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Courses in Engineering: Biological Systems (EBS)

Lower Division Courses

1. Foundations of Biological Systems Engineering (5)

Lecture—2 hours; laboratory—6 hours; project. Open only to students in Biological Systems Engineering. Introduction to engineering and the engineering design process with examples drawn from fields of biological, agricultural and food engineering. Relationship of engineering principles to biological systems. Small group design projects and presentations, use of engineering software, and fabrication of designs.—I. (I.) Piedrahita, Jenkins

75. Properties of Materials in Biological Systems (4)

Lecture—3 hours; laboratory—3 hours. Prerequisite: Biological Sciences 1A; Physics 9C (may be taken concurrently). Properties of typical biological materials; composition and structure with emphasis on the effects of physical and biochemical properties on design of engineered systems; interactions of biological materials with typical engineering materials. GE credit: SciEng.—II. (II.) Rosa, Slaughter

90C. Research Group Conference in Biological Systems Engineering (1)

Discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: lower division standing in Biological Systems Engineering or Food Engineering; consent of instructor. Research group conference. May be repeated for credit. (P/NP grading only.)—I, II, III. (I, II, III.)

92. Internship in Biological Systems Engineering (1-5)

Internship. Prerequisite: lower division standing; project approval prior to period of internship. Supervised work experience in biological systems engineering. May be repeated for credit. (P/NP grading only.)

98. Directed Group Study (1-5)

Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Group study of selected topics; restricted to lower division students. (P/NP grading only.)

99. Special Study for Lower Division Students (1-5)

(P/NP grading only.)

Upper Division Courses

103. Fluid Mechanics Fundamentals (4)

Lecture—4 hours. Prerequisite: Physics 9B. Fluid mechanics axioms, fluid statics, kinematics, velocity fields for one-dimensional incompressible flow and boundary layers, turbulent flow time averaging, potential flow, dimensional analysis, and macroscopic balances to solve a range of practical problems. (Same course as Hydrologic Science 103N.)—I. (I.) Wallender

114. Principles of Field Machinery Design (3)

Lecture—2 hours; laboratory—3 hours. Prerequisite: Engineering 102, 104. Traction and stability of vehicles with wheels or tracks. Operating principles of field machines and basic mechanisms used in their design.—III. Rosa

115. Forest Engineering (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: Engineering 104, Biological Sciences 1C. Applications of engineering principles to problems in forestry including those in forest regeneration, harvesting, residue utilization, and transportation.—(III.) Hartsough

120. Power Systems Design (4)

Lecture—3 hours; laboratory—3 hours. Prerequisite: Engineering 17, 102, 103, 105. Design and performance of power devices and systems including combustion engines, electric generators and motors, fluid power systems, fuels, and emerging technologies. Selection of units for power matching and optimum performance.—I. (I.) Rosa

125. Heat and Mass Transfer in Biological Systems (4)

Lecture—3 hours; laboratory—3 hours. Prerequisite: course 75 and Engineering 105. Heat and mass transfer and psychrometrics with principal applications to biological, food, and environmental processes. Steady and transient heat and mass transfer. Analysis of heat conduction, convection and radiation, and material diffusion and convection. Analysis of heat and mass transfer with non-Newtonian fluid flow.—III. (III.) Fan, VanderGheynst

128. Biomechanics and Ergonomics (4)

Lecture—3 hours; laboratory—3 hours. Prerequisite: Statistics 100, Engineering 102. Anatomical, physiological, and biomechanical bases of physical ergonomics. Human motor capabilities, body mechanics, kinematics and anthropometry. Use of bioinstrumentation, industrial surveillance techniques and the NIOSH lifting guide. Cumulative trauma disorders. Static and dynamic biomechanical modeling. Emphasis on low back, shoulder, and hand/wrist biomechanics.—III. (III.) Fathallah

