The University of Georgia began offering engineering degrees over 130 years ago. As the first public institution in the state to educate Georgians in the engineering sciences, UGA continues to offer engineering degree programs that focus on the comprehensive education needed in today's technological world. The BAE Department benefits from being a part of a major land-grant institution and a strong liberal arts university. Driftmier Engineering Center provides over 110,000 sq. ft. of office, classroom, and laboratory space. Nine classrooms ranging in size from 624 sq. ft. to 1360 sq. ft., two are available for lectures and other academic activities. Five of these classrooms are equipped with video and/or computer based projection systems. One classroom has a dedicated computer network for in-class as well as remote content delivery using interactive and collaborative instructional techniques. An additional 10,500 sq. ft. of space is available for research and public service programs in the Bioconversion Research and Education Center on the Athens campus. The Driftmier Annex houses over 7,000 sq. ft. of offices and labs dedicated to engineering outreach. Several labs function as multipurpose facilities and are thus listed under more than one category.
Department Head: Dr. E. Dale Threadgill, PE
101 Driftmier Engineering Center
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602
(706) 542-1653
Fax (706) 542-8806
Algae Laboratory is dedicated to the growth of algae, including harvesting and conversion technologies at the bench and pilot scales.
Alternative Fuels and Solvents Laboratory allows engineers to investigate the effects of different biological fuel mixtures on engine performance and reliability.
Analytical Laboratory houses chromatography equipment for the chemical analysis of various materials.
Applied Electrostatics Laboratory contains specialized high-voltage and low-current instrumentation facilitating the research and development of electrostatics processes for beneficial agricultural and biological applications.
Applied Machine Vision Laboratory is equipped with fiber-optic spectrometers, video imaging equipment, light sources and computer-controlled X-Y translation stages for sample presentation, allowing VIS/NIR spectrometry, spectral imaging and basic/high speed image acquisition and processing capabilities. Equipments in this lab are accessible to students via the Web.
Biochemical Laboratory includes facilities for the maintenance of aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms, and for enzyme analysis.
Bioconversion Laboratory is equipped to monitor air quality, develop processing technology for solid waste conversion to composts, and evaluate the quality and safety characteristics of compost.
The Bio-expression and Fermentation Facility is housed within the Department of Biochemistry and is a molecular biology, protein and biomass production core facility.
Biomass Processing Laboratory includes preprocessing technologies such as pelletization, torrefaction, pyrolysis, solvent extraction, and hydrolysis, and includes conversion technologies such as pyrolysis, liquefaction, gasification, catalytic conversion, fermentation, and transesterficiation. A novel aspect of carbon cycling using bichar (a co-product of pyrolysis) is being studied as a soil carbon sequestration method that simultaneously provides significant agronomic benefits.
Biomechanics/Gait Analysis Laboratory is designed to analyze motion of bodies and evaluate tissue mechanics.
Bio-Photonics Laboratory is involved in optical sensing and optical imaging using the visible light spectrum.
Biorefining Research and Education Center (BREC), hosts a pilot thermochemical biorefinery. The pilot scale refinery system converts peanut hulls to hydrogen (or other fuels) and produces a carbon char co-product, biochar. This byproduct in itself holds tremendous potential for carbon sequestration and soil amendments, which are currently being researched.
Cellular Bio-Engineering Laboratory is equipped for a study of enzyme and cell-based sensing. Current focus is on research towards use of nano/micro structures to facilitate the implementation of three-dimensional cultures in drug discovery programs.
Clean Room consists of a 500 square feet microfabrication space equipped with fume hood, DI water, gases, vacuum, exhaust system, air filtration system and chemical storage. The major equipment inside clean room are one MJB3 mask aligner, one bench top chemical spinner and one bench top hot plate. It is designed to carry out fabrication processes for engineering and biomedical research.
Fermentation Laboratory is equipped for the growth of microorganisms and for the design of processes to optimize their use.
Functional Nanomaterials Synthesis and Characterization Laboratory is equipped with six well-controlled tube furnace synthesis systems, a field-emission gun scanning electron microscope attached with an energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometer, a spectrofluorometer, a UV-vis spectrometer and a variety of other nanomaterials synthesis equipment.
