The Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering benefits from a wide-range of facilities. Situated between the Colleges of Engineering and Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, our department has facilities that range from centers devoted to agricultural machinery to fully-equipped biotechnical labs. Whatever your area of study, you will find the space, equipment, and support necessary to become a Biological Systems Engineer.
The Bioenvironmental Lab is equipped with bioreactors and instrumentation to culture and monitor microorganisms selected for wastewater treatment and bioremediation, and a temperature-controlled chamber.
Research in the Biomass Utilization Lab includes investigations into the fundamental combustion behavior of biomass and the characterization of important fuel properties.
The Occupational Biomechanics Lab addresses biomechanic and ergonomic concerns in agriculture and is equipped with instruments which quantifies forces and motions in field and laboratory settings.
Precision agriculture, sensing, automation and control, robotics, and mechanization are developed in the Agricultural Robotics, Sensors, and Mechatronics Teaching Laboratory.
A wide variety of computer-based instruments and sensors are available including accelerometers, LVDTs, force transducers, temperature sensors, colorimeters and visible and near infrared spectrophotometers in the Bioinstrumentation Lab.
The Biological Materials Properties Lab is equipped with a computer-controlled universal testing machine, two spectrophotometers, and a Tristimululs colorimeter.
The recently constructed Bioprocess Engineering Lab is used for research in biotechnology, bioconversion processes, and microbial ecology.
In 1998, our department worked with campus administration in developing a new GIS Visualization Lab. This lab, which houses 30 Silicon Graphics workstations with 20 inch displays, serves our programs in geographic information systems and precision agriculture. Our computing needs are supported by a full-time computer resource specialist.
Of particular interest to our aquaculture, in addition to the FCCL, and forest engineers are Bodega Marine Laboratory and Blodgett Forest. The Bodega Marine Laboratory is a 320 acre marine reserve located near Bodega Bay, about 100 miles from Davis. Blodgett Forest is a 3,000 acre reserve located about 70 miles from Davis on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Both facilities are affiliated with the department, but not run by the department. All university field stations have dormitory accommodations, laboratory facilities, and permanent staff.
