Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering

White four-wheeled box-like robot with vertical camera mount in the middle. Robot is in front of a large field of mature corn. A late in the day sunset is behind a partly cloudy sky in the background.

Mar 7, 2023

Wheeled robot measures leaf angles to help breed better corn plants

The technology is more efficient than conventional techniques, providing plant breeders with useful data more quickly.

The green plumes in this satellite image of Lake Erie from 2011 are algal blooms extending from the northern shore. Image is from NASA Earth Observatory.

Mar 1, 2023

Estuaries face higher nutrient loads in the future – particularly on the Atlantic coast

The finding suggests estuaries, particularly on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, will face a heightened risk of experiencing harmful algal blooms.

Sydney Seymour in a greenhouse at a biotech company in Ethiopia

Jan 10, 2023

Solving problems and building the next generation of engineers

Sydney Seymour, a three-time alumnus from NC State’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, owns an international consulting firm. He’s also passionate about training young engineers.

Summer camp students participate in competition.

Dec 1, 2022

Summer on campus

At 9 a.m. on a July Wednesday, more than 70 middle school students filed into a classroom, waiting to be assigned the real-world problem they’d be solving that day. Clustered together, campers tackled complex problems like how to construct a moving boat or how to stop a viral outbreak. Using cardboard, aluminum foil, balloons and more, these campers were trying to solve some of the fundamental challenges in engineering.

Wolf Plaza during fall. Two bronze sculptures of wolves, one head down, the other howling.

Dec 1, 2022

Young alumni board adds 10 new members

Ten College of Engineering (COE) graduates joined the 2022-23 Young Alumni Advisory Board (YAAB), bringing the group to 30 members. Formed in 2018 by the NC State Engineering Foundation, YAAB aims…

Left to right, back row: Mike Boyette, Khara Grieger, Mike Kudenov, Craig Yencho. Seated: Daniela Jones, Cranos Williams. Photo by Marc Hall.

Nov 18, 2022

Sweet-APPS yielding sweet success

The Sweet-APPS team leverages high-throughput imaging, optical sensing, diagnostics and integrated data analytics to minimize waste and maximize value for the sweetpotato industry.

Red farm tractor with spray attachment on rear in middle of field of young crops.

Sep 30, 2022

Back to the future

Assistant professor Lirong Xiang is BAE’s newest faculty member specializing in the area of robotics, sensors and control systems. She holds a bachelor in biosystems engineering from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou China, and most recently, a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering from Iowa State University (ISU).

Sep 28, 2022

CALS alumnus strives for quality higher education in Honduras

Biological and Agricultural Engineering alumnus Marlon Brevé-Reyes works to improve the quality of higher education and increase student access in his home country of Honduras.

Tube furnace used for catalytic graphitization of biomass waste resources.

Sep 27, 2022

$2.25M grant awarded to develop sustainable energy products from waste streams

A team of researchers in NC State’s College of Natural Resources and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has been awarded a $2.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and battery-grade graphite using seaweed and wood waste.