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BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

D E P A R T M E N T O F

Contact theDepartment of

Biological Systems Engineering223 L. W. Chase Hall

Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0726402-472-1413

Web: bse.unl.edu

Ron Yoder

From theDepartment Head

ISSUE 1 N E W S L E T T E R O F A C H I E V E M E N T AUGUST 2006

The second Biological SystemsEngineering E-Day, the annualfall poster exhibition, was heldon December 6, 2005, in theGreat Plains room of the EastCampus Union. Included in E-Day for the first time were 13teams from Dr. Schulte's 118

freshman design class for the new Incredible Edible Vehicle competition. Inthis lively event, the vehicles had to survive rolling down an incline twicebefore being consumed by team members. Four posters representingAGEN/BSEN 424, Machine Design in Agricultural Engineering, nineposters from AGEN/BSEN 460, Instrumentation and Controls, and oneSenior Design Capstone 480 course, rounded out the exhibit. This is the 14thyear that students have shown their work in a fall exhibition. This event alsosupports departmental recruiting. Dr. David Jones worked with KayleaDunn in the College of Engineering to make E-Day the culmination of a half-day visit by interested high school students to the College and to theDepartment.

The event is also an opportunity for alumni to return and represent theircompanies. Eleven alumni, representing nine companies, attended andshared career information with students. Students have the opportunity tosee a broad range of careers and may get a lead on an internship! See recentsenior design projects on our web site: bse.unl.edu/undergrad/posters.htm.

If you are interested in representing your company for E-Day in 2006, pleasecontact Dr. Jones at (402) 472-6716 or djones1@unl.edu.

StudentPosterExhibition

Winning team in the Incredible Edible Vehiclecompetition left to right: Jason Schmit, Brett Freese,Aaron Baumann, and Eric Horn.

As I peruse theinformation in thisnewsletter it is areminder of the manyactivities andaccomplishments ofour students, faculty,

and staff. The past year has been avery good one for the BiologicalSystems Engineering Department,with strong undergraduateenrollment, and recognition for theachievements of our students and ourfaculty. Last fall our twoundergraduate engineering programsunderwent the typical six-year reviewby the Accreditation Board forEngineering and Technology (ABET),and we are pleased to receive anothersix years of accreditation for bothprograms. This spring our otheracademic programs, our researchprograms, and our Extensionprograms were reviewed by anexternal team led by USDA CSREES;we received strong affirmation forour programs from this team, withsome excellent suggestions on actionswe can take to ensure we sustain ahigh level of excellence. As you readof the happenings in the BiologicalSystems Engineering Department,please give us your feedback, andconsider visiting the Departmentwhen you are in Lincoln.

Ron YoderDepartment Head

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Hosted by the Agricultural Research Division (ARD), theCollege of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources(CASNR), and the Institute of Agriculture and NaturalResources (IANR), four of our graduate students were honoredfor the fellowships they received during a September luncheon.

Ajayjust completed his master's degree and is continuingfor a Ph.D. His research project is extrusion process

modeling for starch-based products. Ajay is also the recipient ofa Milton E. Mohr Fellowship from the College of Engineering,and the Raymond J. Tarleton Endowment Graduate Fellowshipfrom the American Society of Cereal Chemists. Dr. Hanna isAjay's advisor.

K.N. is working on hismaster's degree. His research areas are pulsed electric

field processing and hyperspectral images, with the coreobjective of predicting beef tenderness. Hyperspectral imagingcouples the techniques of video-image analysis with near-infrared spectroscopy. Dr. Subbiah is his advisor.

Corey is a Graduate Assistant for Dr. Jack Schinstock.His research is centered on uniform seed spacing for

corn. He is conducting his research in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, atthe Panhandle Research and Extension Center with assistancefrom Professor John Smith.

Amaster's student in Mechanized Systems Management,Bryan is performing an ergonomic analysis of tractor

cabs, investigating both the physical and cognitive aspects ofcurrent cab design and operation.

Ajay Kumar, John and Louise Skala Award, ARD

ovindarajan Konda Naganathan (K.N.), John andLouise Skala Award, ARD

orey Searle, Milton E. Mohr Fellowship, CASNR

ryan Smith, Milton E. Mohr Fellowship, CASNR

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After months of hardwork and many latenights, the UNL

Quarter-scale Tractor Teamheaded east on June 3, 2005, forthe annual ASAE InternationalCompetition held at Quad CityDowns, East Moline, Illinois. Theteam was awarded theServiceability Award, theCampbell Scientific Award (anda Campbell Scientific CR 5000data logger too!), and first placein the written Design Report.Overall, the team placed tenth,the fifth consecutive year offinishing in the top ten. The teamwill celebrate eight years ofcompetition when it travels tothe new competition site inPeoria, Illinois, in June 2006.Help support the team and learnmore by visiting the web site.bse.unl.edu/qrtrscale/

Quarter-scaleTractor Team

Governor Dave Heineman enjoyed talkingwith Quarter-scale Tractor Team members atthe Nebraska State Fair. They are, left to right,Garrett Pommeranz, Adam Huttenmaier, ScottAlbrecht, Chris Junck, and Kevin Tacke.

Distinguished FellowshipAwards

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Front row, left to right:Back row, left to right:

Brian Twombly, Jake Riggle, Mike Hauger, Violetta Malayan, Melissa Eman, Amy Dimick, Nick Anderson, Tate Augustin, and Josh Dodson.Ross Miller, Grant Janousek, Jessica Graul, Zach Alger, Matt Beckman, Jon Hazen, Garrett Pommeranz, Crystal Bryan, Whitney Brown, Tanner

Augustin, Nick McCready, Clay Bramble, and Nick Tomsen.

