Vancouver, BC
June 26, 2011
June 26, 2011
June 29, 2011
2153-5965
Biological & Agricultural
9
22.343.1 - 22.343.9
10.18260/1-2--17624
https://peer.asee.org/17624
467
Marybeth Lima is a Professor in Biological & Agricultural Engineering at LSU, a registered professional engineer, a nationally certified playground safety inspector (CPSI), and the Director of the LSU Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership (CCELL). She has been at LSU since 1996 and is a 15 year member of ASEE.
The discipline of biological & agricultural engineering (BAE) has contributed significantlyto the mechanization and efficiency of agriculture, the production of food and fiber, andthe distribution and control of water during its 100+ year history. The work of agriculturaland biological engineers through state Agricultural Experiment Stations and CooperativeExtension has ensured that the problems facing agriculture are solved using an appliedresearch model in which the direct beneficiaries of the research (usually farmers) haveinput in the direction of such research. Although our discipline and our work have beensuccessful, challenges in the discipline remain due to our society becoming increasinglyurban with fewer people involved in agriculture, and with decreasing funding andincreasing accountability for our research and outreach work. I believe that ourdiscipline can continue to offer solutions to timely problems in rural and urbanenvironments and can continue to flourish in national and international arenas. Becausethe traditional focus of agricultural and biological engineering has been mission orientedresearch geared toward direct recipients (users) of this research with the input of thisconstituency, our discipline is poised to work within this context to continue research,teaching, and outreach activities of relevance to pressing societal problems. I suggestthat we consider several paradigm shifts that will position our discipline for futuresuccess: 1. That we extend the focus of our outreach efforts beyond those directly involved in production agriculture 2. That we use teaching as a vehicle for engaging with community (in addition to research and outreach) 3. That we move toward Boyer’s model of the scholarship of engagement, with seamless transitions among research, teaching, and outreach activities.This paper discusses each of these three paradigm shifts in detail, and ends withrecommendations for BAE professionals to implement such shifts.
Lima, M. (2011, June), Community Engagement in Biological & Agricultural Engineering Paper presented at 2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Vancouver, BC. 10.18260/1-2--17624
ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2011 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015