July / August, 2002

Aspiring Young Engineers Visit Biosystems Engineering Program

Nearly 100 high school students from across the US, with interest and aspirations in engineering, visited the Biosystems Engineering (BE) program July 15-17, as part of the 2002 MSU High School Engineering Institute (HSEI). BE Associate Professor Bradley Marks and BE senior Julie Rochowiak (Lansing, MI) led the students through a design exercise to give them hands-on experience in data collection and team-based problems solving. The overall design problem was based on a real-world challenge faced in the canning industry, associated with quality loss in canned potatoes. The students first had to brainstorm methods for measuring potato density (Fig. 1) and actually make the measurements (three different ways). Then teams of students brainstormed, selected, and presented their best design solution for real-time separation of potatoes in a processing line (Fig. 2). The overall goal of the HSEI is to expose high-potential students to the various engineering disciplines. In the BE program, the specific objectives are for the students to appreciate the unique challenges associated with biological materials and the exciting potential of engineering careers in this area. If you have an interest in seeing this or some other demonstration aimed at promoting careers in Biosystems Engineering, please feel free to contact Dr. Marks at marksbp@msu.edu or 517-432-7703.

Agricultural Engineering
Michigan State University
A.W. Farrall Hall
East Lansing, MI 48824-1323
(517) 355-4720

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August 7, 2002