Joey E Mehlhorn

mehlhorn@mtsu.edu

Harley Foutch

ABAS

Discipline specific equipment

Milk Processing Facility/ Stark Agriculture Building and Vocational Agriculture Building

Replacement of Existing Technology

The milk processing equipment currently in use is outdated and does not represent current industry technology. The current equipment was put into service in 1956. Downtime is common and replacement parts are difficult to find. The water electrolizer is also outdated and has limited efficiency for the current needs of the alternative fuels program.

The requested equipment will be utilized by undergraduate students for experiential learning opportunities in the classroom and laboratory environment. There are currently 441 students in the School of Agribusiness & Agriscience, with all students required to take courses in which scientific equipment use is a requisite necessity. This request is for upgrading the milk processing facility (computerized temperature controller, homogenizer, and a cream separator / clarifier). This upgrade is necessary to enhance the educational experiences of students in the dairy science curricula. The milk processing facility provides hands on laboratory work experience for students. The equipment provides students a unique opportunity of seeing what is involved in commercial fluid milk production, from processing and distribution to consumption on the MTSU campus. An additional request is for a solid polymer water electrolizer, which produces hydrogen. It will be used with the new hybrid-electric truck donated by Nissan to MTSU using a combination of energy sources. The ongoing alternative fuel teaching, public service, and research program has been part of the instructional program for over twenty years.