Frequently Asked Questions
One of the main goals of ABE Ambassadors is representing the Agricultural and Biological Engineering department and answering your questions, whether it be about our organization or the department in general. Commonly asked questions and requested information is listed below. Please feel free to reach out if your question is not included on this list!
What are the different majors in ABE?
ABE is comprised of four core majors: Biological Engineering, Agricultural Engineering (Machine Systems Engineering), Agricultural Engineering (Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering), and Agricultural Systems Management.
To learn more about each specific program, click this link.
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What kind of courses do ABE students take?
ABE students take a variety of courses that are dependent on what specific major they are in. Listed below are the links for the plan of study for each individual major. Check those out to see a general outline of what courses students in each major take!
Agricultural Engineering (Machine Systems)
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Agricultural Engineering (Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering)
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Agricultural Systems Management
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Tell me about the Biological Engineering concentrations.
While you can pursue Biological Engineering without pursuing a concentration, there are different concentrations within BE to consider. The available concentrations are Cellular and Biomolecular, Food and Biological Process, Pharmaceutical Process, BioEnvironmental, and Pre-Med.
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The Cellular and Biomolecular track focuses on teaching students different methods and techniques for creating and manipulating cells for use in numerous different areas, i.e. human health and drug delivery, biomaterials, and bioremediation.
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The Food and Biological Process track covers the bases on how to take agricultural commodities and convert them into consumer food products and usable biological materials. This track covers knowledge that is necessary for different areas in food and biomaterial production, such as R&D and manufacturing.
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The Pharmaceutical Process track is exactly what it sounds like: designed to introduce students to the concept of pharmaceuticals and drug delivery, whether this be through drug design or process optimization.
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The BioEnvironmental track is aimed at tackling problems related to the environment and sustainability, encompassing things such as wastewater treatment and finding more sustainable methods for industrial processes.
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The Pre-Med track allows a student to meet all the requirements needed to prepare for medical school while still gaining education on biological engineering concepts, creating a well-rounded education.
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How do you get involved in ABE Ambassadors?
Like lots of other clubs and groups, there is a recruitment process for ABE Ambassadors. When Ambassadors are looking for new members, we tend to promote our organization in different ABE classes, whether it be core-curriculum classes or more laid-back seminars. If you're interested in being an Ambassador, there will be a google form that you will fill out that with some basic information about yourself, such as your involvement and interest in the program. The next step after filling out the form is an interview with (a) current ambassador(s), which will ask more in-depth questions. After the interview is complete, current members will vote on prospects and welcome new voted-in members!
Why would I want to be an Ambassador?
Being an Ambassador has tons of perks! Firstly, you get to be surrounded by a close-knit group of people within your major or department. This helps you learn more about the different majors in ABE that you might be unfamiliar with. Also, different people in our club have many different experiences, whether it be within an internship, research, study abroad, or something else! Being surrounded with so many involved individuals can help you learn about different opportunities and make helpful connections. Also, by participating in events that require presenting and conversating, you are heightening your public speaking and social skills.
What are some things that ABE Ambassadors do?
One of the best things about being an ABE Ambassador is the wide range of events we can participate in! We participate in events like EYMs (Engineering your Major)s, which are aimed at helping First Year Engineering students learn about our department in order to decide what engineering discipline they want to pursue. We also work tabling events involving high school students to teach them about the majors in our department, as well as give them a tour of our brand new ABE building. We even get to work really fun events, like the Ag Alumni Fish Fry hosted in the spring!