Scoops and ScholarsThe fifth annual Ice Cream Social and Scholarship Recognition was held September 20, 2005. The weather cooperated forthe event which was held in front of Chase Hall. Thanks to the social committee and faculty super scoopers for making theevent a success. Forty-three scholarships, totaling $35,270, were awarded for the 2005-2006 academic year to students inthe department's three majors. We are pleased to acknowledge the following scholarship recipients:

Warren P. Person Memorial

Fred R. Nohavec

Elenore Gakemeier Swarts

Distinguished Scholarship

Wayne E. and Virginia R. Thurman

Leroy W. and Jean E. Thom

Zachary Alger AGEN Ravenna, OH

Crystal Bryan BSEN Falls City, NE

Nicholas Anderson BSEN Papillion, NE

Tanner Augustin BSEN Juniata, NE

Sarah Hanson BSEN Omaha, NE

Kathryn Milius BSEN Lincoln, NE

Tate Augustin BSEN Juniata, NE

Issac Mortensen AGEN Curtis, NE

Nicholas Tomsen BSEN Minden, NE

Matthew Beckman MSYM Elgin, NE

Clayton Bramble AGEN Hastings, NE

Jessica Graul BSEN Hildreth, NE

Aaron Herz MSYM Lawrence, NE

Nathan Jacobitz MSYM Holstein, NE

Timothy Mattson MSYM Chapman, NE

Nicholaus McCready BSEN Hastings, NE

Austin Story AGEN Gallatin, MO

Kevin Tacke AGEN Greencreek, ID

Brian Twombly BSEN Troy, KS

William E. and Eleanor L. Splinter

Violetta Balayan BSEN Sioux Falls, SD

Lloyd W. and Margaret V. Hurlbut

Memorial

Paul E. and Mary Beth Fischbach

and Family

George Milo Petersen Memorial

Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Hoppe, Sr.

Memorial

John Deere Mentor

Whitney Brown BSEN Denton, NE

Amy Dimick BSEN Sioux Falls, SD

Joshua Dodson BSEN Norfolk, NE

Jonathan Niebuhr MSYM Dunbar, NE

Ryan Windhorst MSYM Syracuse, NE

Melissa Eman BSEN Peoria, IL

Garrett Pommeranz AGEN Waterville, MN

Adam Flaugh MSYM Madison, NE

Steven Fleer MSYM Hoskins, NE

Michael Hauger MSYM Canby, MN

Weston Rathje MSYM Roseland, NE

Kurt Petersen MSYM Burwell, NE

John J. Sulek Memorial

Case New Holland

Ivan D. Wood Memorial

Edgar Rogers Memorial

Leonard G. Schoenleber

Agricultural Engineering

Ken Von Bargen

Tom Thompson Memorial

Colby Gardine MSYM Bertrand, NE

Jonathan Hazen MSYM Sterling, NE

Grant Janousek AGEN Clarkson, NE

Ross Havlat MSYM Crete, NE

Ross Miller MSYM Davenport, NE

Todd Kavan MSYM Wahoo, NE

Tyler Smith MSYM York, NE

Jakeb Riggle BSEN Elkhorn, NE

Allan Steinkraus MSYM Plainview, NE

Nicholas Wiese MSYM Rosalie, NE

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������������� �As a graduatestudent

,

received ascholarship fromthe Nebraska WaterEnvironmentAssociation at its

annual fall conference in Kearney, Nebraska, onNovember 9, 2005. The award was presented byNebraska Governor Dave Heineman.

Environmental Engineering graduate studentwas awarded the Colonel Theodore

A. Leisen Memorial Scholarship by the NebraskaSection of the American Water WorksAssociation. The ceremony was held November11, 2005; the award was presented by GovernorDave Heineman.

Mechanized System Management graduatestudent received an award forTeaching Assistant Teaching Excellence. Theaward was presented during the Holling FamilyAwards Program at the East Campus Union.This program is designed to recognizeoutstanding contributions by faculty andteaching assistants in the College of AgriculturalSciences and Natural Resources, University ofNebraska-Lincoln Extension, and the NebraskaCollege of Technical Agriculture.

, a freshman from Kearney,received recognition as an Honors Scholar at theDistinguished Scholars Day and Omaha World-Herald Recognition Dinner in Lincoln.

inAgricultural andBiological SystemsEngineeringMelissa Halverson

Nick Sutko

Corey Searle

Brent Hanson

The Mortar Board Society recognized, a Mechanized Systems Management

student from Davenport, for superiorscholarship. He is president of Alpha GammaRho Fraternity. Mortar Board is a national honorsociety that recognizes college seniors fordistinguished ability and achievement inscholarship, leadership, and service.

was recognized as the OutstandingSenior from the department for the College ofEngineering. She also served as the Chair for E-Week, 2006, a college-wide celebration ofNebraska Engineering.

received the O. J. FergusonAward for the College of EngineeringOutstanding Sophomore.

received the O. J. FergusonAward for the College of EngineeringOutstanding Junior.

RossMiller

Amy Dimick

Megan Krause

Erica Levorson

Ajay Kumar, from Patna,India, was selected as the BillA. and Rita L. StoutOutstanding InternationalGraduate Student for 2006 atthe department SpringBanquet. Ajay has begun hisPh.D. in the department afterreceiving his Masters in May.

