Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering

The Department has two Boards that are responsible for the decision making process in matters that strictly concern the Department. These Boards are:    (i) The Departmental Board; and   (ii) The Board of Examiners. The Departmental Board, which is made up of all senior staff of the Department, including senior non-academic staff, deliberates on issues of general interests to the Department. The Departmental Board of Examiners is made up of only academic staff and it considers academic matters as it affects the students. To facilitate the activities of these Boards, members of staff are allocated specific duties as well. Examples of these include having staff in-charge of issues like Examination, Postgraduate matters, Calendar and Timetable, Research and Publications, and Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES). The Department involves in teaching and supervising students’ projects, theses and dissertation for the undergraduate and postgraduate students. The Department gives professional advice about their careers challenges and is fully engaged the administration of the unit.

The Agricultural and Environmental Engineering Department, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt is one of the seven Departments that makes up the Faculty of Engineering. Consequently, the Head of Department is responsible directly to the Dean of Faculty for the day-to-day running of the Department

The Department has a Farm Workshop equipped to handle tractor repair and maintenance, cutting, fitting, milling, and welding operations. In addition to these, students of the Department have direct access to equipment and facilities at the Faculty of Science, Institute of Pollution Studies, Civil Engineering laboratories and Mechanical Engineering in the University. The Department had ran her programs for many academic sessions without its own Laboratories since the inception of the programmes. In 2017 during Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) accreditation, the University donated Charkin building for the Departmental Laboratories. The Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering is currently using a temporary space at this Charkin building in the University premises. While this is sufficient for a start, due to lack of Departmental laboratories since the inception of the programmes. This Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering Laboratories consist of Farm Power and Machinery Engineering/Farm Structure and Environmental Control Engineering Laboratories, Soil and Water Conservation Engineering/Environmental Engineering Laboratories. These Laboratories to some extents were not equipped. Students of the Department are also given considerable support by enthusiastic academics and committed technical and secretarial staff. The Department focuses on professional, practical elements of study and development of transferable skills, which our students need to function effectively especially in the industries. The multidisciplinary nature of the Department also increases the opportunities for social mobility of graduates. This makes the Department quite unique.

        The Department is structured to be the breeding ground of innovation. In fact   some of the final year students of the Department have produced products that have solved economic problems in the society. In 2017 a final year student under the supervision of lecturer in the Department produced a Kitchen- Size Garri Storage Unit. The garri stored in it since 2017 has been preserved for four (4) years without spoiled. This machine is to be available in Nigerian market for commercial purposes. In 2018/2019 academic session, Weeding Machine, Multi-purpose Juice extractor, Fish Feed Dryer and Lawn Mowing Machine were produced by final years students under the supervision our lecturers in the Department.  It is worth commending that in 2019 during NUC preparation for accreditation the university equipped the laboratories to a considerable level. This is a commendable achievement and breakthrough in the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering.

                In 2020/2021 academic session, Agricultural Soil Cone Penetrometer, a Low-velocity Bench-Top Laboratory Fume Hood with a motorized sash, Laboratory Scale of a Municipal Solid Waste Dryer and an Electronic Precision Soil Auger were produced by final year students under the supervision of the lecturers in the Department.

                In 2021/2022 academic session, there has been a considerable reduction in Students complaint on result related issues. The Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering has established a Departmental Welfare Committee to care and foster mutual relationship among the staff of the Department.

 There was a renovation work at the Departmental Workshop due to the frequent cases of theft and    burglary incidences which occurred at our Workshop. It will be recalled that ever since this renovation was done, burglary cases had been to a halt.

  The Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering had full accreditation of the Department   during the last NUC Accreditation exercise.

• Collaboration with Industries /Parastatal / Ministries.

Department of Agricultural & Environmental Engineering is intensifying her efforts in collaboration with Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Niger Delta Basin Development Authority, and Nigerian Stored Product Research Institute in the areas of training, manpower development and practical farming and maintenance of farm machines and equipment through industrial attachment scheme.

• Equipping of Departmental Workshop and Laboratories.

The Departmental Farm Workshop and Laboratories are inadequately equipped. The Workshop lacks many equipment, implements and instruments for maintenance services and many environmental equipment for Environmental Laboratories. Equipment and implements are some of the major challenges confronting the Department. Farm Power and Machinery Engineering is in need of Soil Tillage Laboratory for tractions and tracficability experiments.

• Expansion of Departmental Laboratories space.

The Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering is currently using a temporary space at Charkin building in the university premises, which needs expansion of the space. While this is sufficient for a start, due to lack of Departmental laboratories since the inception of the programmes. It is imperative for the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering to have adequate laboratory space.

• Departmental Journal (JAEET).

There is the need to revitalize the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering Technology (JAEET).