BAE Connections
Spring 2014 | www.bae.uky.edu
In 2014, we celebrate the Smith-Lever Act, which established the Cooperative Extension Service, a unique educational partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the nation’s land-grant universities that extends research-based knowledge through a state-by-state network of extension educators. For 100 years, the Smith-Lever Act has stimulated innovative research and vital educational programs for youth and adults through progressive information delivery systems that improved lives and shaped a nation. Join us as we celebrate 100 years of extending knowledge and changing lives. Using New Methods to Share Information As much
as Extension stays the same, it moves with the times, adapting and changing with the current culture, in Kentucky and the nation. For example, at UK, everyone from engineers to county Extension agents has access to or uses multiple forms of social media, from Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, to blogs, to communicate; and they regularly use Adobe Connect, Microsoft Lync to host or join meetings. The technological revolution helps faculty and staff share research-based information in the biosystems and agricultural engineering field that can help farmers, consumers, and community members make informed decisions, whether they live on a farm, in town, or somewhere in between.
Webinar Series This fall, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering (BAE) will debut a series of “train-the-trainer” webinars, designed to transfer engineering information to Extension agents. • Beverly Miller – Control Overhead through Building Energy Management • Richard Warner – Home Drip Irrigation Systems • Mike Montross – Measuring Grain Bin Capacity Using GPS and GIS • John Wilhoit and Larry Swetnam – Labor-Saving Methods for Tobacco Warehousing • Matt Dixon – Agricultural Features of the Ag Weather Center’s New Website
1
Welcome from the BAE Connections Editorial Committee Greetings Alumni and Friends, For this edition of BAE Connections, we have decided to focus on Extension. As a land-grant university, Extension, or outreach and engagement, is one of the three pillars of the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department’s mission, along with research and instruction, to serve and benefit the people of Kentucky and beyond. Our Extension efforts touch multiple areas such as agricultural safety, the environment, energy, precision agriculture, and tobacco to name a few. Just as broad are the multiple types of clientele we serve such as farmers, homeowners, businesses and children. We have chosen to highlight some of these efforts.
Photo: Matt Barton | UK College of Agriculture You will also notice that the face of Extension is shifting. While we still transfer information in more traditional means, such as onsite visits and Extension publications, we are expanding to include more modern avenues such as social media, YouTube videos, and webinars. You can find all of these resources on our departmental webpage, www.bae.uky.edu. If you see something that interests you or if you would like more information on a particular topic, let us know. Getting to know our clientele and their interests is one of the most fun parts of Extension.
Sincerely, Carmen Agouridis, Ph.D., P.E.
Connecting Water and the Arts How are you connected to your watershed? That was the question posed to students at Lexington’s Winburn Middle School and Bryan Station High School who entered the Cane Run Watershed Photojournalism Contest. The contest, which was part of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Urban Waters grant led by Carol Hanley, Carmen Agouridis, and Amanda Gumbert, challenged students to submit a photo along with a story, poem, or essay describing why the photo is important to them and how it makes them feel connected to their watershed, which is the Cane Run Watershed. Twenty-four pieces were selected for display at the Living Arts and Science Center (LASC) as part of the LexArts Gallery Hop. Due to space limitations at LASC, additional pieces were displayed at the Fayette County School Central Office. Visitors to the exhibits stated they were “very impressed by the quality of work” and heartened to see “how early experiences with water and water life have made a deep impression” on the students...
