Biosystems Engineering at Oklahoma State University


Graduate Programs in
Biomechanical Systems

Each student's advisory committee must individually approve the plan of study and research. This plan of study should include courses in Biosystems Engineering as well as additional courses in engineering, mathematics, computer science, statistics, agriculture and related science. These high-quality, advanced-level courses, taught by Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering and other faculty and supported by well- equipped laboratories, provide students with a strong background for addressing problems in Biomechanical Systems.

Students initially take three classes per semester, completing major area and mathematics classes first. M.S. students generally take one and a half years to two years to complete their programs. For Ph.D. students, who are expected to complete their programs in no more than three years, course work is usually completed by the end of the second year. No less than six months before the degree is granted, Ph.D. students take a qualifying examination. This comprehensive examination is both written and oral, covering the entire area of the student's graduate study. In addition, M.S. and Ph.D. thesis must be successfully defended before the advisory committee at the completion of the research program. A non-thesis degree option is available requiring a creative component and extra courses. A final report must be written over the creative component and defended before the student's committee.

AREAS OF RESEARCH

Optimizing Environments for Crop Establishment

Meeting increasing demand for environmentally acceptable practices associated with crop establishment while maintaining productivity requires the development of advanced, efficient agricultural machinery. Innovative Biomechanical technology must allow for new production practices such as seed priming, adaptability to newly genetically engineered and alternative crops, and the ability to establish crops in an optimum environments while being compatible with new and existing environmental regulations. Specific topics related to these issues include:

• Developing precision high-density planting technology and equipment to optimize production while reducing dependence on certain inputs such as pesticides.
• Determining the effects on the seed and plant environment by external factors such as compaction from grazing cattle and developing practices to relieve the adverse effects.
• Applying new production practices such as seed priming, together with newly developed planting practices, to optimize stand establishment of alternative crops and to change plant morphology and fruiting patterns to enable the development of improved harvesting equipment and/or the mechanization of new crops.

Crop Protection

Oklahoma State University has an internationally recognized research program in plant protection technologies. Areas of research emphasis include:

• Developing methods for determination of distribution patterns of granular application of materials.
• Modeling the effects of distributor geometry on distribution patterns of granular materials.
• Incorporation of distributed computer networks and sensors into field sprayers for precision application of pesticides and fertilizers.

Alternative Crops Mechanization

A number of alternative and traditional agronomic and horticultural crops must be mechanized if they are to be grown in the United States. Current research projects include:

• Developing a cotton stripper based paprika harvester and related cleaning and grading mechanism.
• Developing a destructive harvester for okra.
• Investigating human factor issue related to the harvesting of vegetable crops.

Sensor and Control Technology

Development of a resource-efficient sustainable agriculture that produces superior quality is vital to our local and national interests. One approach in pursuit of those interests is development of sensing and actuation systems that allow the direct use of computer technology to control agricultural machines and processes. Computer capabilities are growing without apparent bounds. Potential exists to leverage this capability in improving efficiency and quality of agricultural production and processing systems. The greatest barrier preventing increased application of computer technology directly in agricultural systems is the lack of effective methods of sensing. Potential research topics include:

• Developing soil moisture sensing systems based on thermal diffusion using incident solar radiation to supply thermal energy to the sensor.
• Developing design processes for networked control systems.
• Developing sonic and optical systems for detection of plant material properties.

CORE COURSES