support- select one peer they desire to work with and one ing Senior Design students and their projects, JBT gets direct contact with talented BE graduates peer they prefer not to work with. Instructors for possible recruitment. Participation on the BE Industry Advisory Board allows JBT to provide form design teams based on student interest, relevant feedback based on industry needs within food processing.” prior experience, skills needed for the projects, diversity and balance of skill sets, and potential ―Andrew Knowles confidentiality or conflict-of-interest issues. JBT Sales Support Manager

18 September/October 2016 RESOURCE Kansas State University Biological and Agricultural Engineering Senior Design Wraps It Up Edwin Brokesh, P.E.

ansas State’s BSE Senior Design class is a three-credit Capstone “The BSE Senior Design Capstone project has been beneficial to the Kansas AgrAbility class offered annually during the Project, helping to solve accessibility problems for Kansas AgrAbility farmers. First, the stu- Kfall semester. It’s a required course dent teams bring a fresh perspective to solving problems on the farm. That fresh perspective, that students must complete for their BS in bio- without preconceived notions of what won’t work, has proven helpful for farmers, and in turn, logical systems engineering. Students who the project introduces the students to real people, with real limitations. In that respect, the enroll in the course are in the last two semesters Capstone project humanizes the engineering process. An unexpected benefit has been the joy of their college career. Because of the single- that farmers experience in working with college students. The farmers take their roles as men- semester format, a successful project will pro- tors seriously, and they spend a lot of time walking the students through the details of their dis- pose, at minimum, a design ready for ability and farming practices while offering helpful guidance throughout the process. construction. In an industrial setting, the proj- Connecting students with farmers has been excellent public relations for the Department of ect would be at the point where management Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Kansas State University, and Kansas AgrAbility.” could approve it for prototyping. To actually ⎯Kerri Ebert, build their projects, students are encouraged to Kansas AgrAbility Project Coordinator take an elective companion class, BSE Design Project, during the spring semester after Senior Design. In this second-semester class, students process involves manually cutting and remov- Once the constraints and criteria necessary further develop their projects, build prototypes, ing the net wrap, a time-consuming task that for the project were understood, the team devel- and conduct testing. Project teams consist of exposes farmers to a number of hazards. The oped the design by creating CAD models in three to five students, with a preferred team team proposed a mechanical device that would PTC’s Creo software. They built a number of size of four. allow a farmer to remove the net wrap from different test stands to explore different wrap The ideal design project will have a client bales without leaving the safety of the tractor removal strategies. Based on the tests, the CAD who has a problem in need of a solution and seat. Before project approval, the students were models were refined. At the end of the first will also have a high likelihood of being imple- asked to find a customer for the project. semester, the team proposed a design to the mented should the proposed design be Through Kerri Ebert of the Kansas AgrAbility Kansas AgrAbility director and the client for approved by the client. These two criteria program, the team found a farmer with a hand- approval to build a prototype. The project was increase the difficulty of the class and the qual- icap who would benefit from such a device. approved for prototype development during the ity of effort by the students. These two criteria With the project idea and the customer in place, spring semester. also reinforce each other: the clients have tough the team began work in August 2015. The team built several iterations of a problems that they’re really concerned about; As part of the project, the team conducted working prototype. They located a local farmer when the students see this concern, they’re an extensive literature search, including popu- who ground net-wrapped hay bales almost inspired to help by finding a workable solution. lar press articles, technical papers, and design daily. Working with this farmer, they were able A great example of an ideal project was and safety standards related to large round to repetitively test many different aspects of completed during the 2015-2016 school year bales. Additionally, because the team felt they their design in a controlled environment. The and competed for the AGCO National Design had an original concept, they explored relevant prototype was built, tested, rebuilt, and retested Competition this past summer. The team patents. Finally, because the project’s customer multiple times over the spring semester. wanted to develop a device that would remove is disabled, the team spent a considerable Consistent incremental improvements were the net wrap from large round hay bales. Net amount of time interviewing and watching their made, and the design was completed over the wrap is the material used to hold most large customer work with round bales to understand summer, with the net wrap removal device round bales together. The current removal the individual’s needs and limitations. delivered to the client in time for the fall feed- ing season.

Neal Gugler cuts open a hay bale by hand and removes the net wrap.

