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As a part of our land grant mission, our faculty, staff and students engage in outreach activities with Minnesota residents, educators, communities, industry partners, and others. Activities range from formal to casual.
For more information, please contact us by e-mailing [email protected].
Outreach programs for K-12 students and educators
- Fermentations: Biofuels to Brewing - BBE summer teaching refresher for grades 9-12 science teachers, June 24-28, 2024
- College of Science and Engineering K-12 Outreach
- College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences K-12 Educational Partnerships
Tours and Classroom Visit
We are excited to engage with teachers and students to bring engineering and sustainability to life in the classroom!
BBE Student Ambassadors love to engage with students, get them interested in STEM, and teach the basics of chemical, environmental, and ecological-engineering, and systems-thinking to advance sustainability. The BBE Student Ambassadors is a student-led outreach program focused on introducing K-12 students to STEM and to the two majors in our department: Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering and Sustainable Systems Management.
Schedule a tour of the BBE Buildings and research facilities. We will work with you to create a custom visit for your group. Alternatively, you could have the BBE Student Ambassadors visit your classroom—virtually or in-person. Contact our Student Program Specialist, Erik Joerres via email: [email protected]
A visit to BBE can include
- Hands-on classroom activities and demonstrations led by current UMN students or faculty
- Research facility tours
Interaction with BBE faculty and undergraduate students
Contact the BBE Student Program Specialist, Erik Joerres, to schedule your tour today! [email protected] .
Topics
Outreach activities and programs are available in the following topics.
Agriculture and natural resource, biosystems
- The Agricultural Best Management Practices Handbook for Minnesota
- Animal Housing and Livestock Systems
- Water conservation alternatives: Hands-on workshops throughout the region to help agricultural producers, consultants, engineers, local decision makers, and conservation staff understand and make prudent choices among conservation alternatives
- Water conservation implementation: Web-based and smartphone apps to help agricultural producers and professionals break through the "geek barrier" of conservation implementation
- On-Farm GAPs Education Program
- Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Center
- Pollution Mitigation Program – Agricultural P balance calculator
- Watershed management
- Stream restoration
- Minnesota Future Farmers of America Association
Bioproducts and renewable energy
- Pulp and Paper Education and Research Alliance
- Forest Products Management Development Institute
- Wood Products Community of Practice
- Outreach events at schools, museums, science fairs, fun fairs, and other events – Paper Express, Biodiesel, Biofuels
- Bioproducts and Renewable Energy in the Classroom: An on-going program for more than 10 years for K-12 educators, funded by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education outreach and grant projects
- Use of 3D printing as an educational tool in the classroom
Environment, ecology, and sustainability
- Erosion and Stormwater Management Certification Program
- Stormwater management using low-impact development
- Nutrient removal and management from street sweeping in municipalities
- Pollution Mitigation Program – Agricultural P balance calculator
- Environmental assessment of biomass production, biofuels, and bioenergy systems
- Sustainability of food systems
- NorthStar Initiative for Sustainable Enterprise
Housing Technology, building systems
- Management of air quality, heat and odor for farm animals
- Air quality, energy efficiency and environmental performance of agricultural buildings and production facilities
- Air quality, energy efficiency and environmental performance of residential buildings
- Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Center
- New Home Construction Exhibit for the Minnesota State Fair, funded by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources