1/4 Scale Tractor Competition Results

The results are in for the 2013 International Quarter Scale (IQS) Tractor Competition. This is an annual student competition event organized by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. The Pack Pullers team had 15 students and 11 went to Peoria, Ill.  Bio & Ag finished 7th overall out of 29 schools.

The NCSU tractor won the “Best Appearance Award” This awards is selected by the competition committee and all schools in attendance. Some additional accomplishments were 7th place in the team presentation and 6th place in vehicle maneuverability.

The team members at the competition were John Norwood, Jermayne Smallwood, Daniel Myers, Spencer Davis, TiEra Worsley, Ed Godfrey, Kevin Schachter, Clay Campbell, Steven Hall, Jordan Boyette, Randall Godfrey.

Dr. Grant Ellington was the team's advisor. He said he was very pleased with the work done by the students and others who gave support for the team.

To learn more about this ASABE competition see ASABE preprofessional students

Dr. Gary Roberson and the new Massey Ferguson 7620 tractor

A new Massey Ferguson 7620 tractor at Lake Wheller Field Labs will give students access to the newest technology.  The tractor has the latest GPS equipment, Dr. Roberson said, and will be used in a precision agriculture class he teaches each spring. The presence of the tractor will allow faculty members to give demonstrations of the latest variable rate technology and various agricultural implements.

Read the full story in CALS news

Spring Graduation Photos 2013

• Begining of the Ceremony
• Opening statements and Deans Address
  
• Undergraduate Diploma Presentation
  
• Graduate Diploma Presentation
  
• Ending Procession
  
• Reception
• Ceremony Video
• Undergraduate Formals

Graduates now that you are alumni of this department don\'t forget to visit the Bio&Ag Alumni page and stay connected to Bio&Ag. Once our database is updated you will receive the Bio&Ag Alumni newsletter or it can be accessed from the Bio&Ag alumni web page.

North River Farms Coastal Marsh Restoration Project

This project was highlighted on Monday May 6th 2013 on UNC TV's North Carolina Now Program.

Bio & Ag has designed and engineered the current project at what is considered one of the nations largest wetlands restoration projects underway.

Dr. Mike Burchell and graduate student Randal Etheridge were interview for the programs wetland segment. Dr. Burchell and Kris Bass, extension associate have been designing and engineering the ongoing restoration.

See the YouTube video courtesy: UNC-TV - North River Farms Project

More UNC TV Resources Water Quality

Bio & Ag North River Farms Restoration Information

Dr. Evans receives the prestigious Royce J. Tipton Award 

NCSU Engineering News Release

Dr. Robert Evans, PE, and Professor and Head of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, recently received the Royce J. Tipton Award at the U.S. Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (USCID) conference “Using 21^st Century Technology to Better Manage Irrigation Water Supplies” in Scottsdale, Arizona. 

The Tipton Award is a highly prestigious lifetime achievement award given by The American Society of Civil Engineers. The award is in recognition of a person that “has made a definitive contribution to the advancement of irrigation and drainage engineering either in teaching, research, planning, design, construction, or management, these contributions being made through notable performance, long years of service, or specific actions which have served to advance the science of irrigation and drainage engineering.”

Thank you Dr. Evans for a lifetime of commitment to drainage and irrigation in the U.S.!

Congratulations...

Bio & Ag Student Banquet

The 2013 Student Banquet was held April 25th 2013 at the NC State JC Raulston Arboretum. See the photos from the event.

Dr. Larry Stikeleather was named Teacher of the Year by the students.

