A Message from the Department Head
Fall is a season of harvest, marked by vibrant color changes. We are excited to share some of the incredible work and stories that have emerged over the past few months.
At our BBE Showcase on October 24, I was delighted to meet with many of our advisory council members, alumni/donors, students, faculty (current and retired), and staff. A heartfelt thank you goes out to all companies and organizations for participating in our first BBE Career Fair — your involvement is essential in helping our students connect with the industries.
This issue highlights the impactful work of our faculty and scholars. We invite you to explore the “Faculty Research Video Series”, Ce Yang’s innovative research on robot dogs, and Chris Lenhart’s efforts to restore Minnesota’s wetlands on private lands as recently featured by MPR News, and Natalie Hunt’s contribution to the AI Climate Institute. You don’t want to miss Ana Beatriz Lobo-Moreira’s inspiring work on the "Tree of Sustainability" during her time as a visiting scholar from Brazil.
In this edition, we also shine a spotlight on our talented students, including Faith Rabideau from SSM and Tyler Nelson from BBE. Both are making great strides in their academic journeys. We share exciting stories about the internship experience of two BBE students (Olivia Boudjouk and Josh Schleif) at Tetra Pak, and the impact of SSM student, Daniel Rudolph, working on sustainability efforts at the University.
Additionally, we’re proud to highlight the achievements of alumna Audrey Woychick, who graduated from SSM’s Corporate Sustainability Systems specialization in 2021 and now works as a Sustainability Specialist on the Waste Wise team at the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.
Looking ahead, we are seeking project sponsors for the Spring 2025 BBE and SSM Capstone projects. If your organization is interested in collaborating with our students, please consider this valuable opportunity to make a real-world impact.
You might be aware that the department is searching for three tenure-track faculty positions. Please help us spread the word and engage with our search process. As the holiday season approaches, I wish you and your family a joyful and safe celebration!
Hua Zhao, Professor and Head
Student Voices
Exploring the food industry: Summer internships with Tetra Pak
Josh Schleif and Olivia Boudjouk are seniors in the Bioproducts Engineering specialization. This summer, they both worked for Tetra Pak, a multi-national company specializing in food packaging and processing solutions. However, each had unique experiences during their internships, brought their own individual abilities, and learned different things. Continue reading about Josh and Olivia's Tetrak Pak experience.
How an SSM student's vision is transforming UMN’s environmental impact
Daniel Rudolph, a senior in the Sustainable Systems Management (SSM) program, demonstrates the numerous opportunities for SSM and BBE studentsto have a positive impact on the University and surrounding communities.
Daniel's choice to pursue an SSM, an interdisciplinary degree, has equipped him with the applicable skills to be a leader in solving complex problems related to sustainability. This is thanks to classes such as natural resource consumption, life cycle analysis, sustainable manufacturing, and statistics for environmental managers.
One example of Daniel’s impact is the important work he’s done with the University of Minnesota’s Clean Energy Leaders program, which is designed to empower students to engage with clean energy issues and develop leadership skills in this critical field. The program’s focus includes leading initiatives in energy conservation, reducing carbon footprints, and promoting sustainable recycling practices. Learn more about Daniel's work in sustainability across campus.
Student Spotlight
Faith Rabideau is a Sustainable Systems Management major in the Building Science and Technology specialization.
Learn about why Faith chose SSM!
Tyler Nelson is a Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering major in the Bioproducts Engineering specialization.
Learn about why Tyler chose BBE!
BBE Discovery
BBE launches video series to highlight faculty research
The Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering has launched a new video series highlighting our cutting edge research centered around sustainability. We aim to release a new video each month, showcasing the important work and broad impact of the research taking place in BBE. From biomass utilization to wetland restoration, the video series will cover the vast amount of work our faculty members are involved in. Watch the research video playlist now, available on YouTube.
The University’s AI Climate Institute is a leader in climate-smart agriculture and forestry
One of the defining societal issues today — and going forward — is how to slow down or stop climate change, and a new institute at the University of Minnesota is exploring ways to do this using artificial intelligence (AI).
The University of Minnesota was awarded a $20 million federal grant over five years to lead the AI Institute for Climate-Land Interactions, Mitigation, Adaptation, Tradeoffs and Economy (AI-CLIMATE). Led by researchers at the College of Science and Engineering, including faculty from the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, who are working with partners across campus and the country, the institute aims to leverage AI to create more climate-smart practices that will absorb and store carbon while also boosting the economy in the agriculture and forestry industries. Continue reading about the AI Institute.
BBE involved in bringing back ‘bio supermarkets’
Scientists estimate Minnesota has lost 50 percent of its original wetlands. In the southern part of the state, it’s more than 90 percent. Wetlands play a crucial role in nature: They store water on the land and help prevent flooding. They filter nutrient pollution, store carbon and provide habitat for birds and other wildlife. Prof. Chris Lenhart works with the program that helps landowners restore these vanished wetlands.