Materials Testing Laboratory is equipped for investigating the mechanical properties of both physical and biological materials undergoing static and dynamic loading.
MEMS Test and Characterization Laboratory (RBS) is designed to carry out the research work for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device fabrication, testing and characterization.
Microcontroller Laboratory houses stations for data acquisition, analog and digital signal applications and machine control.
Microscopy Laboratory is equipped with an Olympus IX71 inverted microscope and a variety of lasers, optics, and electro-optic components for research and development of advanced microscopy techniques.
Molecular Nano-bioengineering/Molecular Nano-bioelectronics Laboratory houses equipment to investigate organic molecules, especially biological systems on the single molecular level.
Polymer Science and Engineering Laboratory (RBS) includes 1500 square feet of laboratories used to synthesize and characterize polymeric materials.
Tissue Biomechanics Laboratory is designed for activities in analyzing the loading behavior of soft and hard animal tissues as well as plant materials.
Virtual Experiences Laboratory is equipped for research on the use and development of virtual, mixed, and augmented reality experiences.
Water Quality Analysis Laboratory/Watershed Center houses labs for analyzing physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of water samples.
Bio-Photonics Laboratory is involved in optical sensing and optical imaging using the visible light spectrum. This includes fluorescent spectroscopy (some instruments are custom-designed to accommodate mechano-sensitive fluorescent molecular rotors), fluorescent imaging, fluorescent microscopy, laser-induced fluorescence. In addition, the lab has the capability of optical coherence tomography and a custom scattered-light confocal scanner exists. There are plans to add X-ray imaging and computed tomography with a custom-built instrument.
Electronics and Electrical Laboratory houses comprehensive facilities for teaching basic and advanced courses in electrical and electronic systems.
Engineering Design Studio provides dedicated computer facilities for rapid prototyping and CNC machining. Undergraduates enrolled in the sophomore-level Design Methodology course and the senior-level Engineering Project course are required to design, prototype and analyze a new product that meets a real-world need. Projects in these courses are typically sponsored by industry and are used by the companies to solve current problems.
Fluid Mechanics Laboratory houses comprehensive facilities for teaching basic and advanced courses in electrical and electronic systems.
General Computing Undergraduate Study Lab occupies approximately 1228 ft2 and is designed to provide general-purpose computing for undergraduates. This Study Lab is accessible to students for 90 hours per week.
Industrial Controls Laboratory is a teaching laboratory which exposes students to motor controllers and programmable logic controllers that are used in industrial control environments.
Instructional Computer Laboratory supports courses that require programming and specialty software applications for Active Learning. This lab can be used for long-distance learning and on-line learning courses.
Micro-mechatronics Laboratory has 18 "Intellibrain" controller systems equipped with color vision systems, servo motors with wheel encoders, NIR and SONAR range sensors which can be used for various autonomous mechatronics projects.
Smallholder Technology Laboratory focuses on research and development of products or processes to improve productivity among low income workers in developing countries.
Research is done with undergraduate students through international capstone summer research
experiences.
Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories include two laboratory/classroom areas which are dedicated to classroom labs. One laboratory is a dry lab and the other is a wet-lab which contains hookups for gas, air, water and vacuum.
Alternative Fuels and Solvents Laboratory allows engineers to investigate the effects of different biological fuel mixtures on engine performance and reliability.
Bioconversion Research and Education Center is equipped to monitor air quality, develop processing technology for solid waste conversion to composts, and evaluate the quality and safety characteristics of compost.
Biorefining Research and Education Center (BREC), hosts a pilot thermochemical biorefinery. The pilot scale refinery system converts peanut hulls to hydrogen (or other fuels) and produces a carbon char co-product, biochar. This byproduct in itself holds tremendous potential for carbon sequestration and soil amendments, which are currently being researched.
Molecular Nano-bioengineering/Molecular Nano-bioelectronics Laboratory houses equipment to investigate organic molecules, especially biological systems on the single molecular level.
Water Quality Analysis Laboratory/Watershed Center houses labs for analyzing physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of water samples.