2
Photo: Amanda Gumbert | UK College of Agriculture
In this issue... Cover
Page 2 Page 3 Page 4, 5 Page 6, 7 Page 8 Page 9
Photo: Matt Barton | UK College of Agriculture
On the Road to Cleaner Water By Alex Wade
Stephen Higgins, Ph.D., a long-time employee of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE), is driven by a passion to improve the environment and help farmers at the same time. In his roles as Assistant Adjunct Professor, Bioenvironmental Engineering, and Director of Animal and Environmental Compliance for the Agricultural Experiment Station, Higgins focuses on waste management, water quality, and livestock systems that coincide with current research projects and service projects in the department and college, and he serves as the liaison for nutrient management issues between the university/college and public/government sectors. Higgins has authored the Agriculture Water Quality and five-year Nutrient Management Plans for the Experiment Station. An experienced trainer, Higgins has conducted two-day trainings for the NRCS, Conservation Districts, Extension Agents, and producers on how to prepare Kentucky Nutrient Management Plans and on Nutrient Management Best Management Practices (BMPs). Trainings have been held at eight different locations throughout the state; approximately 190 people have attended. Higgins has held eight half-day trainings for Kentucky dairy producers on environmental compliance (KNDOPs, AWQPs, NMPs), ag BMPs (specifically nutrient management), and ag water quality, with 80 producers in attendance to date. Trainings are being held in counties that have the highest concentrations of dairy producers. Higgins has given multiple presentations at Extension offices (Oldham, Estill, Scott, and Clay County, recently) and at producers’ farms throughout the state. His presentations focus on BMPs, specifically, managing mud, manure, and runoff.
Page 10
100 Years of Extension Welcome, Connecting Water and the Arts On the Road to Cleaner Water Focusing on Energy Costs and Use Student/Alumni Spotlight Staff Focus
Grant and Journal Publications, Innovations in Tobacco Upcoming, Awards and Recognitions, New Hires, Departures, Graduates, Seminars
BAE Connections is published twice a year by the University of Kentucky Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department, an Equal Opportunity Organization. The newsletter is produced by BAE in partnership with Alpha Epsilon. Š2014. BAE Connections Editorial Committee
Director: Sue Nokes, Ph.D., P.E. Advisor: Carmen Agouridis, Ph.D., P.E. Editor, Designer: Karin Pekarchik Alumni Advisor: Elizabeth Bullock, P.E. Writers: Carmen Agouridis, Ph.D., P.E., Karin Pekarchik, Nick Rhea, Donnie J. Stamper, Alex Wade
Thank you to BAE faculty and staff, CAFE staff, and individuals for granting permission to use photographs. Please submit story ideas, questions, or comments to carmen. agouridis@uky.edu or karin.pekarchik@ uky.edu.
He has established billboards throughout south central Kentucky, a large beef producing area in the state, to promote BMPs and AWQPs, and he is currently working on a series of sustainable production manuals tailored for different producers (beef, dairy, horse, small ruminant) that covers environmental compliance, BMPs, ag water quality, and sustainable resource management.
3
Focusing on Energy Costs and Use By Beverly K. Miller, MArch, Architect Kentucky was one of three states to receive a grant to use Cooperative Extension Service offices to provide energy efficiency education to its citizens. The grant originated from the U.S. Department of Energy to the Kentucky Department for Energy Development and Independence (DEDI) to demonstrate how State Energy Offices, DEDI, and the Cooperative Extension Service can work together to encourage energy efficiency. In 2011, DEDI partnered with UK College of Agriculture’s Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering to develop and deliver the programs to its citizens. Under the grant, three energy efficiency programs were developed: a residential program, Living Better through Home Energy Management, a commercial program, Control Overhead through Building Energy Management and a 4-H Youth Development program, 4-H Home Energy Detectives. Living Better through Home Energy Management focuses on an online, home energy self-assessment tool. Using this tool, homeowners, or anyone who pays their utility bills, can learn how energy efficient their home is. The online home Photo: Matt Barton | UK College of Agriculture energy self-assessment tool provides users with an energy efficiency rating on both a state and national level, using the Home Energy Yardstick Score. We have found generally, of the homes that have used the self-assessment tool, that homes have had a better energy efficiency rating at the state level than the national level. True to Extension’s mission of extending knowledge and changing lives, program evaluations have shown that the program has been successful. Program participants reported: an increase in understanding of home energy use; plans to make behavior changes; and a high level of satisfaction with the program. One respondent stated they would recommend the program to others because “everyone needs this information.” Control Overhead through Building Energy Management utilizes the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Portfolio