The University of Manitoba (UofM) is Western Canada’s first University, founded in 1877. The Faculty of Engineering began in 1907, and has produced students, student teams and student organizations that consistently perform well in international competitions and conferences. As part of the Faculty of Engineering, the Environmental Engineering program focuses on solid waste disposal and management, wastewater processing and water treatment. Our mandate is to educate environmental engineers and provide them with a solid foundation of technical and theoretical knowledge that will allow them to tackle major interdisciplinary problems of waste disposal and waste management, wastewater treatment and water treatment to promote public health, environmental conservation and economic sustainability. The Environmental Engineering research group at the UofM has published over 200 papers in prestigious journals (e.g. IWA’s Water Research and WEF’s Water Environment Research) and disseminated through many international conferences worldwide. Graduates from the Environmental Engineering Program are working in positions of leadership and are improving the well-being of society and the creation of new wealth for the benefits of Canada and the international community.

Administratively, the Department of Biosystems Engineering resides in the Faculty of Agricultural & Food Sciences but delivers an engineering program that is accredited and administered through the Faculty of Engineering. Thus, there are strong connections and responsibilities to both faculties. There are currently 13 tenured or tenure-track professors, 3 full-time instructors, and 6.5 support staff (2.5 administrative & 4 technical). Undergraduate enrolment in the Biosystems Engineering program is approximately 150 students, with an additional 50-60 graduate students in Master’s or PhD programs. The undergraduate teaching responsibilities of the Department include courses for the accredited B.Sc. in Biosystems Engineering and service courses for the degree and diploma programs in Agricultural & Food Sciences. The Biosystems Engineering program emphasizes the application of engineering principles to biologically-based systems (i.e., systems that include plants, animals, microorganisms, or humans). The Department of Biosystems Engineering has a full complement of professors who have active research programs in various areas within the broad spectrum of Biosystems engineering. Research topics relate to agricultural engineering, biomedical engineering, bioresource engineering, and environmental engineering. Collectively, the Department of Biosystems Engineering is perhaps best known for its contributions to i) Post-Harvest Handling & Storage of Grains & Oilseeds and ii) Microbial Generation of Biofuels & Bioproducts. Other research strengths include iii) Machinery Systems, iv) Soil & Water Engineering, v) Agricultural & Alternative Structures, vi) Agriculture & the Environment, and vii) Medical Textiles.