RESOURCE September/October 2016 19 Iowa State University Agricultural and Biological Engineering Applying What You Have Learned Gretchen Mosher, Norman Muzzy, P.E., and Dana Woolley

ast April, a group of over 110 stu- we worked with a farmer, visiting his field and A team of technology students, including dents presented their Capstone proj- designing a conservation plan.” Ethan Brehm, Rob Hermsen, Brandon Ludwig, ects in the Department of The hands-on aspect of the project and and Charlie Rettey, developed a 3D scanning LAgricultural and Biosystems interaction with a real client proved valuable. process for tillage sweeps. The team used inno- Engineering at Iowa State University. The When asked about their favorite part of the vative technologies and specialized computer Capstone program serves students in engineer- Capstone experience, the team members talked programming to scan 3D images of tillage ing and technology and is a required compo- about the gratification of seeing their project sweeps to quantify and visualize the superiority nent of all ABE undergraduates. Capstone come together in the end. “We spent the first of their client’s product. One student saw a real programs in engineering and technology are month trying to see if anyone in our area would application based on his personal experiences: divided into two phases: a first-semester focus be willing to let us work on their field,” said “I come from a farming background,” said on defining the scope of the Ludwig. “It can be a pain to problem, and an emphasis on change the sweeps every year, solution development and eval- sometimes twice a year, so I see uation in the second semester. the benefit of learning more At the end of the first semester, about it and being able to prove the teams present their accom- that the proposed solution plishments at a poster session, would require fewer change- where they receive feedback outs.” from ABE faculty and industry The most enjoyable, yet clients. They return to the sec- most frustrating, component of ond component of their projects the project was learning differ- with new ideas and a sharper ent aspects of the scanning focus on potential solutions. technology. “To learn the soft- One of us, Norman Muzzy, ware takes time, and you have a lecturer in ABE, leads the to be willing to put in that Assistant professor Mehari Tekeste gives project suggestions to a student team. engineering Capstone program. time,” said Retty. The students “Capstone is a team project that also learned that clear commu- is more self-directed,” he said, nication with their client clari- “Making a plan and working the fied expectations and ensured plan are very important. The that everyone was on the same lack of definition is sometimes page. Strong communication frustrating. My goal is that stu- also facilitated the team’s con- dents learn how to struggle with nection to project resources. these issues in Capstone. It will Hermsen stated that knowing prepare them for their profes- the location of resources and sional careers.” who to talk to were keys to The Farming Conservation keeping the project moving. Project team, composed of agri- Even though the two proj- cultural engineering seniors Presentation of Capstone projects in the Sukup Atrium at Iowa State University. ects differed in approach, tools, Jace Klein, Dillan Glock, and end products, both teams Quenton Schneider, and Alex Martin, evaluated Martin, who also serves as 2015-2016 treasurer emphasized the importance of time manage- remote sensing maps to determine land charac- for ASABE’s International Preprofessional ment and clear communication as critical for teristics and the most beneficial conservation Community. Glock agreed, “Going to see the success in the Capstone program. “There is so practices. Their scope changed between semes- site and how our conservation practice would much going on senior year. Your team must find ters after they realized that they were too ambi- be implemented was really great.” time to meet together, and then you have to find tious in their initial project plans. “First Another of us, Gretchen Mosher, an assis- time to talk with the client. It can be a struggle,” semester, we looked at different conservation tant professor in ABE, leads the technology said Klein. The technology team added that it practices and applied a site selection process,” Capstone program. “Our primary learning goal was important to ask questions. “You can’t be said Klein. “Based on field characteristics from is for the students to apply the content they afraid to ask your client questions. And be per- over 100 fields, including topography and soil learned in class and on internships to a practi- sistent when looking for answers,” said type, we examined what conservation practice cal, unstructured problem in engineering or Ludwig. might best suit them. In the second semester, technology,” she said.

20 September/October 2016 RESOURCE Auburn University Biosystems Engineering Building Technical Skills and Success Skills Mark Dougherty, P.E., Jeremiah Davis, P.E., David Blersch, Oladiran Fasina, P.E., and Steven Taylor, P.E.

