DEPARTMENT OF B IOSYSTEMS E NGINEERING T he M.Sc. program began in 1968 and the Ph.D. program began in 1988 under the name Agricultural Engineering. In 1995, to reflect the broadening range of opportunities for Engineers with a biological background, both the name of the department and the designations were changed from Agricultural Engineering to Biosystems Engineering. The Department of Biosystems Engineering is administered by the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, but the academic programs function under the Faculties of Engineering and Graduate Studies. Program Description The Department of Biosystems Engineering offers graduate programs leading to M.Sc., M.Eng., and Ph.D. degrees. The M.Sc. degree has a mandatory thesis component based on an original research project. The M.Eng. is a master’s degree requiring a design project report rather than a research thesis. The graduate-studies programs in the department place a strong emphasis on assisting graduate students to gain a broad range of skills and experience in conducting interdis- ciplinary research, in understanding the interrelationships among physical and biological factors, in mathematical modelling, and in written and oral communication. Graduates of the programs have obtained jobs throughout the world in industry, government, research, education, consulting, and self-employment. The range of their work includes: farm equipment design, structural design, envi- ronmental engineering, nuclear-engineering research and management, bioprocessing (pharmaceutical and food), and biomedical engineering. Research Interests Environment and Resources: Environmental impact as- sessments; management and utilization of agricultural and food processing wastes; environmental odour management; wastewater treatment; biofiltration and bioremediation; wetlands for nutrient removal; biomass energy; and animal and plant growth environments. Bioprocess Engineering: Biotechnology for biofuel produc- tion; infrared processing of food; superheated steam drying; oil extraction techniques; modified atmosphere storage of meat, fruits, and vegetables; physical, thermal, and rheologi- cal properties of foods; and water activities of foods. Bioimaging: Computer analysis of images for grading and automation; near infrared spectroscopy; optical methods for detection of fungal damage in wheat; magnetic reso- nance bioimaging and spectroscopy; and computer aided biodiagnostics. Post-harvest Preservation of Grains: Studies of stored-grain ecosystems; grain drying; physical methods of controlling insects and microorganisms; machine vision for automated handling and classification of grain; properties of grains and oilseeds; structural design of grain storage systems. Power and Machinery: Harvesting and processing of new crops such as hemp and sea buckthorn, precision farming, ergonomic evaluation of agricultural guidance systems, land application of manure; manure handling; field machinery, soil-tool interaction; humanitarian demining. Soil and Water: Irrigation and drainage engineering; soil- plant-water relations; flow and contaminant transport in porous media. Building Systems: Structural aspects of light-frame build- ings; grain and fertilizer storage structures; use of wood and other structural materials; and alternative building systems. Research Facilities The department has seven major laboratories: Advanced Membrane Separation; Air Quality; Biomachinery; Biopro- cessing; Soil and Water; Tractor Simulation; and the Cana- dian Wheat Board Grain Storage Laboratory. Major facilities in these laboratories include: membrane bioreactors; bio- fermentation units; olfactometers; gas chromatograph; soil bin; dynamometers; air-seeder; superheated-steam drier; infrared treatment equipment; soil core samplers; TDR; structural load testing equipment; tractor driving simulator, data acquisition systems and other instrumentation equip- ment; and access to a university farm for research on both animal and crop production. The new 1400-m 2 Canadian Wheat Board Grain Storage Laboratory includes: machine vision equipment; a soft x-ray unit; near-ambient, high temperature, infrared and micro- wave driers; near-infrared hyperspectral imaging systems; Soxhlet fat extraction system; Cyclotec mill; model bins; s t udi e s g r a d u a t e Faculty of Graduate Studies University of Manitoba 500 University Centre Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2 CANADA Contact: Department of Biosystems Engineering University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 5V6 p: (204) 474-6033 f: (204) 474-7512 e: [email protected] web: http://www.umanitoba.ca/afs/ biosystems_engineering/ http://umanitoba.ca/graduate_studies