Agricultural engineering
what is agricultural engineering?
Agricultural engineering involves improving tools and processes to overcome obstacles in the food supply chain
What is bio mechanical engineering
Biomechanical engineering is a specialty within bio engineering that combines principles of mechanical engineering with biological systems.
What is genetic engineering
Genetic engineering is the intentional altering of the genetic material of an organism to modify its characteristics.
What does the word prosthesis mean and where does it come from?
Comes from a Greek root that means addition
Risk or benefit?
A gene introduced into a food results in increased instances of food allergies in people
Risk
What are the two things that put pressure on agriculture
population growth and climate change
What do bio mechanical engineers do
Bio mechanical engineers design or improve assistive and adaptive technologies
Effect: The demand for food is increasing.
What is the cause?
Cause:population growth
Given an example of an assistive technology. Daily double if you can name two assistive technologies.
Hearing aid, ramps, prosthetic limb, wheelchair,
Genetic modification allows a cow to produce more milk without having to be given hormone treatments
Benefit
How can agricultural engineering be beneficial to humans?
It can increase food production rates and food quality
What is an assistive technology?
An assistive technology includes any tool or device that helps someone with a disability perform a task with greater ease her independence. It’s new!
if a consumer prefers foods produced without chemical pesticides, would they purchase genetically engineered food?
Yes some consumers prefer to eat foods produced without chemical pesticides. If you were eating food without pesticides that food was genetically engineered so that insects wouldn’t get on them therefore no need for pesticides.
Give an example of an adaptive technology. Daily double if you can name two.
Screen reading software, closed captioning programming, telephone typewriters, adaptive keyboards
Field drainage is optimized to prevent standing water that can hinder plant growth
Benefit
What are some risks of agricultural engineering
Name at least 1 (double jeopardy) if you can say both
Development of farms take away habitats for native plants and animals.
Pesticides run into natural waters harming native species,
All of the factors affect the biodiversity of life in the ecosystemWhat is an adaptive technology?
Adaptive technologies are modified versions of technology or tool that already exist. Old but modified version of something that already exists
If a consumer refuses to buy foods that were produced using genetic engineering was their food sprayed with pesticides?
Yes their food was sprayed with pesticides. If food does not go under genetic engineering it needs to be sprayed with pesticides so bugs do not eat it.
Prosthetic devices started simply enough. What were they first made out of?
At first they were wooden, plastic or even metal arms and legs
Improved efficiency of moving excess rain water away from the fields increases transfer of farm chemicals from soil into natural waters
risk
What are engineers doing in order to meet the demand for food?
They are developing new methods and technologies to produce more food of higher quality and lower cost
what are bio mechanical engineers main goal to move forward with prosthetic integration
Integrating the function of prosthetic devices with brain function.
Studies are being done to address areas of concern when it comes to genetic engineering. what is one area of concern that scientists are studying?
Daily double if you can name two areas of concern that are being studied you get double the points
Scientists are studying whether engineering plants to become resistant to certain insect pest may result in an increase in other pests such as fungi or bacteria.
Scientists are also researching whether genes introduced into crops can spread into wild plants creating plants with new properties that upset natural ecosystems
What 3 considerations must go into a prosthesis design.
Maintenance, cost, intended function
A gene for a toxin that kills insects inserted into a crop plant moves into a native plant that serves as the main source of food for many butterfly species
Risk