uburn University’s Biosystems Although not all project clients act as Engineering program is home to financial sponsors, all student design teams 156 undergraduate and 25 graduate provide a professional engineering design serv- Astudents. Undergraduate students are ice to their client. During class, the students enrolled in three curricula: biosystems (104 stu- submit weekly work logs, monthly oral and dents), ecological (43 students), and forest engi- written updates, design journals, and confiden- neering (9 students). Class size of the senior tial team peer evaluations. In addition to a final design Capstone sequence has grown steadily report and presentation, students provide a pro- from 15 students in 2011 to 40 registered for posal report and presentation, pre-final drawing 2017. Capstone design teams are formed during submittals, a poster presentation, and partici- the fall semester during a two-credit Professional pate in the College of Engineering E-day Development class. This article highlights two recruiting event. Capstone design projects from spring 2016 that Trey Colley, a member of the feed bin gate represent biological engineering and traditional team, emphasized problem-solving as a key agricultural engineering designs: 3D printing for skill needed in his future engineering career: new biofilter media (http://aoebioworks.wee- “The senior design project has provided an ele- bly.com) and an automated poultry feed bin gate ment of our educational experience I have not After their senior design presentation, Eric (http://hlh0017.wix.com/poultry-bin-gate). experienced before. Previously, my skills at Vogt juggles team-created 3D biofilter media Holly Haber, a member of the feed bin problem solving and my ability to cram slide while teammate Olivia Elliott enjoys the fun. gate team, wrote at the end of her class experi- notes helped me in the lower-level classes; ence, “I am proud of the final product we pro- however, this is the first time the whole process other professionals. Being a part of the develop- duced through this senior design project. We has been put together.” ment of this project has greatly prepared me for were able to meet all of our design objectives as Holly Haber reflected on the importance of my professional career. I’m a much better team well as build a functioning prototype. The sen- the soft skills she learned: “During this design member now than when we started this project, ior design project experience gave me an process, in addition to my technical knowledge, and I know this skill will help me tremendously insight into what working as an engineer will be I have developed my soft skills. Not only has my in my career” like.” A similar sense of accomplishment was design team been collaborating with our peers Holly Haber summed up some of the ben- echoed by 3D printing design team member and faculty in the department, we also worked efits of the Capstone experience: “Engineering Ann Nunnelley in her e-portfolio reflection: with our industry client. Learning to write Design for Biosystems takes the technical con- “Involvement in this design process not only memos and provide constant updates on the cepts used in our engineering discipline and exposed me to additive manufacturing, but also progress of our project to all of these groups is forces application to real-life problems. Not gave me valuable experience working with an something new that we have not had to do in only have I learned a large amount about interdisciplinary engineering team. I am grate- previous classes. The importance of being able biosystems engineering principles and regula- ful to have been part of this design team and am to communicate the design process, both orally tions through this Capstone course, I have also proud of the final result!” and written, is a crucial skill that will benefit expanded my knowledge in other engineering any engineer.” disciplines. The senior design process has built For us, as faculty instruc- on concepts learned in previous courses and tors and project mentors, one of taken them one step further by applying them to the most rewarding aspects of meet specific objectives. For example, during the Capstone class is the posi- the design process, my team used prior knowl- tive energy and outlook of the edge and expanded on it to compute the force graduating engineers. Recent needed to open and close feed bin gates in order graduate Brock Daughtry to specify a linear actuator to meet this force reflects this sense of accom- requirement.” plishment and excitement as he No more could be hoped for than to have looks ahead to a fulfilling engi- our graduating engineers gain a level of confi- neering career: “This class dence in their future profession, as implied by required almost weekly infor- Holly Haber at the beginning of this article, mal presentations on the devel- “The senior design project experience gave me opment of our project and also an insight into what working as an engineer will Senior design team members Holly Haber, Trey Colley, and Brock required formal presentations be like.” Daughtry with a working prototype of the automatic poultry feed to our clients, professors, and bin gate opener.

RESOURCE September/October 2016 21 Engaging Students in the Land O’Lakes Global Food Challenge

John Lumkes Jr., P.E., and Kurt Rosentrater

SABE members have long recognized that the familiar with our food production systems. In the U.S. and intersection of our dependence on energy, the similar economies, the trend toward urban living and a stress on our water supply, our need to grow more decreased agricultural workforce have led to highly mecha- Afood, and the resulting impact on our environment nized agriculture, as robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles is the “grand challenge” of our time. Agriculture is at the (UAVs), smart irrigation systems, and automated processing heart of this intersection, relying on access to energy and a plants do more with less labor input. supply of fresh water to safely grow, process, and distribute The same has not been true in developing countries, our food. An increase in food production is required due to where up to 80% of the workforce, including many women population growth, which includes an increase in meat con- and children, is directly involved in small-scale agriculture. sumption as more countries develop economically. Farm incomes in developing countries are often at subsis- Previous issues of Resource have focused on the grand tence levels with no margin for droughts or pest problems, challenge of feeding our world while conserving resources and labor shortages and lack of connectivity to markets lead and protecting the environment. Universities, corporations, to yield losses (due to underused land, few crop inputs, late cooperatives, government agencies, and foundations are planting, and limited plant care), post-harvest losses (due to active in this area, but few are specifically engaging the next late harvesting, poor storage, and lack of transportation), and generation. Getting youth globally involved is essential to reduced income. However, while the yields are currently a feeding our world in this generation and the next. fraction of those in developed countries, developing countries Generally speaking, young people are not as interested in also have significant potential for increasing their food pro- agriculture as their predecessors. Fewer than 2% of workers duction and feeding their growing populations. in the U.S. are classified as farmers, and most people are not

Students and faculty learning from community members in Lifidzi, Malawi.

22 September/October 2016 RESOURCE This article describes a partnership between five univer- sities and Land O’Lakes, Inc., to engage undergraduate stu- dents in agriculture, domestically and internationally. Students from multiple majors, including agricultural and biological engineering, have participated in the program. You’re probably familiar with Land O’Lakes⎯a mem- ber-owned agricultural cooperative known for dairy foods, animal nutrition, and crop inputs. Since 1981, the company has also been active in international development (http://www.landolakes.org/) by partnering with organiza- tions such as the USDA, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support farming around the world. Many of these projects involve connecting smallholder farmers to technologies and markets through local cooperatives, capac- ity building, and programs focused on achieving self-suffi- ciency. Land O’Lakes has also sponsored many farmer-to-farmer training programs throughout the world.