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Program Objectives for Agricultural Engineering:

Upon entering the workforce, AGEN graduates (whetherthey are involved in machine design, sensors and controls,soil and water resources, or other professional endeavorssuch as business or law) will be:

1. applying their unique educational backgrounds inagricultural engineering by providing appropriatesolutions to problems and adding value to the research,development, and design processes encountered in avariety of work environments;

2. considering systems as a whole when solving problems,looking beyond components and subsystems individually;

3. confidently using the necessary elements ofmathematics, statistics, physical science, engineering,computer based measurement and analysis tools andcurrent literature in solving problems and providingdesign solutions;

4. successfully integrating their technical knowledge withskills in communication and persuasion, leading andworking effectively in teams, and understanding culturaldiversity and social and political forces that impactengineering decisions, as well as having the capability ofcompeting in an international atmosphere;

5. responsibly addressing issues of health and safety,ethics, and environmental impacts of engineeringdecisions.

6. continuing their personal growth, education andprofessional development through various opportunitiesprovided by institutions, professional societies and othervenues; and

7. valuing their educational experience by remaininginvolved in the department as alumni and continuallypromoting the agricultural engineering program andprofession.

Program Objectives for Biological Systems Engineering:

After graduation, BSEN alumni will share the attribute ofimproving the organization for which they work, and thecommunity and country in which they live. They will dothis whether they are involved in biomedical engineering,water resources or environmental engineering, food orbioprocess engineering, or other professional endeavorssuch as business, law or medicine. In doing so, they will:

1. provide innovative and effective solutions to problems ina variety of work environments through the use of theirunique background in biological systems engineering andthe biological sciences;

2. look beyond components in isolation thereby providingholistic solutions to complex issues involving, for example,interactions at the ecosystem, organism, organ, cellular orsubcellar level;

3. think logically using appropriate elements ofmathematics, science and engineering to develop, manageand interpret data, to correctly interpret new researchfindings and, to design new systems for the benefit ofsociety;

4. successfully integrate technical knowledge withcommunication and interpersonal skills to lead and workeffectively in teams, and to articulate the role ofengineering decisions in the workplace, community andworld;

5. responsibly address issues such as health and safety,personal and professional ethics, cultural diversity, as wellas the social, environmental and global impacts of theirwork;

6. continue their personal growth, education, andprofessional development through various opportunitiesprovided by institutions, professional societies and othervenues; and

7. remain involved in the department as active alumni whopromote the biological systems engineering program anddiscipline, and mentor future generations of engineers.

Educational Objectives

Our undergraduate engineering programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board ofEngineering and Technology (ABET). All ABET-accredited programs must publish theirProgram Objectives for access by employers, parents, students and others interested in what

graduates of the program are expected to be capable of doing once they enter the workforce.

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At the 2005 Annual International ASABE (formerlyASAE, now the American Society of Agriculturaland Biological Engineers) July meeting held inTampa, Florida, several Department faculty andstaff members as well as Department alumni werehonored for their research and service.

Extension engineer received thisprestigious award that is presented annuallyhonoring outstanding engineering contributions tothe development and improvement of thecountryside. He was nominated for his educationalimpact on the agricultural community through hisenvironmental programs and is an acknowledgedleader in best management practices for livestockproduction.

Co-authors and(both adjunct faculty), along with

Hongwei Xin (Iowa State University) and RichardS. Gates (University of Kentucky), were recognizedfor a paper award for their publication

published in theVol. 47, No. 1. The

committee selects fewer than 2.5 percent of ASAE-published papers from the previous year forsuperior recognition.

, an Extension engineer and educator,was recognized "for his outstanding efforts andsuccessful execution related to the

whichresulted in moving the project from an incompletedraft version to a complete, polished publication."

G. B. Gunlogson Countryside Engineering AwardRick Koelsch

Superior Paper AwardTami M. Brown-Brandl John A.

Nienaber

Presidential Distinguished Service AwardChris Henry

A LiteratureReview of Swine Heat Production,Transactions of the ASAE,

Study Guide forthe Agricultural Engineering PE Exam,

In the ,and received a blue

ribbon for their projectin the Films, Satellite Conferences,

Videotapes, and Electronic Presentations category.Under Publications: Fact Sheets, two blue ribbonswere won by authors (Ph.D. candidate),

Scott Josiah (NFS), and Mike Kucera(NRCS) for

(NebGuide 1557) and

(NebGuide 1558). As part of ateam of 22 authors from Nebraska, Colorado, andWyoming, and share ablue ribbon award for the second edition of

in the Manuals andWorkbooks section of Publication awards. InPublications: Bulletins, Mark Risse, Tommy Bass,Casey Rita, , and won ablue ribbon for their Poultry EMS project.

Elected as the 2005 class were twodepartment alumni: and

. Shirmohammadi (M.S. 1977)is a professor in the Biological Resources EngineeringDepartment at the University of Maryland in CollegePark. Siebenmorgen (Ph.D. 1984) is a professor in theDepartment of Food Science and the Director of theRice Processing Program at the University ofArkansas in Fayetteville.

(B.S. 1959) received the. He recently retired

as Supervisory Agricultural Engineer and ResearchLeader with the USDA-ARS in Fort Collins,Colorado.

(B.S. 1959) received the

. Also currently an ASABE Fellow, he isProfessor Emeritus at the University of Illinois.