Manager. Portfolio Manager is an online, building energy management tool. Using this tool, commercial building owners, or renters who pay their utility bills, can track their energy use. Certain building types can also receive an ENERGY STAR® score. The ENERGY STAR® score is a 1-100 assessment of a building’s energy efficiency as compared with similar buildings nationwide; a score of 75 or higher denotes an energy efficient building, while scores of 50 and lower indicate need for energy efficiency improvements. Adjustments are made for climate and business activity so the energy efficiency of buildings in Kentucky can be compared with buildings in California or Maine. Twenty-one Kentucky County Extension offices have reported benchmarking one or more Extension buildings using Portfolio Manager. While most Extension offices earned at least an average ENERGY STAR® score of 50, there were a few exceptions. Of note was one County Extension office’s very low ENERGY STAR® score, indicating an energy inefficient building. This Extension office used the information gained by benchmarking their building using Portfolio Manager to plan energy efficiency improvements to their building. Once again, through its mission, Extension extended knowledge and is changing lives. The 4-H Home Energy Detectives program’s focus is on teaching youth energy basics and how homes use energy. Phantom energy, the energy used when a device is in standby mode, or you think it is switched “off,” is discussed. Youth are also taught how they can participate in their home’s energy management through their behavior based energy use. Photo: Matt Barton |UK College of Agriculture The program was well received by fourth graders in Muhlenberg County. Youth
were excited to use their detective skills and find phantom energy users in their homes. Reporting that everyone in the
4
household had cell phones, iPads and iPod chargers that were continuously plugged in, they couldn’t wait to tell their families they were still using energy, phantom energy. We will offer a workshop at the annual Kentucky 4-H Teen Conference scheduled for June 10–11. The workshop, Sustainable You, is a good program for youth interested in energy, the environment, engineering and/or architecture. Students will learn about phantom energy and go on a scavenger hunt to find phantom energy users. We will also explore solar energy and students will learn how to harness the sun’s energy to make a tasty treat. In-service trainings are offered to Extension agents for all three programs. To date, a total of 92 County Extension personnel have attended training for at least one of the programs. The programs were promoted at Ag Roundup in 2012 and 2013. The Kentucky State Fair was our largest event with displays in both 2012 and 2013. Examples of other venues have included the 2013 Kentucky Extension Homemakers Association’s annual meeting, the 2014 Kentucky 4-H Volunteer Forum, the 2014 Louisville Home Garden and Remodeling show, and the 2014 Lexington Home Builders Association’s New Home & Remodeling Marketplace event. You can learn more about the residential and 4-H Youth Development programs at www.bae.uky.edu/energy/residential/. Commercial program materials can be found at www.bae.uky.edu/energy/commercial/.
Michael J. Garen © 2012
Michael J. Garen © 2012
The residential energy Extension work is done by three individuals and supported by two grants from the Kentucky Department for Energy Development and Independence (DEDI). Gerald Hash conducts an outreach program directly to the clientele through a display at home shows, energy fairs, and the Kentucky State Fair. Beverly Miller conducts an outreach program directed to Cooperative Extension Service County Agents. She has developed materials that allow agents to conduct residential energy efficiency training to their clientele. Robert Fehr’s work is focused on residential energy. He advises external groups on issues related to residential building codes, energy efficient construction practices, and problems with energy efficient residences. For example, when Kentucky adopted the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for residences, Fehr provided training to home builder associations around the state for their members to help them meet the new code. More recently, an analysis of the saving/benefit ratio for adopting the 2012 IECC was conducted for the State Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction. A close working relationship has been developed with the state’s electric cooperatives to both provide training to their energy advisors as well as to provide assistance with problems homeowners experience with energy efficient residences. 5
Jackson Family Spotlight By Alpha Epsilon students Nick Rhea and Alex Wade
The Jackson family has three brothers—twins Josh and Justin, and Joey—who have earned or are working toward degrees from BAE: two undergraduate, one master’s, and one doctorate. Two have specialized in machine systems automation, one in food and bioprocessing. The Jones family is profiled on the opposite page. Due to space limitations, only five members of the extended Jones family are profiled here. Their involvement in the department spans more than twenty years and counts for numerous degrees. Their cumulative experiences illustrate the very personal nature of our department.
Josh Jackson Ph.D. Student
Josh Jackson, the younger twin by two minutes, will graduate this August with a Ph.D. from BAE. He previously received a bachelor’s and master’s of science from UK’s Department of Animal Science. His area of specialization in BAE is in bioprocessing-biomass research. He is developing a model for evaluating alternative on-farm processing options for biomass into liquid fuels, pelleted fuels, and livestock feed within a life cycle cost analysis framework. The distributed-centralized network of on-farm processing facilities will allow for an increased cost saving and improved environmental impact (reduced CO2e) associated with reduced transportation as indicated by life cycle analysis. The biofuels would be expected to yield the greatest income followed by livestock feed and pelleted fuels. “Watching UK finally win the Quarter Scale competition was probably one of my favorite memories. I started coming over to BAE for the tractor team meeting and the food at student branch meeting,” he says. “I thought my animal science degrees would be aided by a degree in bioprocessing. I help run the family’s Angus operation, which has high quality Angus bulls and heifers for sale. Both Justin and I were recognized as herdsmen of the year by the Kentucky Angus Association in 2004.”
Justin Jackson Manufacturing Engineer, Seymour Engine Plant, Cummins, Seymour, Ind. Graduated 2007.
In contrast to his two brothers, Justin Jackson went to work in industry, after earning his undergraduate degree with a specialization in machine systems automation. Now a manufacturing engineer in production testing for Cummins, Justin works to improve the production and safety of the high horsepower production test cells while maintaining the quality of the process. “My favorite BAE memory was working on projects for 24 hours straight in the computer lab, and then eating cheesecake for breakfast. And I vividly remember one student getting a key lime pie to the face. It was a great environment because we did the work we had to but we also had a lot of fun,” Justin says. According to the oldest of the Jackson brothers, “Engineering, particularly Biosystems, is the best field of study. There is a lot to learn. A few things that might never be used again, but it is the key foundation for a better tomorrow. There will always be a demand for engineers to lead the way.”
Joey Jackson M.S. Student
Joey Jackson will graduate from BAE in the Fall 2014 semester, with a specialization in machine systems automation. His master’s project involves making an autonomous vehicle platform that is powered by a diesel-electric hybrid drivetrain. His favorite memory of his career in the department involves an “a-ha” moment. He was in C.E. Barnhart Building when he finally got the remote control for his hybrid vehicle to work. Joey vividly describes the moment: “It was sort of an ‘It’s alive, I say! ALIVE!!’ moment.” He also appreciates the social aspect of the department. “I guess my favorite social thing about BAE is the fact that we get people together every week to play wallyball or volleyball if it’s warm enough. It is great interacting with your peers and just blowing off a little steam.”
6
Jones Family Spotlight
Joyce Ann ( Jones) Followell, P.E. Part-time Bookkeeper, Burkmann Feeds, Lebanon. Graduated 1995.
Recruited by Scott Shearer, Ph.D., for an incoming class of 19, Joyce Ann Followell remembers an overall feeling of caring and inclusion. “The professors tried to employ as many undergraduates as they could, ensuring that we would get to know everyone and feel at home,” she says. “They had a vested interest in me; I wasn’t just a number to them.” After working for several years in engineering, Joyce Ann resigned to spend more time with her children. She now works at a small local feed store “with excessively flexible scheduling.” Her P.E. is up to date, if anyone is hiring.
John P. Jones Project Engineer, Group Leader for Telescopic Booms and Attachments at Link-Belt Construction Equipment Company, Lexington. Graduated 1999. “Growing up on a family farm we were always engineering, designing, and building something. When we got older we
would work with older siblings and Dad to build or modify equipment as needed to meet our needs. You can make a very strong and effective tree guard on a tractor for bush hogging using the parts of an old five bottom plow if you have the skills and tools. After visiting the BAE department before coming to UK, I knew it was the place for me. The close knit family atmosphere and the dedication of the department to agriculture in Kentucky really appealed to me. I always remember the BAE classes. Everyone felt more like family and we all worked together and learned much more than other engineering classes. All class work was made more relevant with actual real world problems. His favorite memory? “Designing and building the first UK quarter scale tractor.”
Wanda Jones Lawson, P.E. Stream Restoration Engineer and Project Manager, Stantec Consulting Services, Louisville. Graduated 2003.