Senior Design 2013

Senior Design presentations were given by 11 teams this year. See photos

The topics were:

• Water Treatment System at BAE Poultry Engineering Field Lab
  
• All-Terrain Motorized Wheelchair ------- Video
  
• ASABE 1/4 Scale Tractor Testing and Evaluation
  
• Second Generation Solar Heat Storage
  
• Microbial Fuel Cell - Electricity Generation
  
• Stormwater Management with Low Impact Development Implementation
  
• Microbial Fuel Cell: Biohydrogen Production
  
• Hammocks Beach State Park Ferry Maintenance Wastewater Treatment System
  
• Design and Build a Hydraulic Delivery System
  
• Agricultural Variable Rate Field Sprayer Controller
  
• Develop and Automated Pond Operation System

Beach Filtration System Gets News Attention

The Dune Infultration System which Dr. Mike Burchell has put much research into has gained a lot of attention from the news media. This study has reached its conclusion and the filtration systems installed are working well.

Here is the Triangle Business Journal article

http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/blog/2013/03/cleaner-and-safer-beaches-nc-state.html

and the Wilmington Star News

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20130407/ARTICLES/130409730

Teaching Vermicomposting in South America

Rhonda Sherman, Bio & Ag Extension Specialist, traveled to Guyana South America through the sponsorship of Partners of the Americas and the Farmer to Farmer Program participating in the Guyana Horticulture Project from March 2 – 16, 2013 Guyana Times article

During her 2-week trip, she led training workshops in composting and vermicomposting at St. Stanislaus College Farm in Georgetown, and at the National Agricultural Research Institute. Training topics included: compost mixing and pile formation; curing, storage & handling; bagging; and recovering un-composted material from finished compost. Training attendees – current vegetable producers, students, and other members of the public – gained knowledge in composting and vermicomposting techniques and will be better able to manage farm and home-based composting systems. Rhonda also led a similar training program in the Dominican Republic in September 2012.

The Farmer to Farmer Program improves economic opportunities in rural areas of Latin America and the Caribbean by increasing food production and distribution, promoting better farm and marketing operations and conserving natural resources. The program is supported by Congress and the Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of the United States foreign assistance program. Farmer to Farmer brings together agricultural professionals and practitioners from the U.S. and the Caribbean. Volunteers from the U.S. work with farmers and agribusiness owners in Guyana, Haiti, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic to identify local needs and design projects to address them.

Sponsoring Organization Information: Founded in 1964, Partners of the Americas links U.S. states with Latin American and Caribbean countries in partnerships that use the energy and skills of citizen volunteers, their institutions and communities to address shared concerns of social, economic and cultural development. Its work covers areas as diverse as emergency preparedness, agriculture, cultural and educational exchange, domestic violence and local government strengthening. Partners is a private, nonprofit, non-partisan organization with international offices in Washington, D.C. Find additional program information at www.partners.net

David Buffaloe gives an interview about the shop

The College of Agriculture and Life sciences has featured a story on the  BAE research shop and its machine shop capabilities. Read the full story in CALS Perspective Magazine  Super Shop

Vermicomposting in the NEWS

Rhonda Sherman, BAE Extension Specialist was quoted in the New York Times Dec. 31'st. Read the full article Worms Produce Another Kind of Gold for Growers.  For even more see Bio & Ag vermicomposting information

Holiday Party 2012

Faculty, emeritus faculty, staff, past staffer's, professionals and students attended the BAE holiday luncheon. Turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, green beans, hush puppies, and stuffing filled everyone up as they enjoyed talking with colleagues and friends.

Luncheon Photos

The BAE Stormwater Group was named in an award to be received by the Cape Fear Precast, LLC , Jacksonville, NC.  They were recently awarded 2nd Place in the National Precast Concrete Associations Creative Use of Precast (CUP) Award given for a local Project. The CPU Award recognizes those projects promoting innovative and cost-saving advantages of precast concrete and helps achieve national visibility. This year's awards will be presented at The Precast Show 2013 in Indianapolis as part of a large display and will be published in Precast Solutions magazine.

The city of New Bern, N.C., The Jack Smith Creek Stormwater project was a proposed a wetland initiative with the NC Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP) and the NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund. The project was realized thanks to precast concrete formed by Cape Fear Precast, LLC.  and the design developed through Cooperative Extension by the NCSU Biological and Agricultural Engineering Stormwater Group. The innovative project captures and treats runoff from more than 1,000 acres of residential and commercial property. The project is unique in both its size and scope, and is one of the largest stormwater retrofits in North Carolina.