Educational Aids Competition Darrell Watts,William Kranz, C. Dean Yonts

Amanda FoxTom Franti,

C. Dean Yonts John Smith

Jill Heemstra Rick Koelsch

ASAE Fellows inAdel Shirmohammadi

Terry J. Siebenmorgen

Dale Heermann Hancor Soiland Water Engineering Award

Carroll Goering Cyrus HallMcCormack Jerome Increase Case Gold MedalAward

Assuring Efficient Center PivotIrrigation

Planning Your Riparian Buffer: Design andPlant Selection Installing YourRiparian Buffer: Tree and Grass Planting, PostplantingCare and Maintenance

Dry BeanProduction and Pest Management

ASABE Honors DepartmentFaculty and Staff Members

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A

he computer tool will help farmers decide if theyshould grow different crops, irrigate fewer acres or

apply less water to existing crops," said Ray Supalla,agricultural economist. The tool was developed inresponse to several years of drought across the state andto farmers facing water restrictions in the CentralNebraska Public Power and Irrigation District, and in theRepublican River Basin.

epublican River Basin water restrictions stem fromthe 2002 settlement involving Kansas, Nebraska, and

Colorado over the 1943 Republican River Compact. Thissettlement found groundwater pumping was covered bythe compact, which will limit future groundwaterirrigation development in the basin.

t's really an aid that will help the irrigators makedecisions on how to use the limited water supplies they

will have," said DeLynn Hay, Nebraska Extensionprogram leader and former BSE faculty member. TheUpper Republican Natural Resources District has hadspecific water allocations for a number of years, but this isthe first time that they will be applied in a broader areathat also includes Middle and Lower Republican NRDs."This tool will help these farmers make croppingdecisions that will use the limited water supply in a wayto maximize profits for the given situation," Hay said.

new University of Nebraska computer program,“The Water Optimizer,” developed by Derrel

Martin, professor BSE, and Raymond Supalla, professorAg Econ, will help farmers make cropping decisionsunder limited water supplies.

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Computer ToolHelps Crop Productionunder Limited Irrigation

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he tool evaluates single fields for several crop options.Irrigated crops include: corn, soybeans, sorghum,

wheat, alfalfa, edible beans and sunflowers. Drylandcrops include: corn, soybeans, sorghum, sunflowers,alfalfa and wheat in continuous, summer fallow and eco-fallow rotations. The tool allows users to inputinformation into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, includingsoil type and irrigation system options. Irrigation optionsinclude center pivot or gravity irrigation systems, well orcanal delivery, and systems powered by electricity, dieselor natural gas. After entering this basic information,producers enter their production costs, irrigation costs,crop prices, crop type and available water. After theseparameters have been set, the program calculates whatcrops will be most profitable with the given costs andavailable water.

t gives you specific costs for your operation, and allowsyou to try a lot of 'what if' scenarios," research associate

Scott Nedved said. "By running the model a couple times,a producer can find out if it would be better to produceone type of crop with so many acres than producinganother type of crop."

ther potential uses of the program includecomparing management strategies such as profit

maximizing deficit irrigation, fixed crop rotations, single-year and multi-year full irrigation strategies, orEnvironmental Quality Incentives Program orConservation Reserve Enhancement Program leasing.

O

Reprinted with permission IANR News Service

Sandi Alswager Karstens, IANR News

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Erkan Istanbulluoghlu

Monte Shomaker

MelissaMathews

DiannYoung

isa new Assistant Professorwith a joint appointmentin the Biological SystemsEngineering andGeosciences Departments.Erkan received his Ph.D.

from Utah State University in CivilEngineering. Prior to coming toNebraska, Erkan filled a post-doctoralposition at MIT.

is thenew secretary in the westbay, and though sheenjoys the view to thewest, she can't seeColorado from here.Monte transferred to our

department from the Dean's Office inthe College of Fine and PerformingArts, and replaced Daphne Nebel.

Althoughhad been a

part-time employee inthe past, she is now afull-time Secretary III,dividing her supportbetween the Directorand staff for the

Industrial Agricultural Products Centerand three department faculty members.Her outside interests include tennis, theoutdoors, and time with her family.

After Sarah Sedlacekreturned to Alabamalast August,

was welcomedas the new departmen-tal receptionist. Sheimmediately jumpedinto the swirling

activities around her--learning proce-dures and student names, creating andmaintaining departmental databases,and helping with several special majorprojects, most notably the CSREESreport.

Valdeen Nelsen

Nancy Swarts

brings a wealth ofexperience to thedepartment and isthe newest additionto staff in thePartners in PollutionPrevention (P3)program. She

assumed her position as part-timeProgram Technician beginningspring semester 2006. Valdeen assistswith recruiting students and busi-ness partners, teaching andmentoring interns during their fieldwork, and planning for continuedgrowth and development for P3. Shehas worked on behalf of the public'shealth for many years, most recentlyas Program Coordinator for theMaster of Public Health program atthe University of Nebraska. Sheholds a bachelor's degree inEducation, a master's degree inPublic Administration, and serves asfaculty for the Great Plains PublicHealth Leadership Institute.

,former secretary inthe Soil and WaterResources bay, isnow a full-timereporter/photographer for the

news-paper. She recently won threeNebraska Press Association awardsfor her work: personal column,feature series, and lifestyle coverage.

Milford Times

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For years of service to theUniversity of Nebraska, facultyand staff were recognized inSeptember at the Lied Center forPerforming Arts prior toChancellor Harvey Perlman'sState of the University address.

Dean EisenhauerMilford Hanna

Debbie BurnsMichael Kocher

Richard Koelsch

Viacheslav Adamchuk

30 years

25 years

15 years

10 years

5 years

Leonard BashfordDavid Morgan

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Dr. Weller, far left, joins in stirring a big bowl of Bi-Bim-Bop, a favorite Korean dish.