The Global Food Challenge A cassava demonstration and training plot in Mkaika, Malawi. In the fall of 2014, Land O’Lakes initiated the Global Food Challenge (http://foodchallenge.landolakesinc.com), The goal of the program is to identify exceptional col- partnering with faculty, staff, and students from Iowa State lege sophomores and enable them to become emerging lead- University, George Washington University, Northwestern ers for food security. Students apply to the program by first University, Purdue University, and the University of submitting a one-minute video. If selected, they move to the Minnesota. Initial participation was limited to sophomore next round and are interviewed by Land O’Lakes program students from colleges of agriculture, business/management, leaders. Each selected student is matched with a professor or and engineering at these universities. During the first year academic mentor, as well as a Land O’Lakes mentor. During (2014-2015), ten faculty and staff members and ten students the academic year, teams of students work on challenges in participated in the program. Agricultural and biological engi- agriculture and food security. The emerging leaders also neering was represented by several students and faculty mem- receive an eleven-week paid summer internship at Land bers. For the second year (2016-2017), eligibility was O’Lakes headquarters in Minnesota, which includes visits to expanded to include all sophomore students from the partner domestic agricultural sites (farms, cooperatives, processing universities, regardless of their college or major. plants, marketing firms, etc.), to Washington, D.C. (to learn

A dairy and milk processing farm near Lilongwe, Malawi.

RESOURCE September/October 2016 23 improve their lives, to improve their families’ lives, and to reinvest in their operations to increase their business. In other words, everyone was working to increase their food security and their financial security. In Botswana, we spent time with a dairy cooperative, a seed grower, a field school for farmers, a goat farmer, and an agricultural research institute. We also spent a day at Victoria Falls as tourists. We wrapped up our trip in Zambia with safaris in the Chobe National Park, where we A bulk milk cooperative in Lumbadzi, Malawi. were immersed in African wildlife, including lions! We then spent a day in about agriculture policy), and a two-week trip to rural African Johannesburg, South Africa, where we visited Nelson communities (to learn firsthand about international develop- Mandela’s first and last homes, the Apartheid Museum, and ment and global food security). learned about the history of South Africa. Overall, our experiences in Africa were life-changing. Highlights of the 2014-2015 Program Learning about food insecurity here in the U.S. is one thing; In the program’s first year, the selected students worked seeing its many dimensions and talking to the people who live on a wide variety of projects, including the impact of food with it every day is another. At the same time, all of us were storage innovations on food security, vertical farming, com- inspired by the great strides that are being made in all the municating the global food challenge message, global educa- places that we visited. tion on GMOs, on-farm processing, reducing food waste, and improving logistics and transportation. The students had fre- Projects and Plans for 2016-2017 quent Skype meetings and presented their projects to their One of the assignments of this year’s program was for peers and faculty mentors. Each project culminated in a final students to organize food challenge awareness events on their report and action plan that was presented to Land O’Lakes home campuses. The events on each campus were creative program leaders. and informative. At Purdue, the students organized a Global A highlight of the program for both the students and their Food Insecurity Seminar and Organization Fair that included mentors was the two-week trip to Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, a short introduction by Gary Burniske, managing director of and South Africa. Our international travel was full of new Purdue’s Center for Global Food Security, followed by pre- experiences. We had opportunities to see best practices for sentations from the ASABE student chapter, the National improving food security at the farm scale, cooperative scale, and factory scale. We also had opportunities to discuss inter- national development efforts with in-country teams from Land O’Lakes International Development as well as USAID. We started our trip in Malawi with cultural and Chichewa language lessons. After acclimating ourselves, we visited agricultural operations throughout the country. These opera- tions included a maize farm, a permaculture farm, a GMO cotton field trial, a cassava test plot, a smallholder goat asso- ciation, a smallholder dairy cow recipient, a dairy coopera- tive, a village savings and loan, a small-scale slaughterhouse, a water users association (that had built a dam and irrigation system for the local community), a large dairy farm, a com- modity exchange, a large tobacco trading house, a tobacco processing factory, a dairy processing factory, and a farm- scale cassava processing operation. All of these visits were informative and inspirational. A common denominator of Oswin Chackochan of Purdue University takes notes about cassava these operations was the strong desire of their owners to processing near Nkhotakota, Malawi.