About the Design

“The outlet weir for the project is modeled after a labyrinth weir design concept. The 'W' shape creates more flow length in a smaller width than a traditional spillway. The design also incorporates flashboard risers that provide flexibility for controlling water levels in the wetland. This design and pre-cast construction approach maximized control over critical features and created an efficient and economical installation in a challenging setting.” Kris Bass, NCSU Biological and Agricultural Engineering

The contractor was limited by the size of equipment that it could use on-site, requiring the precast be produced in smaller sections. Cape Fear Precast produced and shipped the base slab in two sections that were bolted together after installation and then it shipped the individual wall pieces. The vertical wall consisted of nine separate units. The legs to the “W” were preassembled at the plant and shipped with a custom spreader bar for handling. Installation took about four hours and all seams were sealed with elastomeric sealant and bolted together with galvanized hardware.

This design and precast construction approach maximized control over critical features and created an efficient and economical installation in a challenging setting. “It is our hope that this project will set a new standard for treating stormwater at a watershed scale and be an education center for design and construction of best management practices in a coastal environment,” said the owner.”

Open House 2012 Photos

The yearly Department Head Holiday Open House was held Dec. 7, 2012. A good many emeritus faculty, faculty, staff and students attended. Dr. Evans hosted the event and provided lots of great food and deserts.

Photo Link

ASABE Student Club president Brandon Miller said that the club had a great turn out selling about 120 boxes.  The club would like to thank all who supported the fundraiser and NC farms!!  See more Photos

Deans Visit Nov. 14, 2012

It has been a busy fall season for events happening at Weaver Labs. On Wednesday the department had a scheduled visit from the new Dean, Dr. Richard Linton, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. He has been on a mission to learn about the various college departments by touring facilities and talking with department heads, faculty, and students.

At BAE the dean along with others from the CALS administrative team listened to several of our faculty speak and give presentations on our main areas of research academics, and engagement. Dr. Evans talked about our academic programs, Dr. Veal, machine systems, Dr. Chinn, bioprocess engineering, Dr. Boyette, postharvest processes, Dr. Wang, air quality Dr. Youssef, water resources, Dr. Classen, waste management and Dr. Burchell spoke about ecological engineering.

The talks were followed by a tour of Weaver Labs given by Dr. Evans. The dean made frequent stops to speak with faculty and students in their individual lab areas. Dr. Evans felt the Deans visit went well and was pleased with all the efforts folks put in to give the new dean and his administrative team a memorable impression of our department. More Photos
 

Dr. Skaggs Retirement Event
Retirement events were held November -8-9, 2012 for R. Wayne Skaggs who is in phased retirement after 42.5 years of service to the University and North Carolina.

There were a number of events planned for his retirement celebration which included, Thursday golf with colleague’s, a Friday afternoon seminar which honored Dr. Skaggs for his teaching and research efforts, then an evening reception and dinner with about 150 guests.

During the dinner Dr. Skaggs was presented with several achievement awards and gifts. The evening’s presenters and speakers included; Dr. Sylvia Blankenship, Associate Dean of Administration who presented the NCSU Certificate of Retirement to Dr. Skaggs, Dr. Wendell Gilliam, and Professor Emeritus who presented Dr. Skaggs with one of the highest honors a governor can bestow on a North Carolina citizen the Order of Long Leaf Pine. This award is given to NC residents in recognition of a proven record of service. Dr. Mike Burchell, Assistant Professor presented Dr. Skaggs a “book of letters” from colleagues

Speaking also were Dr. George Kriz, Associate Director Emeritus, Dr. Johnny Wynne, Dean Emeritus, Dr. George (Chip) Chescheir, Research Associate Professor, Mr. Wilson Huntley, Engineering Research Specialist (retired) and there were family remarks from Steve Skaggs and Rebecca Ramsey.  The evening concluded with the signing of the Wayne and Judy Skaggs endowment for Water Resource and the Hydrology of Poorly Drained Lands. About the ENDOWMENT in CALS Prespective Magazine

