INGENIEUR
with Honours , offered under the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering . This programme is recognised by JPA , IEM , BEM and the Engineering Accreditation Council of Malaysia ( EAC ). The programme is also recognised internationally by the Washington Accord .
Agricultural engineering is the application of engineering concepts to agricultural production and processing . It combines the disciplines of mechanical , civil , electrical and chemical engineering with agricultural principles . A key goal of this discipline is to improve the efficacy and sustainability of agricultural practices . There are four specialised areas offered by the programme , namely Mechanisation and Automation , Soil and Water Resources , Agricultural Informatics , and Postharvest and Environment . The Programme Educational Objectives ( PEO ) are to produce graduates that are :
1 . knowledgeable in the field of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering with the appropriate skills and attitude to work in the industry ;
2 . creative and innovative , as well as sensitive and responsible towards society , different cultures and the environment ; and
3 . capable of solving advanced design and development problems at national and international levels .
These PEOs are formulated based on the current needs of the engineering profession and are responsive to the expressed interests of stakeholders , describing the expected achievements of graduates in their career and professional life .
The programme has been structured to be consistent with and supports the attainment of the PEOs through the integration of 100 credits of engineering courses and 35 credits of nonengineering courses . The curriculum is designed to cohesively integrate all the courses as a whole and the delivery modes include problem solving , assignments , design tasks , formative assessment , interfacing with professional engineering practice , and projects . Other than skills required by the EAC , the programme has been developed to cover the IR 4.0 elements including Information Technology , the Internet of Things , Artificial Intelligence , Innovation and Entrepreneurship , and Big Data .
Courses with IR 4.0 Elements
Information technology ( IT ) is the use of computers , both software and hardware , to store , retrieve , manipulate and transmit data . IT plays a big role in the agricultural sector to improve agricultural productivity . Students first learn about computer software in their first year of study under two courses , namely Computer Programming and Computer Aided Engineering Drawing to solve engineering problems by doing coding and utilising drawing instruments and computer-aided drawing software to perform engineering design . In year 4 , the skills of students in using application software are also demonstrated in another two courses , namely Geographic Information System Technology and Remote Sensing Applications . These involve the development of computer systems for capturing , storing , checking and displaying data related to positions on the surface of the Earth and utilising remote sensing software to perform satellite image processing and analysis . Meanwhile , IoT elements are first introduced in year 2 under the Biological System Instruments course . This course covers the characteristics of equipment and recording systems , sensors and common circuits for sensors , measurement instruments and virtual measurement instruments , and specialised measurements using sensors .
In year 4 , the IT skills are then combined with intelligent systems that are capable of learning , reasoning , adapting , and performing tasks similar to humans . The element of AI is introduced in five high level courses : an Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Design Project , Bachelor Project , Intelligent Systems for Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering , Control Environment , and Automation in Agriculture . The students will be able to use AI to solve complex problems :
● in the field of Agricultural and Biosystems such as an autonomous tractor able to avoid obstacles while performing tasks ;
● in agricultural robotics – to control weeds and identify crop maturity ;
● in soil and crop health monitoring – to identify potential defects and nutrient deficiencies in the soil including plant pests and diseases ; and
36 VOL 84 OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2020