24 September/October 2016 RESOURCE Fields after harvest in Nakondwa, Malawi.

Agri-Marketing Association, Heifer International, ICA Opportunities for Students and Others Future, Nourish International, the Purdue Utility Project The Land O’Lakes Global Food Challenge is a great Global Design Team, Swipe Out Starvation, Timmy Global opportunity to engage students in the grand challenge of Health, and UNICEF. The event drew over 100 attendees. global food security. We need students from all backgrounds At Iowa State, several student clubs organized a canned to find solutions for feeding a growing population, using less food drive and participated in a canned food sculpture con- energy, water, and labor, and using environmentally sustain- test. Prizes were given for the club that collected the most able methods. Obviously, students in agricultural and biolog- canned food items⎯as well as the most creative sculpture. ical engineering can bring unique strengths to this program. More than 1,600 canned food items were collected and In addition, ASABE, ABE curricula, and much current ABE donated to a local food pantry. The event also gave represen- research are already focused on sustainably feeding the tatives from Land O’Lakes and the Salvation Army an oppor- world. Here’s how you can get involved: tunity to talk to students about hunger and food issues. In • If you are a student at one of the Global Food Challenge addition, Iowa State’s two emerging leaders from the 2014- partner schools, apply to become an emerging leader! 2015 program talked with their fellow students about their The application dates and instructions are available at experiences with the Global Food Challenge. http://foodchallenge.landolakesinc.com. This program is As in the first year of the program, the selected students, an incredible opportunity to immerse yourself in the their faculty mentors, and Land O’Lakes representatives trav- global challenge, including a paid summer internship eled to Africa in late June of 2016. We visited various farms, and international travel. It will be an unforgettable edu- villages, and food cooperatives in Rwanda and Kenya and cational experience. learned firsthand about international development efforts and • If you are faculty member at one of the Global Food best practices for improving global food security. (Editor’s Challenge partner schools, let your students know about note: as this article goes to press, the authors are on their the program, and consider applying to be a faculty men- way home from Africa.) tor. It’s a profoundly rewarding teaching experience. • If your school is not a partner, contact the Land O’Lakes Global Food Challenge and let them know you are inter- ested in being a partner school. We need to engage our students in the broader challenges of agriculture. Challenges create opportunities. • If you have a corporate background, find ways to engage youth in agriculture. Work with your university partners and professional societies to inspire our next generation of problem solvers. ASABE member John Lumkes Jr., P.E., Associate Professor, Agricultural and Biological Engineering; Associate Director, Global Engineering Programs; Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., USA, [email protected]. ASABE member Kurt Rosentrater, Associate Professor, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University; Fresh produce at a market in Lilongwe, Malawi. Executive Director of the Distillers Grains Technology Council, Ames, Iowa, USA, [email protected].

RESOURCE September/October 2016 25 September/Octoberup 2016date

ASABE members Ann Nunnelley and Eric Vogt, biosystems engineering students at Auburn University, explain 3D printing of biofilter media.

Students’ biofilter media design orated on the Phase 1 proposal, which developed the concept, and mentored the cross-curricular student team. Following vies for EPA prize the Phase 1 award announcement in October 2015, Blersch In Brief: A multidisciplinary team of undergraduate stu- and Carrano recruited students from their respective depart- dents from Auburn University’s department of biosystems ments and streamlined the deliverables so that the project engineering and department of industrial and systems could also serve as the students’ senior Capstone project. engineering showcased their senior work—a biofilter “A combined senior design team from two engineering media design aimed to improve water treatment sys- departments is a unique model for Auburn, and it made for an tems—during the USA Science and Engineering Festival in excellent learning experience for the students, as demon- Washington, D.C., in April. strated by their exemplary performance at the P3 expo,” national science, technology, engineering, and Blersch said. “The cross-seeding of ideas from this collabo- mathematics event, the USA Science and ration enriched their educational experience as they devel- Engineering Festival gave the seven-member under- oped expertise in another academic field through interactions graduate team a large venue for sharing their with their peers.” A At the P3 expo, the team’s booth featured a display of 3D research and interacting with thousands of attendees, includ- ing officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. printed spherical objects and a large glass cylinder filled with The work and travel of Auburn’s student team was funded by bubbling green gooey water, which was a hit with the curious a Phase 1 award from the EPA’s People, Prosperity, and the youngsters who came by. “Although they couldn’t compete Planet program, also known as P3. During the P3 event, the with the penguins from SeaWorld or the rockets from NASA, team competed against 50 universities for a Phase 2 award, their booth was one of the most popular university exhibits,” which provides for the development and commercialization Carrano said. “I was amazed at the innovation from this of the project. undergraduate team. Their work has clearly expanded the ASABE member David Blersch, assistant professor in technical and functional limits of biofiltration.” Auburn’s department of biosystems engineering, and Andres Stephanie Gray, industrial and systems engineering team Carrano, Philpott-WestPoint Stevens associate professor in leader, explained the project to a group of small children this the department of industrial and systems engineering, collab- way: “We use super cool shapes to filter water. We place the

