The Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Texas A&M University will hold its Centennial Celebration on Oct. 9-10 to celebrate the department’s past, present and future.
On July 6, 1915, the agricultural engineering department was established as an autonomous department within the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. Agricultural engineering related courses had been taught under the agronomy and civil engineering departments for several years, but in 1915, the discipline was recognized as distinct and worthy to be a separate department.
Agricultural engineering began with just one faculty member, Elmer Gee. Today, 100 years later, the department has 37 faculty members, 310 undergraduate and 100 graduate students, extensive research projects, and contributes to a variety of fields including water resources, renewable energy, food processing and food safety, environmental quality, and precision agriculture.
In 2001, the name was changed to biological and agricultural engineering to more fully recognize the changing curriculum taught within one of Texas A&M’s oldest educational departments. Degrees are offered in biological and agricultural engineering and agricultural systems management.
For more information on the event, visit the department’s Centennial website.