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Overview
Welcome to the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech. The Department of Biological Systems Engineering (BSE) is one of the oldest such departments in the country with widely diverse faculty, staff and students. The BSE department was established under the original name, Agricultural Engineering, in 1920 to provide support for the food and fiber industry. In 1992, a landmark decision was made by the faculty to focus the program, enhance the biological content of the curriculum and change the department name to Biological Systems Engineering. The department is affiliated with the two nationally ranked Colleges of Engineering, and Agriculture and Life Sciences. The department serves three integrated functions: teaching undergraduate and graduate students; research on the management of natural resources, and the production, processing and utilization of biological products; and extension and outreach programs to help society put knowledge to work.
The focus areas of the education/research programs in the BSE department are Land and Water Resources Engineering and Bioprocess Engineering. The B.S. program is offered through the College of Engineering and is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012 - telephone: (410)347-7700. Graduate degrees offered include Ph.D., M.S., and Master of Engineering. Currently, there are about 25 undergraduate students in each class and a total of 55 graduate students in the BSE department. The department has been quite successful in linking student education with its research program as evidenced by the University Exemplary Department Award received from the Provost for "effectively linking research and scholarship with teaching." A large number of our undergraduate students choose to participate in independent research study, working closely with BSE faculty. The undergraduate research program is often funded through the BSE undergraduate research fellowship program and/or the funds provided by the faculty research grants.
The research program has experienced a tremendous growth over the past few years. Much of the approximately $6.5 million in annual departmental expenditures are directed at sponsored research. BSE has twenty five faculty members that are nationally and internationally recognized for their scholarship. Their research includes systems biology, protein recovery and purification, biocatalysis and bioconversion, renewable materials, biofuels, nonpoint source pollution control, bioresidue management and utilization, watershed management, ecological engineering, stormwater management, wetland and stream restoration, pollutants fate and transport and development and assessment of best management practices. The extension program is designed to provide engineering support to address environmental concerns regarding water quality, waste management, alternative energy, safety, as well as production agriculture through the Virginia Cooperative Extension.
If you are interested in learning more about the Biological Systems Engineering, please contact us.
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200 Seitz Hall (0303) Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061.