26 September/October 2016 RESOURCE shapes into a bioreactor that contains a bunch of dirty water. printing. The project moved easily to the P3 student design Bacteria in the water attach to the super cool surfaces of the competition in technologies and strategies for sustainability. shapes and start to live and grow there. The super cool shapes The multidisciplinary team provided adequate depth of are like fancy houses. As the bacteria live there, they get hun- expertise in the broad areas of the topic, namely, bioreactor gry and eat the pollution in the water.” design and 3D printed manufacturing. Having learned about 3D printing in her industrial and “The Capstone design experience was valuable to the systems engineering courses, Gray was excited to share her students, as the process of designing the media as well as the knowledge with the team and happy that her cohorts in equipment and procedures to test it was a simulation of real- biosystems engineering did the same, introducing her to nitri- world experiences that these students will face in their fication, bioreactors, and fisheries. “I didn’t know anything careers. The deadline for presentation of their work was rigid, about 3D printing until this project, but we taught them about as they were required to have full development and prelimi- biology,” said ASABE member Eric Vogt, biosystems engi- nary testing complete for presentation at the national compe- neering senior, who designed and fabricated the bioreactor. tition in the middle of the semester. “Our team had a lot of fun throughout the semester and at the “The interdisciplinarity of the team was a critical compo- expo. We educated many people about our project.” nent to the student learning, as it again simulated real-world In addition to Vogt and Gray, team members included consulting experience in which a group with broad expertise ASABE member Ann Nunnelley and Olivia Elliot from is formed to address a problem. Student learning was height- biosystems engineering and Zane Trott Jr., Michael McClay, ened by this interdisciplinarity, as students from each depart- and Bakr Nassief from industrial and systems engineering. ment developed expertise in another field to be able to The outcome of the project was a biofiltration system that accomplish the work. Most of the learning was done through uses more efficient media capable of treating 50% more peer-to-peer instruction, encouraged and supported by regu- water than the current product on the market. “I would not be lar meetings of the entire team, and through collaborative surprised if some of the students’ ideas are commercialized in planning of the objectives and tasks. Overall, the students the near future,” Carrano said. successfully developed a design and presented their design at Blersch, sponsor of the 3D printed biofilter media proj- a national competition that was highly competitive with the ect commented, “The capstone project was a tremendously potential for patentable technology.” valuable experience for the students. The project was to For more information, contact Gail Riese, Communications and design new media shapes for increasing the performance of Marketing Specialist, Auburn University, Samuel Ginn College of mixed bed bioreactors for wastewater treatment using 3D Engineering, [email protected].

Auburn’s senior design team presented their work at the EPA’s People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) expo, which was part of the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C., in April 2016. Their presentation was on the design and production of novel biofilter media for improved wastewater treatment. The team presented to more than 2,000 people and discussed their findings with EPA officials.

RESOURCE September/October 2016 27 update

Building and racing edible vehicles The competition fuels the teams’ design and problem- solving skills, as well as their appetites. At the previous event, In Brief: Claiming that the dog ate your homework isn’t one team blew away the competition in calories used—less too far-fetched. The Incredible, Edible Vehicle than 200 for a vehicle that consisted of two dill pickles, four Competition fosters teamwork among students at the rice cake wheels, two pretzel rod axles, and gummy candies University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the wheels are turn- to hold everything together. Its two runs totaled more than ing as the annual event rolls into a new academic year. 190 inches, which was more than double the runner-up from different sort of fast food takes to the track when Team Salami Tsunami. UNL hosts the Incredible, Edible Vehicle However, although their car didn’t go farthest or get the Competition every year. ASABE member Mark most miles per calorie, Team Salami Tsunami walked away ARiley, head of UNL’s department of biological sys- with the top prize. What won the day was their consistently tems engineering, requires the students in his introductory high placement in each of the evaluation categories despite biological systems and agricultural engineering class to having a high calorie count of 1,127, based on a design that demonstrate edible vehicle designs—really. The cars must be used a salami log, fudge-striped cookies, pretzel rods, gummy functional, they must be candies, and black made entirely of food, licorice. After their two and the students must be runs down the track, able eat their cars at the team members Jared end of the competition. Bowker, Isaac Frerichs, Every fall, student Thomas Huff, and Will teams, as well as alumni Neels devoured their returning to show their creation. support, race their cars “We honestly didn’t down a sloped track to expect to end up in first see which one travels place,” said Neels of his farthest and stays in one team’s car, which was piece. The top three looked more like a trac- teams receive a certifi- tor. “I figured that the cate. Each teams must distance would have also submit a poster that been more of a priori- details the process of tized category. I guess making their car. we had the right combi- The event was nation of things, both in started many years ago our presentation and our by ASABE member car. We wanted to get a Dennis Schulte, a now- Undergraduate teaching assistant Victoria Bart prepares to release a car down nice design that would the ramp. retired UNL professor, roll straight. That was as part of Engineering Day, and is coordinated by Evan number one—making it Curtis, student services coordinator in UNL’s department of functional. But we also were thinking that we had to have biological systems engineering. Curtis said the competition something that we could chow down fast, and salami’s the inspires unique designs using a variety of products. first thing we thought of.” Vegetables, sausage, cheese, and candy are just a few of the Riley said the demands for consistency across the evalu- materials students use. With the new addition of a calorie ation categories—distance and durability (scored on two limit, last year’s vehicles were healthier than ever before. runs), components (must be edible and no more than 1,500 Creativity rules, with team names like “Meals on calories), and cost (less than $10)—are meant to replicate the Wheels” and entry names like “Tasty Taxi.” The teams, each demands placed on engineers in real-world projects. The with three or four students, work for several weeks on brain- calorie limit was instituted this year to make for a healthier storming, designing, shopping, prototyping, testing, and competition. tweaking. Rigid, round cookies and rice cakes usually serve Team Salami Tsunami will likely take a break for a year. as wheels, although a few teams have used slices of summer “I think we’re all kind of burned out on salami,” Neels said. sausage. Axles are typically pretzel rods or candy canes. For more information, contact Communications Specialist Karl Chassis choices range from hard bread to carrots, with an Vogel, [email protected]. effort to balance function and taste.