Dr. Curtis Weller recentlytraveled to South Korea at the

invitation of the Center for HealthcareTechnology Development at ChonbukNational University in Jeonju. Dr.Keum Taek Hwang, Director ofExternal Cooperation for the Centerand Dean of the College of HumanEcology at Chonbuk NationalUniversity, is an Adjunct AssociateProfessor in BSE and has been avisiting scholar in our department. Dr.Weller was one of the invitedspeakers at the 2006 InternationalSymposium on HealthcareTechnology Development, January 19-21. His presentation was entitled“Lipid Nutraceuticals from CerealGrains and Oilseeds.”He also participated as a judge duringgraduate student oral presentationsand as a panelist during an opendiscussion of all symposiumattendees.

While in South Korea, Curt alsovisited Mokpo National University inMokpo and Seoul National Universityin Seoul. At Mokpo NationalUniversity, he gave a presentationentitled “Biodiesel Production inNebraska and the Rest of the UnitedStates” during a symposium onJanuary 23 in the Food IndustrialTechnology Research Center. TheCenter has had connections with ourdepartment and the IndustrialAgricultural Products Center forseveral years. At Seoul National

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��������� �1980

Mark Lamb

2000Ryan Shea

James Schlaman

Lakshmi Koppolu

Ajoy

Brad Schmidt

Adam Pont

(1980, B.S., AGEN; 1982, M.S., AGEN) isan Engineering Manager for Kubota TractorCorporation in Georgia.

(2001, B.S., AGEN) has worked atCaterpillar, Inc., since he graduated and is in Kansasworking as a Senior Engineer. He recentlytransferred from Powertrain R & D in Peoria,Illinois, to Global Work Tools and Services inWamego, where he works on developing tools forforestry applications.

(2001, B.S., BSEN) is a WaterResources Engineer for Black & Veatch in KansasCity. He and coworker Pam Kenel are receiving theWater Resources Division Best Paper Award fromthe American Water Works Association (AWWA) atthe June 2006 conference and exposition. The article

was published in the June 2005 issue of. In May of 2006, Jim received an M.S.

in Civil Engineering from KU. He says he willalways be a Husker, even though he's working andliving elsewhere.

(2002, Ph.D.) is the new Manager,Cell Culture Process Development, for PhytonBiotech, Inc., in East Windsor, New Jersey. Herhusband, (2002, Ph.D.), is a Senior ProcessEngineer with Merial, Ltd., a Merck and sanofi-aventis pharmaceutical company for animals inNorth Brunswick, New Jersey. They welcomed theirsecond child, Aneesh, this past July.

(2002, M.S., MSYM) is theMaintenance Manager with Bunge North America,Oilseed Processing Division, Council Bluffs, Iowa.

(2003, B.S., BSEN) is an M.D./Ph.D.Fellow at the NYU School of Medicine. He isfinishing his second year and will soon be startingthe Ph.D. portion of the program.

1990Stacia Palser (Norder) (1999, B.S., BSEN) is anattorney with Koley Jessesn, P.C., in Honey Creek,Iowa.

Preserving Sustainable Water Supplies for FutureGenerationsJournal AWWA

Andy Nickel

Philip Christenson

Derek Robinson

Jonathan Morse

Junjie Guan

Jennifer Melander

(2003, B.S., BSEN) is employed as aHigh Throughput Geneticist for GeneSeek inLincoln, Nebraska.

(2003, M.S., AGEN) is workingfor John Deere Agricultural Management Solutionsas a Product Test Engineer in Iowa.

(2004, B.S.,BSEN) is a new medical student.He and Beth Erickson (2004,B.S., InterdisciplinaryEngineering) started medicalschool at the University of Iowain the fall of 2005 with thetraditional “white coatceremony.” This ceremony is atradition at the University of Iowa where first-yearmedical students receive a white coat in front ofparents, faculty, and administration from themedical school.

(2003, B.S., BSEN; 2005, M.S., BSEN)is enjoying life and the challenges of being a Ph.D.student in electrical engineering at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge,MA. His dissertation topic is on ultrafast opticaltechnology.

(2005, Ph.D.) was awarded theOutstanding Poster in Cereal Chemistry by theAmerican Association of Cereal Chemists. He is aMarvin Byer Scholar of U.S. Military Food andPackaging, working in Connecticut as a LeadProduct and Process Development Scientist withWatson, Inc.. Junjie continues his affiliation with thedepartment as an adjunct faculty member.

(2003 B.S., BSEN; 2005, M.S.,BSEN) started in the Ph.D. program at the Universityof Missouri in Kansas City in May 2006. She will beattending an interdisciplinary program in OralBiology and Engineering.

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Alumni Profileby Eric A. Scott, Agricultural Engineering

In May of 2004, I reached a milestone inmy li fe by graduat ing from theUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln with ab a c h e l o r o f s c i e n c e d e g r e e i n

Agricultural Engineering, with emphasis inMachine Design and Control. During myundergraduate studies, I was privileged towork at the Nebraska Tractor TestingLaboratory. While testing tractors I workedhand-in-hand with engineers from all makesof the tractor world. I did not know it at the time, but this iswhere the interview process began for me as well as them. Ifound it very interesting to be studying theory on paper inthe classroom during the morning and to be working ontractors in the lab, physically seeing and experiencing theeffects of that theory, in the afternoon. This experience grewas classes were completed one by one. During each stepalong the way, all the staff, in addition to the faculty, werethere to coach and encourage. I received the impression that Iwas more than a student, which made me feel right at home.

