Nate Phillips

nate.phillips@mtsu.edu

Jessica Carter

Agriculture

Discipline specific equipment

SAG 100

N/A

N/A

The School of Agriculture requests funds for an automated labeling and digital dating system for the milk plant. Labeling and dating is currently done by hand, which is time and labor intensive. Addition of this system will reduce labor costs and allow for the addition of fermented beverages such as kombucha and drinkable yogurt to the line of bottled products currently sold on campus and local retailers. This equipment will significantly enhance student preparedness in our dairy processing and fermentation science programs. We are also requesting a Gallery Plus “Beermaster”, an automated benchtop photometric analyzer. It allows for simultaneous analysis of several parameters from one sample and real-time reagent monitoring and automated dilutions. It performs highly specific colorimetric, enzymatic and electrochemical measurements and is a standard tool in commercial manufacturing and analytical laboratories. It is critical that Fermentation Science students have access to this analytical equipment. Also needed is a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) plasma table, used for controlling computer guided automated machines and tools. Finally, a fertilizer injector is needed to replace the recently broken injector in the horticulture greenhouse. All equipment requested will directly impact courses utilizing the greenhouses and vo-ag lab, food science courses (AGBS 4830, 4830, 4850), fermentation science courses (FERM 3700, 3710, 4550, 4560, 4570), and indirectly impacts the current ~23,000 MTSU students and thousands of customers who purchase our MTSU produced products.