28 September/October 2016 RESOURCE Focus on the Foundation Setting Fundraising Priorities © Johan63 | Dreamstime.com

he ASABE Foundation has been in existence since from the FBOT, BOT, both the young professional and pre- 1987 and has done great work in raising funds to professional communities, and ASABE staff, is being initially ensure the success of selected projects, such as the chaired by ASABE Past President Lalit Verma and met for Tswitch to electronic publications, support of the first time at the Annual International Meeting in Orlando. Standards work, our 100th anniversary celebration, and of Among other items, two immediate needs that had been course our vibrant awards program. However, the Foundation raised at the April BOT meeting were discussed at the AIM in Board of Trustees (FBOT) has lacked a clearly defined Orlando: increasing prize money for specific student compe- process for receiving direction from the ASABE Board of titions to bring them in line with others, and waiving AIM Trustees (BOT) concerning the fundraising priorities of the registration for on-site competitions. As a result of this col- Society. Now that the Foundation has made a concerted effort laboration through E-06, the FBOT now has these two needs to reorganize its fundraising as a specific fundraising activities with the addition of focus. These are good exam- a director of advancement, the ples of the sort of BOT-iden- FBOT and the BOT want to tified initiatives that E-06 make sure that the focus for can identify in the future. fundraising to support With the establishment ASABE programs and initia- of the Foundation KEYS tives remains well aligned Fund (K-12 education, with current Society needs Encouraging humanitarian and objectives. outreach, Youth career Over the last year, the development, and Student BOT has made great strides to address this need. At their branch support) a few years ago, it was a natural that the April 2016 meeting, they approved the bylaws for the newly KEYS Fund Management Committee (E-06/1) be created created E-06 Foundation Liaison Committee. The overarch- and reside under E-06. The BOT approved bylaws for this ing purpose of E-06 is to oversee, develop, and review activ- new committee in April as well. Although fundraising activity ity related to interactions of the Society with the Foundation. will remain within the Foundation, the objectives of the E- More specifically, the committee will: 06/1 committee are to annually solicit and select the best sub- • Generate ideas for Society initiatives and activities missions to receive any discretionary monies from the KEYS through outreach to ASABE communities and communi- Fund and to give feedback to the ASABE Foundation regard- cate these to the BOT. ing fundraising opportunities and needs within the KEYS • Communicate fundraising needs to the Foundation to objectives. The two needs described above seem to be a per- support Society initiatives and activities. fect fit for a KEYS fundraising effort. • Provide feedback to the Foundation on fundraising With these formal committees in place, we welcome opportunities. your input on activities and initiatives you feel should be con- • Stimulate member engagement in fundraising activities, sidered for possible funding or as a fundraising focus of the in conjunction with the Foundation. Foundation. Submissions can be presented by any unit of • Appoint ad-hoc committees, as needed, to manage funds ASABE. Please send your thoughts to E-06 chair Lalit Verma provided to the Society through Foundation fundraising ([email protected]). activities or to conduct other liaison activities. Mark Crossley, ASABE Director of Advancement, St. Joseph, The E-06 committee, which consists of representatives Mich., USA, [email protected].

RESOURCE September/October 2016 29 professional listings

CURRY-WILLE & ASSOCIATES CONSULTING ENGINEERS P.C. Animal and Livestock Facility Design Feed and Grain Processing and Storage Fertilizer/Pesticide Containment Design TSP/Manure Handling Design Agricultural Research Facilities AMES, IA 515-232-9078 WWW.CURRYWILLE.COM

INDUCTIVE ENGINEERING DALE GUMZ, P.E., C.S.P. 10805 230th Street Cadott, WI 54727-5406 • Accident Reconstruction • Mechanical & Electrical • Safety Responsibilities • Product & Machine Design 715-289-4721 [email protected] www.inductiveengineering.net

J.M. Miller Engineering, Inc. James M. Miller, PE, PhD, President

Idaho: Boise – Twin Falls Michigan: Ann Arbor 888-206-4394 734-662-6822 www.millerengineering.com e-mail: [email protected] Agricultural, Chemical, Mechanical, & Forensic Engineers; Dairy & Food Processing Safety – Tractor & Harvester Safety – Equine & Bovine Accidents; Guarding & Entanglement Accidents – Silage & Grain Storage Accidents – Warnings, Labeling, & Instruction Manuals – Worker Safety & Health (OSHA & GHS) – Chemical Application & Exposures – EPA RCRA, Clean Water, Compliance – Irrigation, Riparian, & Hydroelectric

[email protected]

154 Hughes Lane St. Charles, MO 63301

T 636.896.9995 F 636.896.9695 Fred B. Semke, P.E. C 314.603.6382 Principal Engineer www.semke.com

Your personal or company consultant business card could appear here. For information on rates ($95 and up) visit www.asabe.org/Advertise or contact Sandy Rutter, 269-932-7004, [email protected].