130. Modeling of Dynamic Processes in Biological Systems (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: course 75, Engineering 6 or Computer Science Engineering 30, Mathematics 22B. Techniques for modeling processes through mass and energy balance, rate equations, and equations of state. Computer problem solution of models. Example models include package design, evaporation, respiration heating, thermal processing of foods, and plant growth.—II. (II.) K. McCarthy, Upadhyaya

132. Unit Operations in Biological and Food Engineering (4)

Lecture—3 hours; laboratory—3 hours. Prerequisite: course 130, course 125 and Engineering 103 (may be taken concurrently). Mechanical unit operations which involve non-Newtonian flow, size reduction and mixing. Thermal operations related to drying, sterilization, freezing, and refrigeration. Mass transfer operations applied to membrane separations, adsorption, and absorption processes.—(III.) VanderGheynst, Singh

135. Bioenvironmental Engineering (4)

Lecture—3 hours; laboratory—3 hours. Prerequisite: courses 125, 130. Biological responses to environmental conditions. Principles and engineering design of environmental control systems. Overview of environmental pollution problems and legal restrictions for biological systems, introduction of environmental quality assessment techniques, and environmental pollution control technologies.—I. (I.) Jenkins, Zhang

144. Groundwater Hydrology (4)

Lecture—4 hours. Prerequisite: Mathematics 16B or 21A; Hydrologic Science 103 or Engineering 103 recommended. Fundamentals of groundwater flow and contaminant hydrology. Occurrence, distribution, and movement of groundwater. Well-flow systems. Aquifer tests. Well construction operation and maintenance. Groundwater exploration and quality assessment. Agricultural threats to groundwater quality: fertilizers, pesticides, and salts. Same course as Hydrologic Science 144.—I. (I.) Mariño

145. Irrigation and Drainage Systems (4)

Lecture—4 hours. Prerequisite: Engineering 103 or Hydrologic Science 103. Engineering and scientific principles applied to the design of surface, sprinkle and micro irrigation systems and drainage systems within economic, biological, and environmental constraints. Interaction between irrigation and drainage. (Same course as Hydrologic Science 115.)—II. Grismer, Wallender

147. Runoff, Erosion and Water Quality Management in the Tahoe Basin (3)

Lecture/laboratory—30 hours; fieldwork—15 hours; discussion—10 hours; term paper. Prerequisite: Physics 7B or 9B, Mathematics 16C or 21C, Civil and Environmental Engineering 142 or Hydrologic Science 141 or Environmental and Resource Sciences 100. Five days of instruction in Tahoe City. Practical hydrology and runoff water quality management from Tahoe Basin slopes. Development of hillslope and riparian restoration concepts, modeling and applications from physical science perspectives including precipitation-runoff relationships, sediment transport, and detention ponds. (Same course as Hydrologic Science 147.)—Grismer

160. Biotechnical Systems Engineering (4)

Lecture—3 hours; laboratory—3 hours. Prerequisite: course 75, Biological Sciences 101 or Microbiology 102. Microbial and enzyme kinetics. Biomass conversion. Production and recovery of biochemicals from plants and animals. Delivery and detection of microorganisms for bioremediation and biological control.—II. (II.) VanderGheynst

165. Bioinstrumentation and Control (4)

Lecture—3 hours; laboratory—3 hours. Prerequisite: Engineering 100. Instrumentation and control for biological production systems. Measurement system concepts, instrumentation and transducers for sensing physical and biological parameters, data acquisition and control.—I. (I.) Delwiche, Slaughter

170A. Engineering Design and Professional Responsibilities (3)

Lecture—2 hours; laboratory—3 hours. Prerequisite: course 1, Engineering 102, 104. Engineering design including professional responsibilities. Emphasis on project selection, data sources, specifications, human factors, biological materials, safety systems, and professionalism. Detailed design proposals will be developed for courses 170B and 170BL.—I. (I.) Giles, Zhang

170B. Engineering Projects: Design (2)

Discussion—2 hours. Prerequisite: course 170A; course 170BL required concurrently. Individual or group projects involving the design of devices, structures, or systems to solve specific engineering problems in biological systems. Project for study is jointly selected by student and instructor.—II. (II.) Giles, Zhang