Before graduation I accepted a position withCaterpillar, Inc., located in Peoria, Illinois, as aMachine Development Engineer. During the past

two years I have been privileged to travel all around NorthAmerica for Caterpillar, going places I have never gonebefore. I find the work to be very challenging and I am in anindustry I am passionate about.

here is something to be said about learning how totest and analyze data for tractor performance fromthe tractor-testing cornerstone of the world. As I

begin to make my way in Caterpillar, I continuallyrediscover how lucky I am to have received a formaleducation from UNL, along with the hands-on educationand training I received from the Nebraska Tractor TestLaboratory.

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If you would like to share a perspective of how your career hasbeen shaped by your educational experiences in the Department,

send an article to Gail Ogden at gogden1@unl.eduor Department of Biological Systems Engineering,

219 LWC, Lincoln, NE 68583-0726.

Let your former classmates know where you are and whatyou're doing; update your information on the web now.

bse.unl.edu/Contact/Alumni%20contact.htm

Hajira Ahmad

Michael Hofmeister

Kevin Tacke

(2005, B.S., BSEN) is currentlystudying tissue engineering for her Ph.D. atGeorgia Institute of Technology/Emory MedicalSchool.

(2005, B.S., MSYM) is aService Supervisor and territory manager for AltecNational Service. Based in St. Joseph, Missouri,Mike supports six mobile technicians in their day-to-day activities and resolves customer issues inOklahoma and New Mexico. The work keeps himon his toes and continues his education ofhydraulic and DC electrical systems.

(2006, B.S., AGEN), a new graduate,will be working for AGCO Corporation in Kansasas a Field Test Engineer.

Balaji Sethuramasamyraja, ( 2006, Ph.D.), began asan Assistant Professor n July 2006, in theDepartment of Industrial Technology in the

I

College of Agricultural Sciences and Technologyat California State University at Fresno, California.

Melissa Eman

Krishan Ginige

(2006, B.S., BSEN), another newgraduate, married Joseph Collins in May. Melissawill begin the Ph.D. program in biomedicalengineering at Texas A&M this fall and herhusband will study management informationsystems.

(2006, M.S., EnvironmentalEngineering), is now working as a ProjectEngineer for Southwest EnvironmentalConsultants, Inc., in Sedona, Arizona. Krishanworks with water modeling, environmentaldesigns for sub-divisions, and ensures that there issmooth coordination between all the agenciesinvolved in the projects.

B i o l o g i c a l S y s t e m s E n g i n e e r i n g , U n i v e r s i t y o f N e b r a s k aPage 12

December 2005

Agricultural Engineering:

Biological Systems Engineering:

Mechanized Systems Management:

Scott Albrecht (Emerson, NE)***

R

Adam Huttenmaier (Beatrice, NE)

Austin Lammers (Hartington, NE)

Jason Podany (Clarkson, NE)

Garrett Pommeranz (Waterville, MN)

anked 2 in his classn d

Neil Eckstein (Lincoln, NE)

Ann Nadurata (Omaha, NE)

Dan Sova (Sioux Fall, SD)

Joel Stenberg (Lexington, NE)

Quentin Cooksley (Grand Island, NE)

Andrew Ferris (Archer, NE)

Jody Imus (Belgrade, NE)

Mitch Ramsey (Wymore, NE)

Joey Robison (Bertrand, NE)

Nick Wiese (Lyons, NE)

Nate Wiese (Lyons, NE)

GraduationMay 2006

Agricultural Engineering:

Biological Systems Engineering:

Mechanized Systems Management:

Graduate Students:

Chris Junck (Carroll, NE)

Kevin Tacke (Greencreek, ID)

Nick Anderson (Papillion, NE)*

Chris Artz (Hastings, NE)

Tanner Augustin (Juniata, NE)*

Tate Augustin (Juniata, NE)*

Jonathan Camp (Lincoln, NE)

Amy Dimick (Sioux Falls, SD)

Melissa Eman (Peoria, IL)

Jessica Graul (Hildreth, NE)

Sarah Hanson (Omaha, NE)

Nick McCready (Hastings, NE)

Kathryn Milius (Lincoln, NE)

Corri Synak (Lincoln, NE)

Matt Beckman (Elgin, NE)

Matt Echtenkamp (Cairo, NE)

Ross Havlat (Crete, NE)

Aaron Herz (Lawrence, NE)

Nathan Jacobitz (Holstein, NE)

Todd Kavan (Wahoo, NE)

Kurt Mann (Grand Island, NE)**

Garth Ostergard (Callaway, NE)

Allan Steinkraus (Plainview, NE)

Ryan Windhorst (Syracuse, NE)

Adam Wollenburg (DeWitt, NE)

Krishan Ginige, M.S.,

Environmental Engineering

Melissa Halverson, M.S.,

Agricultural and Biological Systems

Engineering

Ajay Kumar, M.S.,

Agricultural and Biological Systems

Engineering

Travis Yonts, M.S.,

Agricultural and Biological Systems

Engineering

Balaji Sethuramasamyraja, Ph.D.,

Agricultural and Biological Systems

Engineering.

Jason Stark (Plainview, NE)***

* Graduated with Highest Distinction

** Graduated with High Distinction

*** Graduated with Distinction

Spring 2006 graduates, College of EngineeringFrom left to right: Melissa Halverson, SaraHanson, Travis Yonts, Katie Milius, Jason Stark,Nick Anderson, Tate Augustin, Dr. Ron Yoder, NickMcCready, Tanner Augustin, Corri Synak, AmyDimick, and Melissa Eman.

Fall 2005 graduates, College of EngineeringBack row, left to right: Joel Stenberg, Dr. RonYoder, Austin Lammers, Neil Eckstein, and DanSova. Front row, left to right: Jason Podany, AdamHuttenmaier, Scott Albrecht, and GarrettPommeranz.