"OmniAgrobot" robotic dog tracks down plant disease
Ce Yang and her team of students in the Agricultural Robotics Lab are working to develop new technologies to make farming more efficient and cost effective.
Yang, an associate professor in Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, has been using a variety of remote sensing technologies for crop stress detection and nutrient management. Most recently, the team built a prototype of a quadruped or robot dog, called OmniAgrobot. The dog can be used to gather data with cameras and sensors in various field conditions.
From Brazil to Minnesota: ‘Tree of Sustainability’ project illustrates the power of circular economy
Growing up reading her father’s scientific digest magazines, Ana Beatriz Lobo-Moreira established her interest in environmental science from a young age. Surrounded by the nature of Brazil, she applied what she was reading from the Brazilian Ciência Hoje(Today’s Science) and the Scientific American to the world around her, fostering her strong connection to nature.
“I’ve always had a very internal feeling of belonging to nature, even though we are raised as if we were superior to any other living organism” Lobo-Moreira said.
Today Lobo-Moreira has achieved a bachelor's degree in biology, a masters degree in environmental engineering, and is in her final year pursuing PhD in environmental science.
Lobo-Moreira took her studies to the University of Minnesota for the 2023-2024 school year, hosted by Professor Roger Ruan and his team of research scholars in the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering (BBE). She spent this time developing a research project called the “Tree of Sustainability” alongside BBE researcher David Schmidt.
Alumni Spotlight
Audrey Woychick
Bachelor of Science, Sustainable Systems Management
Audrey Woychick is a Sustainable Systems Management alumna currently working as a Sustainability Specialist for the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce on the Waste Wise team.
Get to know our alumna!
Upcoming Events & Announcements
Call for Capstone Design Project Ideas for Spring 2025
We are currently soliciting projects for our Spring 2025 BBE Capstone Courses. We are seeking projects for both our Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering (BBE) students and our Sustainable Systems Management (SSM) students.
Similar to past years, we seek open-ended problems that a team of senior students can solve in 14 weeks. This experience is essential to our student's education and provides project sponsors with the following benefits:
- A team of enthusiastic young students providing creative ideas and solutions for one of your company's problems.
- An opportunity to get to know and assess the skills of 3 or 4 students the entire semester.
- An opportunity to mentor the next generation of engineering and sustainable systems students.
- Visibility for your company at the final capstone presentations and promotional materials.
We do not ask for a funding commitment from our project sponsors; however, we do ask each sponsor to commit a minimum of one hour per week to mentor your student project team and attend final project team presentations. We believe that your involvement will improve the design process and outcomes for these projects and will be invaluable to our students and, hopefully, to your organization as well.
Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering Projects
To read more about the BBE program, the capstone course, and project sponsorship, or to submit an idea that requires engineering skills, please visit our BBE Capstone Website. It has some frequently asked questions on sponsorship, or you can go straight to the online project proposal form.
Sustainable Systems Management Projects
To read more about the SSM program, the capstone course, and project sponsorship, or to submit an idea focused on sustainable business practices, please visit our SSM Capstone Website. It has some frequently asked questions on sponsorship, or go straight to the online project proposal form.
For more information please contact:
BBE Capstone Instructor: David Schmidt. 612-709-3568, [email protected]
SSM Capstone Instructor: Natalie Hunt. 414-243-6264, [email protected]
Department Head: Hua Zhao, 612-625-5200, [email protected]
The Erosion and Stormwater Management Certification Program is currently hard at work planning the upcoming Upper Midwest Stream Restoration Symposium (UMSRS). This year the UMSRS will be held February 23-26, 2025 in Dubuque, Iowa. The annual symposium focuses on bringing together regional stream restoration practitioners for networking and knowledge exchange. As the stream and river restoration field is inherently interdisciplinary, the stream restoration practitioners who attend the conference come with various backgrounds and professions - engineers, hydrologists, ecologists, government regulators, geomorphologists, etc. - and the goal of the annual UMSRS is to provide the opportunity for these varied perspectives/professions to interact and learn from each other.
The UMSRS is composed of 3 days of single-track sessions, panel discussions, and field trips.
Thank you for your support at the 2024 Fall Showcase
The Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering seeks candidates for three assistant professor tenure-track position openings in ecological engineering, renewable energy systems engineering, and agro-eco-bioinformatics and sustainability. View job descriptions and apply.
Interested in supporting BBE?
Give to our BBE student scholarships today
Planned giving with the University
Planned gifts enable donors to accomplish their charitable and other goals by using estate or tax planning techniques to provide for charity and heirs in a way that maximizes the gift and minimizes taxes. Donors can make a planned gift by including the University in their will or trust, or by designating the U as a beneficiary of their retirement plan, life insurance policy, or other account. Some planned gifts can provide income to the donors or to others. Planned gifts can also be outright — when a donor makes a gift of real estate, tangible personal property, or other non-cash assets.