As a member of the Quarter Scale Tractor Team, Wanda worked long and late hours to meet the deadlines. When the team got to competition she was the driver, because she was the smallest. Tim Smith (Smitty) coached her, since pulling with a small tractor was different, and he encouraged her to give it her best. “During junior year, I was going through some difficulties, and the person I went to talk to was Dr. Workman,” Wanda says. “He didn’t tell me what to do, but he told me I had a bright future and helped me find the tools to work through my situation. I look back and see how so many different people, including some not mentioned, helped encourage and guide me in the right direction. BAE always had a family atmosphere and fostered a positive learning environment. In many ways, I learned much more than typical classroom knowledge through my experiences in the BAE department.”
Arthur C. Jones, P.E. Consulting Engineer, Engineer of Record, Brad Armstrong Land Surveying & Engineering, Inc., Bardstown. Graduated 2008.
After graduation, Arthur Jones worked at Lexington’s Hazen and Sawyer as an assistant engineer before relocating to Bardstown. “I could learn much more effectively during a BAE course because of the caring attitude of the staff,” he said, citing the positive psychological impact of BAE professors, who “genuinely cared.” “We were raised on a family farm, without having the latest technology or mechanically sound equipment, so we were taught how to solve problems and make things work with the things we had available. All good farmers are engineers, whether or not they have a degree. Calculating rations, forecasting yields, fertilizer application estimates, animal shelter construction, calculating profits and, more often, losses, all take an educated approach, which is normal business for farmers and engineers alike.”
Christina Lyvers University of Illinois, Ph.D. Student, BioEnvironmental Engineering. Graduated 2009, 2013.
Christina Lyvers, who received a bachelor’s (2009) and master’s (2013) from BAE, was profiled in the Fall 2013BAE Connections. Her recent professional news is that her Ph.D. topic will be working on a poultry project with Angela Green and Richard Gates. She will be hatching and raising layer hens and looking at how ammonia affects long-term health and growth. She’ll also be using environmental preference chambers to test the hens’ preference/aversion to different ammonia levels. “I would be lying if I didn’t say my favorite memory wasn’t quarter-scale. The team was such a huge part of my college career. My advice to undergratudates: Get an internship outside of the department! And in case anyone hasn’t heard, I recently got engaged and plan to get married in May 2015. I guess that was in God’s plan the whole time and makes living in this frozen tundra more bearable!”
7
Staff Focus: Jayne White By Donnie J. Stamper Jayne White, who has worked in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering since October 1986, grew up on a farm near Salem, Ind. She was a 10-year 4-H member and played girls softball in school besides working on the farm; she sold concessions and picked up trash at the Salem Speedway. Sunday afternoons were spent sitting in the walnut trees outside the high-bank race track, watching the races for free. After high school she attended Purdue University upon receiving a Betty Crocker Scholarship. She graduated from Spencerian Business College with an associate’s degree in automation accounting. When she started working in Agricultural Engineering she was the “secretary” for Richard Warner, Scott Shearer, and Gary Felton. Her work in the eighties was very different than it is now. “When Dr. Ross hired me, he said ‘the ladies get off at 4:20 to get ahead of the traffic,’ ” Jayne says. She has worked for three department chairs and can remember when BAE was in the “old” building. Moving to Barnhart brought many improvements: air conditioning, updated furniture, equipment, and nice offices. Photo: Matt Barton | UK College of Agriculture “When I first started, there were no computers, no Internet, and some bosses did not type. It was always a challenge preparing stacks of papers for handouts at the ASAE meetings. We used a Xerox copier without a sorter and stapler, so we assembled them in a classroom and hoped we didn’t have a gust of wind. We used MultiMate, which is a DOS-based word processor. After MultiMate, we began using WordPerfect, and eventually, with much resistance, we moved to Microsoft Word.” Jayne and her husband Wallace have been married 46 years; they have one daughter and two granddaughters. Jayne enjoys antiques, traveling, and being lazy. She likes to hear from alumni, and she continues to work because, she says, “I really like my job, the people, and it keeps me active.”