170BL. Engineering Projects: Design Laboratory (1)

Laboratory—3 hours. Prerequisite: course 170B required concurrently. Individual or group projects involving the design of devices, structures, or systems to solve specific engineering problems in biological systems.—II. (II.) Giles, Zhang

170C. Engineering Projects: Design Evaluation (1)

Discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: course 170B; required to enroll in course 170CL concurrently. Individual or group projects involving the fabrication, assembly and testing of components, devices, structures, or systems designed to solve specific engineering problems in biological systems. Project for study previously selected by student and instructor in course 170B.—II. (II.) Miles, Zhang

170CL. Engineering Projects: Design Evaluation (2)

Laboratory—6 hours. Prerequisite: required to enroll in course 170C concurrently. Individual or group projects involving the fabrication, assembly and testing of components, devices, structures, or systems designed to solve specific engineering problems in biological systems.—III. (III.)

175. Rheology of Biological Materials (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: Engineering 103 or Chemical Engineering 150A. Fluid and solid rheology, viscoelastic behavior of foods and other biological materials, and application of rheological properties to food and biological systems (i.e., pipeline design, extrusion, mixing, coating).—II. K. McCarthy

189A-G. Special Topics in Biological Systems Engineering (1-5)

Variable—3-15 hours. Prerequisite: upper division standing in engineering; consent of instructor. Special topics in: (A) Agricultural Engineering; (B) Aquacultural Engineering; (C) Biomedical Engineering; (D) Biotechnical Engineering; (E) Ecological Systems Engineering; (F) Food Engineering; and (G) Forest Engineering. May be repeated for credit when topic differs.—I, II, III. (I, II, III.)

190C. Research Group Conference in Biological Systems Engineering (1)

Discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: upper division standing in Biological Systems Engineering or Food Engineering; consent of instructor. Research group conference. May be repeated for credit. (P/NP grading only.)—I, II, III. (I, II, III.)

192. Internship in Biological Systems Engineering (1-5)

Internship. Prerequisite: upper division standing; approval of project prior to period of internship. Supervised work experience in biological systems engineering. May be repeated for credit. (P/NP grading only.)

197T. Tutoring in Biological Systems Engineering (1-5)

Tutorial—3-15 hours. Prerequisite: upper division standing. Tutoring individual students, leading small voluntary discussion groups, or assisting the instructor in laboratories affiliated with one of the department’s regular courses. May be repeated for credit if topic differs. (P/NP grading only.)

198. Directed Group Study (1-5)

Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (P/NP grading only.)

199. Special Study for Advanced Undergraduates (1-5)

(P/NP grading only.)

Graduate Courses

200. Research Methods in Biological Systems Engineering (2)

Lecture—2 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing. Planning, execution and reporting of research projects. Literature review techniques and proposal preparation. Record keeping and patents. Uncertainty analysis in experiments and computations. Graphic analysis. Oral and written presentation of research results, manuscript preparation, submission and review.—I. (I.) Zhang, Giles

205. Continuum Mechanics of Natural Systems (4)

Lecture/discussion—4 hours. Prerequisite: Mathematics 21D and 22B, Physics 9B. Continuum mechanics of static and dynamic air, water, earth and biological systems using hydraulic, heat and electrical conductivity; diffusivity; dispersion; strain; stress; deformation gradient; velocity gradient; stretch and spin tensors. (Same course as Hydrologic Science 205.)—III. (III.) Wallender

215. Soil-Machine Relations in Tillage and Traction (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: course 114. Mechanics of interactions between agricultural soils and tillage and traction devices; determination of relevant physical properties of soil; analyses of stress and strains in soil due to machine-applied loads; experimental and analytical methods for synthesizing characteristics of overall systems. Offered in alternate years.—(II.) Upadhyaya