Chancellor's Scholars

Superior Scholars

Academic year 2005-2006

Graduating with Highest Distinction, Chancellor's

Scholars earned A's in all graded work.

Nick Anderson

Tanner Augustin

Tate Augustin

Jason Stark

Kurtis Mann

The Superior Scholar designation is for students

having attained a standing in the upper 3 percent

of their college or having been on the Honors

Convocation list since matriculation as freshmen.

Scott Albrecht Sarah Hanson

Nick Anderson

Tanner Augustin

Tate Augustin

Amy Dimick

Graduated with Highest Distinction, ranked 4th in the

College of Engineering.

Graduated with Distinction, ranked 14th in the

College of Engineering.

First-string center for the Husker football team, one

of four Academic All-Americans from UNL,

graduated with High Distinction in Mechanized

Systems Management, CASNR.

Nick and

Tanner were part of a three-way tie for first-place

ranking in the College of Engineering.

Kurtis Mann

Nick McCready

Kathryn Milius

Dan Sova

UCare Spring 2006UndergraduateResearch

Josh Dodsoncompleted aUCare ResearchProject with a"Portable Probefor On-the-spotMeasurement of

Soil pH." His faculty advisor was Dr.Viacheslav Adamchuk. Qualifiedstudents may apply for theUndergraduate Creative Activitiesand Research (UCARE) program.Funded by the Pepsi Endowmentand Program of Excellence Funds,UCARE is a university-wideprogram that allows students towork directly with faculty membersin conducting research, serving asresearch assistants, or undertakingindependent research projects.

B i o l o g i c a l S y s t e m s E n g i n e e r i n g , U n i v e r s i t y o f N e b r a s k a Page 13

Five Mechanized Systems Management students attended a JohnDeere Dealership Management conference. Seen outside JohnDeere's Waterloo Tractor factory are, from left to right, Michael

Hauger, Dane Mosel, Steven Fleer, Kurt Petersen, and Weston Rathje.Photo by Bill Campbell.

MSYM Student onWinning Team

Mike Hauger,, a Mechanized

Systems Managementstudent in the John Deere DealershipManagement program was amember of the UNL National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA)team that won the outstandingchapter award in nationalcompetition for the second year in arow. The team award for theirmarketing plan for a non-crosspollinating corn was presented at the2006 NAMA conference in KansasCity, Missouri, in April. The award isbased on all chapter functionsincluding its mentoring program,chapter communications,membership recruitment, andworkshops.

from Canby,Minnesota

Early in the spring of 2006, students inUnit Operations of BiologicalProcessing (BSEN 446/846) and Food

Engineering Unit Operations (FDST/MSYM465/865), bothtoured Nebraska's largest brewery,Empyrean Ales, in the Haymarket area ofdowntown Lincoln. For the past severalyears, both classes have been visiting thisbusiness to see actual processing equipmenttypical of food and beverage industries inoperation. Not all students are familiar withequipment (unit operations) used inindustry. The tour helps in theirunderstanding of the basic physical-chemicalphenomenon that occurs in each piece ofequipment. Later in the semester, thestudents also visited Nebraska's largestwinery, James Arthur Vineyard, to see itsunit operations.

taught by Dr. Curt Weller,

B i o l o g i c a l S y s t e m s E n g i n e e r i n g , U n i v e r s i t y o f N e b r a s k aPage 14

��������� A Nebraskan Goes Way South

Chris Henry, Extension livestock wastespecialist, received a prestigiousFulbright Scholarship for nine monthsof study in Australia focusing on theissue of how odors from livestockwaste affect the environment. TheUniversity of Southern Queensland,National Centre for Engineering inAgriculture, was the host institution.Though Australian cattle are raised ina manner similar to those in the UnitedStates, Australian regulating agencieshave been working on odorand environmental impactissues longer and have a highlydeveloped regulation systemthat affects the planning andpermitting process. There is noU.S. federal standard forlivestock odor, although thereare regulations relating tocertain components thatcomprise livestock odor. Eachstate or territory in Australiacan adopt guidelines if itwishes; there is no federalmandate to do so. Thoughresearch on American livestockfeedlot and confinementoperations focuses mostly onrunoff, researchers in ourdepartment have been workingon odor footprint models forseveral years.

Chris and his wife Heather found thetrip to Australia an arduous one.Flying from Lincoln to Los Angelestook about eight hours, then elevenmore from L.A. to Fiji, where a three-day layover awaited them. Chrisdiscovered a swine confinementoperation housing about 5,000 head onFiji. The owner was planning ondoubling his operation, though there isonly one processing plant. Pork maysoon join sugar cane and tourism as athird major business there. From Fiji,

they flew to Brisbane, in the state ofQueensland, and then drove toToowoomba, their new home for thenext nine months. Once settled andafter learning to drive on the left sideof the road, Chris met with his newcolleagues to begin work. Chris wasthe first Fulbright recipient to bestationed in Toowoomba and theonly Fulbright scholar working inthe agricultural industry.

One of the agencies that Chrisworked with, The National Centrefor Engineering in Agriculture, is ajoint venture between the Universityof Southern Queensland and theState of Southern Queenslandthrough its departments of PrimaryIndustries and Natural Resources(PINR). Chris establishedconnections within FSA Consulting,a firm that handles most of thelivestock facility permits from its twooffices in Australia. He learned that atwo-tier approach is used for ce is afunction of the number of animals,

separation distance guidelines.Ausplume 4.0 is the modeling programused to determine the absoluteminimum s from designatedreceptors such as water courses,neighbors, and large towns. The ownermust calculate the variable separationdistance and apply this to neighboringresidents and towns, with the greaterof the two being used. The variableseparation distance is a function of thenumber of animals, effluent removal

procedures, receptor type,topography features, andvegetation near the facility.The second tier involvesmodeling the proposed site,resulting in a more detailedapproach than what ispracticed in the United States.