“We were secretaries back then, fixing the coffee. There were very few female students, faculty, or administrators. It’s totally changed now. It’s a great thing to see.” — Jayne White
E-Day, 2014 Photo: Karin Pekarchik
8
National Farm Machinery Show, 2014. Photo: Matt Barton | UK College of Agriculture
Grants and Journal Publications
Czarena Crofcheck, Ph.D., P.E., received funding of $50,000 from Sinopec Petroleum Engineering Corporation to further her research on “Screening and Evaluation of Oilfield Sewage-proof Microalgae.” “A correlation-based optical flowmeter for enclosed flows” by Joseph Dvorak, Ph.D., was published December 2013 by Transactions of the ASABE. Naiqian Zhang (Kansas State University), first author, and Yali Zhang (China Agricultural University) are co-authors. Samuel G. McNeill, Ph.D., P.E., through a subcontract with Oklahoma State University for USAID’s Global Hunger and Food Security Research Strategy: Climate Resilience, Nutrition and Policy, has received $68,700 to further work that focuses on reducing postharvest loss in Ghana. He also has received a $19,640 grant from Andersons Grain Group through a regional USDA-based committee to revise the Midwest Plan Service Handbook on Grain Handling, Drying and Storage (MWPS-13). Co-authors are from Kansas State University and North Dakota State University; collaborators are from Purdue University and Oklahoma State University. Mark Purschwitz, Ph.D., through a subcontract with Penn State University, has received $50,000 from USDA to develop a proof-of-concept immersive 3D virtual learning environment focused on farm safety for youth. Michael P. Sama, Ph.D., P.E., and S.C. Bailey (Mechanical Engineering) have received funding of $10,000 for a Wildlife Conservation UAV Challenge grant from NASA KY Space Grant Consortium, with $8,616 Cost Share from Theta Tech, Inc. for one year. Timothy Stombaugh, Ph.D., P.E., received funding for “Phase 2: Control and Monitoring of Sprayer Output” from Case New Holland LLC; the two-phase grant totals $285,000. Joseph Dvorak, Ph.D., is a co-investigator. “Compost bedded pack dairy barn management, performance, and producer satisfaction” by Joseph Taraba, Ph.D., and R.A. Black (University of Tennessee – Knoxville), George B. Day, Ph.D., F.A. Damasceno , and J.M. Bewley (Animal and Food Sciences), was published December 2013 in the Journal of Dairy Science. Richard Warner, Ph.D., and Carmen Agouridis, Ph.D., P.E., received funding of $75,900 from USGS to support their research, “Ensuring Restoration Success and Management Effectiveness for the Imperiled Blackside Dace at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.” “Phanerochaete chrysosporium pretreatment of biomass to enhance solvent production in subsequent bacterial solid-substrate cultivation” by Julia Yao, Ph.D. and Sue Nokes, Ph.D., P.E., was published in the March 2014 Journal of Biomass and Bioenergy.
Innovations in Tobacco By Nick Rhea Tobacco production has decreased significantly in Kentucky, but it is still a crop that brings in more than $300 million a year. Because tobacco is a labor-intensive crop, any steps toward mechanization Photos: George Duncan, John Wilhoit can help allow farmers to continue planting and harvesting it, rather than turning to other revenue streams for income. One aspect of mechanization being investigated at the University of Kentucky is transportation and housing of stick harvested burley. Traditionally, during harvest, most burley tobacco in Kentucky is cut, speared onto a stick, and left in the field to wilt several days. Then it is loaded onto wagons, moved to a curing structure, usually a barn, and hung by hand. Each
of these steps requires intensive physical labor. Portable field structures are an option for curing near the tobacco field, thus shortening transportation time and effort. John Wilhoit, Ph.D., P.E., has designed a system that allows the stick-harvested tobacco to be loaded directly in the field onto 4"x4" wooden rails that can then be picked up and transported with a front end loader. The set of rails, holding approximately 50 sticks of tobacco, is placed onto customized sawhorses that are completely portable. These temporary structures can be located very near to the field to minimize costs associated with hauling. Innovations have been made to the sawhorses so that they can be disassembled for storage and field-to-field transportation. This system of field curing eliminates workers having to climb high in barns for traditional hanging operations, providing farmers an alternative to aging, unstable barns.
