Clemson University (CU) and Greenville Technical College (GTC) are partnering to develop a three-tiered education program in biosystems technology for secondary, technical college and university technical program students, and pre-service and in-service secondary agriculture education teachers. Biosystems technology includes agricultural science, agricultural mechanization, applied biology, engineering sciences, and engineering technology. The goals of the Biosystems Technology ATE Project are to expand the engineering, technology, life science, agriculture, and mathematics knowledge base of individuals at the secondary, community college and university levels, and to stimulate student interest in biosystems technology. To achieve its goals, the project is (1) developing a curriculum-based high school-level biosystems technology program that articulates with GTC, (2) developing a biosystems technology certificate program at GTC that articulates with CU, and (3) developing a biosystems technology minor at CU. The project is meeting South Carolina's growing workforce needs in the bioprocessing and bioenergy industries.
The Biosystems Technology Advanced Technological Education Project A Student – Teacher Conversation Teacher: Hi! What would you like to know the biosystems technology project? Student: I’ve never heard of biosystems technology. What is it? Teacher: Biosystems technology is the application of engineering tools and technology to biological systems to achieve sustainability. A major focus of biosystems technology is the development of processes and operation of systems to produce sustainable biofuels that use agricultural by-products or ‘feedstocks’. To do that, we need a skilled technical workforce that understands the principles of biology and chemistry along with how mathematics, engineering, and technology are used to develop these processes. This growing industry is often called biomanufacturing or bioprocessing. Student: How does someone get educated in this field? Teacher: That’s where the NSF-funded Biosystems Technology Advanced Technological Education (ATE) project comes in! The NSF-ATE project was awarded to develop and implement curricula in biosystems technology to prepare secondary, technical school and college students for employment in the growing biomanufacturing/biofuels industry. Student: Who is involved with this project? Teacher: A large group of people have worked together to make this project a success – motivated Project Leaders (faculty at Clemson University in Clemson SC in Biosystems Engineering and Agriculture Education), dedicated Technical School Educators (faculty at Greenville Technical College in Greenville, SC in Engineering and Biotechnology), enthusiastic Educators (primarily in the Agriculture Education program in South Carolina), helpful Advisors (including the SC Director of Agriculture Education and industry professionals), and most importantly, interested Students! Student: What were the objectives of the project? Teacher: The main objectives included: (1) To increase the engineering, technology, science, mathematics and agriculture knowledge of secondary, technical college and university students to prepare them for technical positions in bioprocessing and biofuel industries; (2) To increase the engineering, technology, life science, and mathematics knowledge base of current and future secondary agriculture teachers; and (3) To stimulate interest in biosystems technology among students and encourage those from underrepresented and economically disadvantaged groups to pursue technical degree programs. Student: What has been achieved so far? Teacher: A dynamic and innovative biosystems technology (BT) curriculum was developed at the secondary, technical college and university levels. The curriculum includes core concepts in life science, engineering technology and mathematics focused on applications in biological systems that transition student learning and depth of understanding from one level to the next. A highly successful aspect of this program was implementation of Summer Teaching and Learning Institutes for current and future educators. The Institutes focused on biofuels production and bioprocessing focused in the Southeast US and emphasized extensive hands-on instruction including fabrication, field and laboratory modules that utilized engineering and laboratory equipment that were provided to each participating educator for use in his/her school. A total of 33 educators participated in the Summer Institutes, with 19 participating for 2 or more years. These teachers then incorporated the biosystems technology content into their courses, and guess what? Their students enjoyed the lessons - even the mathematics! As a result, several thousand students have been directly impacted by biosystems technology instruction and more have been impacted through career day and special event presentations. The response from participating educators has been positive and transformative. Selected lessons have been implemented in SC agriculture courses and other courses (ie secondary biology and elementary) for 4 years. Another exciting accomplishment is that these secondary courses are now officially part of the Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Career Cluster in South Carolina! The four-course pathway, consisting of Agriculture and Biosystems Science, Biosystems Mechanics and Engineering, Biosystems Technology I and Biosystems Technology II, was approved by the SC Department of Education in 2011, and was . implemented in the Lexington-Richland 5 School District in the fall of 2012. Also, there is a minor in biosystems technology being developed for Clemson University. The courses in the biosystems technology sequence have been approved and the first course - Biosystems Technology I (BT 220) – has been delivered three semesters and is now part of the core agriculture education undergraduate curriculum. The course content and laboratory activities are similar to those delivered in the Summer Institutes, to enable these future teachers to teach the new pathway upon graduation. Finally, the Industrial Biosystems Technology certificate at Greenville Technical College (GTC) has been completed. The 32-hour certificate includes key courses in Biosystems Technology I and Biosystems Technology II, as well as general education, math and biology courses. Further, three exciting new courses were developed for the certificate program – Bioinstrumentation, Control Systems, and Industrial Processes and Fermentations. This new certificate will enable graduates of the program to be fully prepared to enter into the workforce for biofuels/bioprocessing industry. Student: Sounds interesting! How can I learn more? Teacher: Please contact Dr. Caye Drapcho at cdrapch@clemson.edu or visit www.clemson.edu/cafls/safes/aged/bt/ for more information!
