Thank you for visiting our Web site -- we are pleased that you are interested in learning more
about programs in Biosystems Engineering & Soil Science.
We offer two bachelor's degrees
that will prepare you to work with environmental, ecological, biological, or agricultural systems:
- Biosystems Engineering -
Biosystems Engineers work
with natural systems and integrate knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering to
efficiently produce and process safe, plentiful, high quality food and fiber while conserving
natural resources and protecting the environment. We also have a pre-professional concentration for students
interested in pursuing law or medicine.
- Environmental & Soil Sciences -
Environmental & Soil Scientists not only learn how to manage our environmental
and natural resources in an efficient and productive manner, but they also learn to minimize the long-term impacts
of human activities on our soil, water and environment. This science-based curriculum offers three concentrations, for students
interested in environmental science, soil science, or agricultural systems technology.
To give a few examples, students currently in these programs have the opportunity to work with:
- GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and GPS (Global Positioning Systems) to precisely determine
yield and to map soil production potential for entire fields,
- Constructed wetlands and biological systems to treat water from food processing and livestock production,
- State-of-the-art erosion prediction models to prevent sedimentation of our streams,
- Systems that are being developed to process genetically engineered plants and grains,
- Methods to use fish and macroinvertebrate populations to assess water quality, and
- Instrumentation that uses spectral reflectance to monitor plant health.
Both of these degrees will prepare you for a professionally rewarding career; I am excited
about the opportunities for applying engineering and scientific principles to biological and
environmental systems. If you enjoy science, math, and solving problems, a degree in Biosystems
Engineering or in Environmental & Soil Sciences will prepare you for an exciting and satisfying career.
For more information, send us an email at bess@utk.edu or give us
a call at 974-7266. We look forward to the opportunity to answer your questions or
give you a tour of the department.
Sincerely,
Eric C. Drumm
Professor & Head
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