Photos:

Seminar - Reception - Dinner

Dr. Skaggs would like to extend his gratitude to all who came to wish him well and especially those who travelled so far to attend.
Dr. Skaggs noted:

I especially appreciated the attendance of many of my former graduate students and colleagues, some of whom traveled long distances to attend. Marlon Breve Reyes travelled from Honduras where he is Provost at Unitec University. Guy Fipps and Clyde Munster were there from Texas A&M, and Rafael Munoz Carpena, Mike Dukes, and Ken Konyha travelled from Florida. Lynne Alexander vanArsdale came from Colorado and Lola and Larry Huggins from Indiana, by way of Alabama. Walt Bentley came from Atlanta; Adel Shirmohammadi from the University of Maryland attended, as did Rhoda and George Kriz from Winchester, VA. Ron and Ann Marlow from Fairfax, VA., Sara Johnson from Tennessee, Jami Nettles from Mississippi, Robert and Suester Sowell from Washington DC, and Azal and Devendra Amatya from Charleston, SC. Thanks also to my brothers and sisters, Lynn and Susan Skaggs, Roger Skaggs, Janet and Tilden Trentand Patricia Ison, who traveled from Kentucky for the occasion.

Biographical

R. Wayne Skaggs, William Neal Reynolds and Distinguished University Professor entered phased retirement July 1 after 42.5 years on the BAE faculty. Dr. Skaggs made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of Agricultural and Biological Engineering as a teacher, mentor, researcher, and national leader.  He is recognized globally as the expert in drainage and subsurface water management.

Skaggs was born and reared on a farm in eastern Kentucky. He attended the University of Kentucky where he received the BS and MS degrees in Agricultural Engineering in 1964 and 1966. He joined NC State University in 1970 after earning the PhD from Purdue University.  Wayne advanced quickly through the ranks to Professor before being named William Neal Reynolds Professor in 1984.  He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1991 and named Distinguished University Professor that same year. N.C. State presented Skaggs its highest faculty recognition in 1994, the Alexander Quarles Holladay Award; and in 1997, he received the University of North Carolina's highest award, the O. Max Gardner Award. He served as President of the ASAE for 2001/2002.

During his professional career, Skaggs made pioneering contributions to the understanding and utilization of complex soil, water, and plant systems. His work includes the 1978 development of the water management model, DRAINMOD, which effectively combines fundamental methods derived over several decades by soil physicists and engineers to create a tool that quantitatively relates drainage design parameters to the actual objective of the water management system.  This model has effectively bridged the gap that existed between theory and practice and is now used globally by consulting engineers, researchers and government agencies to predict the performance of drainage and related water management systems.

A dedicated professor who has exemplified the highest spirit of teaching and mentorship, Skaggs has served as major professor for 24 masters and 40 doctoral students who have gone on to highly successful and productive careers. Of all his accomplishments, Dr. Skaggs takes the greatest pride in his students’ successes.

By entering a three-year period of phased (half-time) retirement, Wayne will continue his affiliation with BAE, NCSU and ASABE, but will be devoting more time to his Wife Judy, children Becky and Steve, and his 6 grandchildren, Sarah, Ben and Sam Ramsey, and Luke, Susanna, and David Skaggs.

CONGRATULATIONS to Dr. Yuan!

Dr. Wayne Yuan, BAE bioprocess engineering faculty member was the recipient of the ASABE 2012 New Holland Young Researcher Award the award was presented at the ASABE 2012 Annual International Meeting held in Dallas, Texas on August 1, 2012.

He received the award for his outstanding leadership contributions as a teacher and researcher in the enhancement of biodiesel production, quality control, and engine performance to enable next-generation sustainable energy and agricultural systems. READ MORE...