Chris met with personnel inthe Department of PrimaryIndustries and Fisheries(DPI&F), which is theAustralian version of ouruniversity research effort,university extension, andregulatory agency (NebraskaDepartment of EnvironmentalQuality) all rolled into one.The agency is responsible forresearch, enforcement, andextension education. This is a

stark contrast to the U.S., whereresearch, extension, and regulators areoften separated. He met GeordieGalvin, the leader of the air/odorgroup, and learned that they arecurrently using TAPM, Ausplume, andWinTracks as primary models. He alsocollaborated on a project to evaluatethe back-calculation technique for odoremission estimation using dispersionmodels, a process Galvin pioneered.Within two months, Chris presentedhis first seminar to a group ofcolleagues about the U.S. regulatorysystem, the extension program he

distance

B i o l o g i c a l S y s t e m s E n g i n e e r i n g , U n i v e r s i t y o f N e b r a s k a Page 15

system, the extension program heworks on, and the status and progressof odor research at UNL. Chrislearned that with a less aggressiveapproach in presenting his own work,these scientists were more receptiveand comfortable presenting the depthof their research. By acknowledgingthat there are many experts workingworldwide on this topic, theopportunity for more communicationand cooperation was opened up.

One of the consulting trips Chris tookincluded assisting with a feedlotsurvey and touring a new feedlotunder construction. The design offeedlot drains (which move a lot ofrunoff to sediment basins), side andcross slopes, top and bottom widths,and vegetation are all specified in thepermit process. No surface water ris

Chris attended the Clean Air Societyof Australia and New Zealand(CASANZ) conference where hepresented twice: once for the odorworkshop, and again for a jointsession between the odor andmodeling workshops. Hispresentation essentially contradictedwhat the previous modeling expert(also American ) had presented, whowas unaware of the work that hasbeen going on in Nebraska. Thisillustrated some of the poorcommunication between scientificgroups around the world and in ourown country. As with many scientificresearch projects, there is controversyamong Australian experts aboutwhether a flux chamber with anisolation hood or a wind tunnelshould be used to measure emissions.This ten-year debate further illustratesthe complex problem of how humansand livestock can co-exist in a rurallandscape.

leaves a feedlot; it is all collected bya series of ring tanks and pumpingstations. The feedlot was beingexpanded to accommodate anethanol plant, a very rare pairing.Ethanol is just gaining visibility asan alternative fuel in Australia, andthe producer wanted to make use ofthe plant-generated by-products asa feed source for the livestock.Organic manure is a valuedcommodity to non-livestockfarmers, so there is little waste inthe entire process. The addition ofmanure to the soil helps soilmoisture retention, a veryimportant aspect of farming in acountry faced with drought muchof the year. Twenty thousandmetric tons of manure are appliedto 4,000 acres at the approximaterate of five metric tons per acre.Sometimes the rate is 15 tons peracre on a three-year rotation. Chrissaid that many towns are on thebrink of having no water; only two-minute showers are allowed. Manyfarmers have zero yield from crops.

Lest you think the nine monthswere all work and no play, Chrisand Heather took in plenty ofsights. From Tasmania to the GreatBarrier Reef, to trips with familymembers who came to visit, andgatherings with fellow Fulbrightscholars, there was plenty to do and

see. One of the highlights was aninvitation from the U.S. CounselGeneral, Mr. Stephen T. Smith, and theSeventh Fleet to attend a receptionaboard the USS . Amid allthe pomp, Chris learned that the U.S.Counsel General spent the early yearsof his life in Nebraska, on the familycattle ranch near Paxton in theSandhills. Chris also met William A.Stanton, the Charge d'Affaires adinterim, and received a certificate anda Fulbright pin from him. Chris andHeather became accomplished scubadivers, took in natural scenic wonders(Cedar Creek Falls, Ayers Rock, saltlakes, the coast), food-processingplants (sugar cane, ginger, beer,chocolate, exotic fruit) and saw lots ofwildlife (kangaroos, koala,kookaburra, snakes, camels, whales,and dolphins). They also came homewith an undelivered souvenir, who hassince arrived: their first child, sonConner.

At the conclusion of his trip, Chrispublished two reports and has threejournal articles on hold due to thesensitive nature of some scientific andproprietary information. His work wasused to set new odor policy for theAustralian feedlot industry. Chris saysthat one of his main accomplishmentswas establishing connections betweencolleagues in Australia and Nebraska.The Fulbright Scholarship providedthe opportunity to grow professionallyand the perspective to see howresearch in America and Australia canfit together for continued progress inlivestock issues for both countries. Hewill continue to use the knowledge hegained as he continues work on hisPh.D.

Blue Ridge

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is anequal opportunity educator and employerwith a comprehensive plan for diversity.

We appreciate all who have

established endowments, or

made contributions to funds

that support BSE programs.

For information about

establishing new endowed

funds, or contributing to

existing funds, contactAnn Bruntz, NU Foundation,

402-458-1176 or

abruntz@nufoundation.org

From Mayo ClinicDr. Mike Kocher explains thefeatures of the therapy walker (heis one of its patent holders) toJames W. Youdas, a visitingphysical therapist from the MayoClinic.

Presidential VisitOtto Loewer, ASABE President andFellow, visited our department inOctober 2005. After speaking he joinedus for our annual Feed Our GraduateStudents lunch.

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