216. Energy Systems (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: Engineering 105. Theory and application of energy systems. System analysis including input-output analysis, energy balances, thermodynamic availability, economics, environmental considerations. Energy conversion systems and devices including cogeneration, heat pump, fuel cell, hydroelectric, wind, photovoltaic, and biomass conversion processes. Offered in alternate years.—II. Jenkins

218. Solar Thermal Engineering (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: course in heat transfer. Familiarity with FORTRAN language. Analysis and design of solar energy collection systems. Sun-earth geometry and estimation of solar radiation. Steady state and dynamic models of solar collectors. Modeling of thermal energy storage devices. Computer simulation. Offered in alternate years.—III. Jenkins

220. Pilot Plant Operations in Aquacultural Engineering (3)

Lecture—1 hour; laboratory—6 hours. Prerequisite: Civil Engineering 243A-243B or Applied Biological Systems Technology 161, 163. Topics in water treatment as they apply to aquaculture operations. Laboratory study of unit operations in aquaculture. Offered in alternate years.—(I.) Piedrahita

228. Occupational Musculoskeletal Disorders (3)

Lecture—2 hours; laboratory—3 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing and consent of instructor. Epidemiology and etiology of occupational musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) with focus on low back and upper extremities disorders; anatomical and biomechanical functions of lower back and upper extremities; MSDs risk factors assessment and control; research opportunities related to MSDs.—III. (III.) Fathallah

231. Mass Transfer in Food and Biological Systems (3)

Lecture/discussion—3 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing. Application of mass transfer principles to food and biological systems. Study of mass transfer affecting food quality and shelf life. Analysis of mass transfer in polymer films used for coating and packaging foods and controlling release of biologically active compounds. Offered in alternate years.—(II.) Krochta

233. Analysis of Processing Operations: Drying and Evaporation (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: course in food or process engineering, familiarity with FORTRAN. Diffusion theory in drying of solids. Analysis of fixed-bed and continuous-flow dryers. Steady-state and dynamic models to predict performance evaporators: multiple effects, mechanical and thermal recompression, control systems. Offered in alternate years.—(II.)

235. Advanced Analysis of Unit Operations in Food and Biological Engineering (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: course 132. Analysis and design of food processing operations. Steady state and dynamic heat and mass transfer models for operations involving phase change such as freezing and frying. Separation processes including membrane applications in food and fermentation systems.—(III.) Singh

237. Thermal Process Design (3)

Lecture—2 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: course in heat transfer. Heat transfer and biological basis for design of heat sterilization of foods and other biological materials in containers or in bulk. Offered in alternate years.—III.

239. Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Biological Systems (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing. Theory and applications of magnetic resonance imaging to biological systems. Classical Bloch model of magnetic resonance. Applications to be studied are drying of fruits, flow of food suspensions, diffusion of moisture, and structure of foods. Offered in alternate years.—I. M. McCarthy

240. Infiltration and Drainage (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: Soil Science 107, Engineering 103. Aspects of multi-phase flow in soils and their application to infiltration and immiscible displacement problems. Gas phase transport and entrapment during infiltration, and oil-water-gas displacement will be considered. Offered in alternate years.—II. Grismer

241. Sprinkle and Trickle Irrigation Systems (3)

Lecture—2 hours; laboratory—3 hours. Prerequisite: course 145/Hydrologic Science 115. Computerized design of sprinkle and trickle irrigation systems. Consideration of emitter mechanics, distribution functions and water yield functions. Offered in alternate years.—III.

242. Hydraulics of Surface Irrigation (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: course 145, Hydrologic Science 115. Mathematical models of surface-irrigation systems for prediction of the ultimate disposition of water flowing onto a field. Quantity of runoff and distribution of infiltrated water over field length as a function of slope, roughness, infiltration and inflow rates. Offered in alternate years.—(III.) Wallender

243. Water Resource Planning and Management (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: Hydrologic Science 141 or the equivalent. Applications of deterministic and stochastic mathematical programming techniques to water resource planning, analysis, design, and management. Water allocation, capacity expansion, and reservoir operation. Conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater. Water quality management. Irrigation planning and operation models. (Same course as Hydrologic Science 243.) Offered in alternate years—(I.) Mariño

