Category Archives: Graduates
BAEN-NCTM Collaboration on COVID-19
Dr. Nikolov, Biological and Agricultural Engineering (BAEN) Professor and National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing (NCTM) Director, and his graduate students, Emma Foster and Laura Soto, have been collaborating with NCTM scientists to develop an optimal production and purification process for making two recombinant versions of the COVID-19 spike protein. Laura and Emma have been working since April 2020 on the development of a reliable purification process for spike proteins. The preliminary data suggest that making 50 mg of purified protein per liter of cell culture is possible with… Read More →
Varun Gejji Awarded Distinguished Graduate Student
Varun Gejji, Ph.D. Candidate at Texas A&M University in Biological and Agricultural Engineering, has received one of the prestigious 2019 Association of Former Students Distinguished Graduate Student Awards. His research focuses on developing a new lipid, and protein extraction technique form microalgae that will reduce the stress on traditional resource-intensive down-stream unit operations. He already has a patent application (pending), three peer-reviewed articles published, and several articles under review. Additionally, he has been working on simulation-based anti-viral drug screening and his work on finding new small molecule drugs… Read More →
Department Honored with Recent Awards
Congratulations to all who were recently honored at the 2017 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Awards Ceremony which was held on September 20th, 2017 in the AgriLife Center on the Texas A&M University campus. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to making the department a great place to call home. Dr. Zivko Nikolov awarded the Dean’s Outstanding Achievement Award for Faculty Mentoring Dr. Nikolov has been a member of the Biological and Agricultural Engineering department since 2003. During his tenure, he has mentored numerous… Read More →
Student Spotlight: Nalin Samarasinghe
What drew you to Texas A&M University and particularly, the Biological and Agricultural Engineering department? After completing my undergraduate degree in chemical engineering in Sri Lanka, I was looking for an opportunity to pursue a graduate program. I had already developed a taste for research and was particularly interested in doing my graduate studies on renewable energy. During my search, I found out about the renewable energy program in the Biological and Agricultural Engineering department, which perfectly matched my interests. BAEN’s agricultural engineering program was one of the… Read More →
Department Celebrates Annual Awards Banquet
On April 9th, 2016 the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering celebrated the department’s annual awards banquet at the Hilton College Station and Conference Center Hotel in College Station, Texas. The night began with a welcome by Mr. Cody Nedbalek, Class of 2016 and current President of the ASABE Student Branch. The invocation was led by Ms. Sarah Green, Class of 2016 and current Events Coordinator of the ASABE Student Branch. Dr. Bill Norman, Class of 1977, was the guest speaker who reflected on his time with the… Read More →
Moreira named Assistant Provost for Graduate and Professional Studies
With pleasure the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies (OGAPS) welcomes our newly named Assistant Provost, Dr. Rosana Moreira, P.E. Dr. Moreira will assume her one-third time appointment on September 1, 2014. Dr. Moreira currently serves as a professor and assistant department head in the Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering. Dr. Moreira brings a wealth of teaching, research and administrative experience to OGAPS. She received her B.S. in Agricultural Engineering from Brazil’s Campinas State University in 1980, and continued her education at Michigan State University, earning both… Read More →
Hacking for a Purpose
Hacking often has a negative connotation in the cyber sphere. The City of Houston, however, is combating that stereotype by hosting the annual “City of Houston Open Invitational Hackathon” competition to solve problems within the city. This year, a team of Aggies walked away from the grueling 24-hour, 18-team competition with first place. The team included: Naga Raghuveer Modala, a PhD candidate in Biological and Agricultural Engineering Elvis Takow, a PhD candidate in Ecosystem Science and Management Jonathan Farmer, a former student in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Sciences and… Read More →
Demand for Food Engineers increases
An article was recently published in Food Engineering magazine that highlights the industry’s need for engineers (related to the justification for the 25 by ’25 efforts) and highlights our distance delivered food engineering courses. See the link below and the internal link within the article for a Q&A with Dr. Rosana Moreira about the program. Congratulations to Dr. Moreira, Dr. Castell and Dr. Gomes on this publicity for their efforts. Food Engineering – The employee engagement challenge: hiring, training and retaining key staff Food Engineering – Texas A&M… Read More →
BAEN winners in Student Research Week competition
Several of our students entered the Student Research Week competitions, and they performed well. When you see the following students, congratulate them on their participation and accomplishments. Following are the areas of focus and the winners from our department. Agriculture and Plant Sciences Kirk Dawson – 2nd place in Undergraduate Poster Hydrogeology & Water Resources Jasjeet Kaur – 1st place in Graduate Poster (also received an Environmental Health and Safety Award Ribbon) Nandita Gaur – 2nd place in Graduate Oral Public Health & Human Nutrition Jecori Johnson – 1st… Read More →