9
Upcoming April
Lawn Mower Clinic, BAE Connections
Seminars Jan. 10, 2014
Tim Mains
Jan. 17, 2014
Noelia Elia
Jan. 24, 2014
Graduate Student Recruitment Event
Jan. 31, Feb. 7, Feb. 14, 2014
Cancelled
Feb. 21, 2014
Fred Payne
Feb. 28, 2014
Erik Davidshofer
March 7, 2014
Chris Barton
March 14, 2014
John Evans Evan Simon
Entrance-M.S. Entrance-M.S.
Environmental Research Training Laboratories (ERTL)
May Graduation, Alumni Advisory Board Meeting June
ASABE Quarter Scale Tractor Com- petition, Quarter Scale Tractor Auction
July
ASABE Annual Meeting
August
Kentucky State Fair
September
Ag Round-Up
October
Midterm Grades Due
November Alumni Advisory Board Meeting, BAE Connections December
Winter Break
January Graduate Student Recruitment Weekend February National Farm Machinery Show, E-Day March
Midwest Rally, Southeast Rally
Fluorescence for Monitoring Yogurt Fermentation and Predicting Culture Endpoint
Fermentation of switchgrass in a continuous flow-through reactor for biofuel production
Fluorescence Sensor for Process Control in the Dairy Industry
PDO’s Pre-Award Research Services
From Butcher Holler to Monkey Broke Creek - Restoring Forests and Ecosystem Services on Surface Coal Mines
For more events and meetings listed on the department’s monthly calendar, please visit www.bae.uky.edu/calendar/ seminars.asp.
March 21, 2014
Spring Break
March 28, 2014
Tricia Coakley
Awards and Recognitions
April 4, 2014
James Usry
April 11, 2014
Carla Rodrigues Drew Schiavone
Entrance-M.S. Entrance-Ph.D.
April 18, 2014
Nick Rhea
Exit-M.S.
April 25, 2014
Kirtley Amos Bobby Carey
Entrance - M.S. Entrance - M.S.
May 2, 2014
Amanda Hickman Nicole Koeninger
Entrance - M.S. Entrance - M.S.
May 9, 2014
Final Exam Week
May 16, 2014
Dr. Clair Hicks
Mark Purschwitz, Ph.D., was recognized by the Journal of Agromedicine as 2014’s Peer Reviewer of the Year. Beverly K. Miller, MArch, Architect, received an Award of Distinction for presenting a competitive poster at the 2014 Kentucky 4-H Volunteer Forum, held January 31-February 1.
New Hires
Clara Heisterberg Ricky Mason Alica Modenbach, Ph.D. Joseph Rounsaville Donnie Stamper Evan Wesley Julia Yao, Ph.D.
Departures Leslie Lafferty
10
B.S. (Dec. 2013) Kaitlyn Braun Silvana Duran Collin Gamble Stephanie Hunt Lydia Uhlyarik Taylor Vukovich
M.S. (Dec. 2013) John McMaine
Flexibility of a BAE degree ‘90 degree turn’
TBA
Huge thanks to Dr. James Usry, who generously provided pizza for everyone after his seminar on April 4. Dr. Usry received his Ph.D. in 1989 under Dr. Larry Turner; he now works at the Indianapolis-based firm Micronutrients, where he is Director for Swine Technical Services. Dr. Payne invited him to elaborate on his history of employment after obtaining a Ph.D. from UK.
Alumni and Friends: Please join us for the first-ever auction of the Wildcat Pulling Team’s quarter scale tractors. Proceeds will go to a scholarship fund for the Wildcat Pulling Team. When: Friday, June 27, 2014 Where: UK Good Barn Time: 5:30 reception 6:30 dinner See you there!
Photo: Matt Barton | UK College of Agriculture
11
University of Kentucky Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering 128 C.E. Barnhart Building Lexington, KY 40546-0276 (859) 257-3000
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Lexington, KY Permit #51
Return Service Requested
‘Friends’ List
Miss knowing what’s going on in the department? Sign up for our mailing list: bae-friends-l@LSV.UKY.EDU
Favorite Memory?
While you’re signing up, send us your favorite BAE memories. We’re collecting stories that will be published in a future issue of this newsletter.
End of Semester Social
Join us for the department’s end of semester social. We’ll post details at http://www.bae.uky. edu/calendars/seminars.asp.
www.bae.uky.edu 12