245. Waste Management for Biological Production Systems (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing or consent of instructor. Characterization of solid and liquid wastes from animal, crop, and food production systems. Study of methods and system design for handling, treatment, and disposal/utilization of these materials.—II. (II.) Zhang

260. Analog Instrumentation (4)

Lecture—3 hours; laboratory—3 hours. Prerequisite: Engineering 100. Instrument characteristics: generalized instrument models, calibration, and frequency response. Signal conditioning: operational amplifier circuits, filtering, and noise. Transducers: motion, force, pressure, flow, temperature, and photoelectric. Offered in alternate years.—II. Delwiche

262. Computer Interfacing and Control (4)

Lecture—3 hours; laboratory—3 hours. Prerequisite: Engineering 100, course 165. Procedural and object-oriented programming in C++, analog and digital signal conversion, data acquisition and computer control. Offered in alternate years.—(III.) Delwiche

265. Design and Analysis of Engineering Experiments (5)

Lecture—3 hours; lecture/discussion—2 hours. Prerequisite: Statistics 100, Agricultural Systems and Environment 120, or an introductory course in statistics. Simple linear, multiple, and polynomial regression, correlation, residuals, model selection, one-way ANOVA, fixed and random effect models, sample size, multiple comparisons, randomized block, repeated measures, and Latin square designs, factorial experiments, nested design and subsampling, split-plot design, statistical software packages.—III. (III.) Upadhyaya, Plant

267. Renewable Bioprocessing (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: course 160, Biological Sciences 101 or Microbiology 102. Applications of biotechnology and bioprocess engineering toward the use of agricultural and renewable feedstocks for the production of biochemicals. Design and modeling of microbial- and plant-based production systems including associated fermentation, extraction, and purification processes. Offered in alternate years.—I. VanderGheynst

270. Modeling and Analysis of Biological and Physical Systems (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: familiarity with a programming language. Mathematical modeling of biological systems: model development; analytical and numerical solutions. Case studies from various specializations within biological and agricultural engineering. Offered in alternate years.—(III.) Upadhyaya

275. Physical Properties of Biological Materials (3)

Lecture—2 hours; laboratory—3 hours. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Selected topics on physical properties, such as mechanical, optical, rheological, and aerodynamic properties, as related to the design of harvesting, handling, sorting, and processing equipment. Techniques for measuring and recording physical properties of biological materials. Offered in alternate years.—III. Slaughter, Rosa

289A-K. Selected Topics in Biological Systems Engineering (1-5)

Variable—1-5 hours. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Special topics in: (A) Animal Systems Engineering; (B) Aquacultural Engineering; (C) Biological Engineering; (D) Energy Systems; (E) Environmental Quality; (F) Food Engineering; (G) Forest Engineering; (H) Irrigation and Drainage; (I) Plant Production and Harvest; (J) Postharvest Engineering; (K) Sensors and Actuators. May be repeated for credit when topic differs.—I, II, III. (I, II, III.)

290. Seminar (1)

Seminar—1 hour. Prerequisite: graduate standing. Weekly seminars on recent advances and selected topics in biological systems engineering. Course theme will change from quarter to quarter. May be repeated for credit. (S/U grading only.)

290C. Graduate Research Conference (1)

Discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Research problems, progress and techniques in biological systems engineering. May be repeated for credit. (S/U grading only.)—I, II, III. (I, II, III.)

298. Group Study (1-5)

299. Research (1-12)

(S/U grading only.)

Professional Course

390. Supervised Teaching in Biological and Agricultural Engineering (1-3)

Laboratory—3 hours; tutorial—3-9 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing; consent of instructor. Tutoring and teaching students in undergraduate courses offered in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. Weekly conferences with instructor; evaluation of teaching. Preparing for and conducting demonstrations, laboratories and discussions. Preparing and grading exams. May be repeated for a total of 6 units. (S/U grading only.)—I, II, III. (I, II, III.)