The Herbert College of Agriculture had quite the showing at this year’s American Society of Biological and Agricultural Engineering (ASABE) meeting.
Multiple biosystems engineering students were recognized, including Seth Chaney, Matt Gehosky, Leah Johnston, and Savannah Roth, who won third place in Gunlogson Environmental Design Student Competition for their Design of a Flow and Sediment Suspension Sampler (FloSSS).
FloSSS effectively monitors the flow rate and sediment composition of stormwater discharge from construction site sediment basins—an issue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) constantly faces. By providing more accurate data, this limits the expenditure of resources, provides a solution to sediment pollution on construction sites, and contributes to cleaner waterways long-term.
Another group of Herbert students took to the ASABE stage for their engineering design. Robert Cowan, Cam Reynolds, Bailey Millsaps, and Darlene Player competed in the AGCO National Student Design Competition, placing second for their PIPER: Pot-in-Pot Extracting Robot—a remote-driven robot used for harvesting nursery trees.
Pot-in-Pot (PNP) has many advantages as a tree nursery production system, but is not without complications. PIPER addresses these issues by navigating to a selected potted tree and lifting the production pot out of the socket pot with as little damage as possible. By using PIPER, PNP farmers decrease labor costs and the risk of workplace injuries.
The purpose of these competitions is to encourage agricultural innovation through engineering and to foster a professional environment where students experience peer recognition of a well-executed design project. The preparation for such nationally-recognized competitions start in the classroom, led by exemplary faculty mentors.
Julie Carrier received recognition at the meeting as the recipient of the 2023 James R. and Karen A. Gilley Academic Leadership Award for her leadership as the department head for biosystems engineering and soil science.
Along with her leadership role, Carrier has led ground-breaking research focusing on biomass and has been actively involved in ASABE for eighteen years. Her accomplishments include, but are not limited to: publishing nearly 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, serving on more than twenty scientific panels, and receiving the University of Arkansas College of Engineering John L. Imhoff Outstanding Research Award in 2015.
The Herbert College of Agriculture is proud of faculty leaders like Carrier, whose passion for their field translates into the success of their students.