30 September/October 2016 RESOURCE last word Capturing the Big Picture The 2015 Capstone Design Survey Susannah Howe

lthough Capstone design courses are common in engineer- faculty members receive teaching credit for their involvement in ing programs, they vary substantially. In an effort to cap- Capstone; fewer than 10% of respondents provide Capstone-related ture current practices, the first nationwide survey of teaching credit to all their departmental faculty. Meanwhile, student ACapstone courses was conducted in 1994. Another nation- enrollment in Capstone design (like engineering enrollment in gen- wide survey was taken in 2005 to update the data and capture trends eral) has increased from 2005 to 2015. The average Capstone enroll- over time. The 2015 Capstone design survey marked the continua- ment in 2015 was 51, with some respondents noting upwards of 200 tion of a decennial data collection effort on many pedagogical and students per Capstone course cycle. logistical aspects of Capstone design. Some highlights of the data Projects and Teams are presented below. Capstone design projects are sourced from many places, most Respondents commonly industry, followed by faculty research. The prevalence of A total of 522 respondents, representing 464 distinct depart- entrepreneurial and service learning projects has increased since ments at 256 institutions, participated in the 2015 survey, all but two 2005 as well. In keeping with rising enrollments, the number of of whom had a Capstone design course. Of the respondents, 14 were projects per course cycle has increased in the past ten years; 25% of from agricultural and/or biological engineering programs; this rep- respondents in 2015 had more than 15 projects concurrently. Team resents one-third of U.S. institutions with ABET-accredited pro- sizes of three to five students remain most common. grams in agricultural and/or biological engineering. An additional Expenses and Funding 12 respondents noted that they involve agricultural and/or biological Typical expenses in Capstone courses include project supplies, engineering students in their multidisciplinary Capstone design hardware, and software, among others. While the range of expenses courses. varies significantly by institution, discipline, and especially project, Course Information most Capstone courses have relatively low breakeven costs. Of the Capstone design courses can be structured multiple ways, but 325 respondents in 2015 who provided breakeven cost data, 300 the most common approach continues to be running the design proj- were under $5000, 200 were under $1000, and 50 had no costs at all. ects and the class in parallel. The duration of Capstone design The institution and external sponsors are the primary source for courses is increasing; more than half of the 2015 respondents project funding. Students are less likely to fund Capstone projects reported a two-semester Capstone course, and some had even longer now than they were in 1994 or 2005. durations. Sponsors Pedagogy and Evaluation Sponsor funding spans as broad a range as project expenses, Capstone courses typically cover a wide range of topics. The but 75% of programs that responded in 2015 receive less than $5000 top five topics selected by respondents to the 2015 survey were writ- per project from sponsors, and 50% receive less than $2000 per proj- ten communication, planning/scheduling, oral communication, con- ect, typically as gifts, grants, or reimbursement for expenses. The cept generation/selection, and team building/teamwork. A common majority of sponsors are still located within 20 miles of the institu- debate in Capstone design circles is about “product vs. process”— tion, but there has been an increase in international sponsorship in other words, is the outcome more important than the approach since 2005. used to achieve it? The 2015 survey shows a roughly normal distri- Further Reading bution along the product-process spectrum, with the peak located These 2015 Capstone design survey data were highlighted in between “balanced” and “slight emphasis on process.” For evalua- the keynote presentation at the 2016 Capstone Design Conference. tion of student performance, Capstone instructors provide the most Slides from that presentation as well as papers from the Capstone input, followed by project coaches, industry liaisons, other students, design surveys are available at the Capstone Design Hub and other faculty. Final reports, presentation, and product have the (www.cdhub2.org) and the Capstone Design Conference website largest role in evaluation, but process and design reviews are also (www.capstoneconf.org). Readers are encouraged to see how their important. Capstone programs compare with other programs around the coun- Faculty and Students try. These surveys are an important step in understanding, assessing, Capstone faculty commonly have previous industrial experi- and ultimately improving engineering Capstone design education. ence in engineering design; more than half of the 2015 respondents Stay tuned for the next decennial survey in 2025! had six or more years in industry, and many had 25 years or more. Susannah Howe, Senior Lecturer of Engineering and Director of Capstone design is considered normal teaching activity for tenure the Design Clinic, Smith College, Northampton, Mass., and promotion by nearly all respondents to the 2015 survey, but few [email protected].

Views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily RESOURCE represent the September/October views of ASABE. 2016 31