2020-2021 / GERE0033-1

Controlled environment agriculture

Duration

9h Th, 27h Pr

Number of credits

 Master in environmental bioengineering (120 ECTS)6 crédits 

Lecturer

Frédéric Lebeau

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the first semester, review in January

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

Controlled environment agriculture is a new agronomic paradigm that aims at a crop production fully independant from outdoor conditions. If space eploration has been the fist technical field to be work on this for long stay, recent technological developments bring this agriculture closer to economical viability. Furthermore, this technology may offer some environmental virtues as water savings, pesticide free agriculture, very high yields or easy integration in urban environment for short food supply chain. 
The course aims to train students in the technlogies of this industrial sector and to make them explore its development through immersion in the laboratory's research on this theme.

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

The course train students to the design of technological solutions that aims to define equipments, systems and infrastructure of food production that respect the environment
The student must succeed to conduct a project whose specifications are complex and interlinked without any predefined methodology on the basis of partial information
The student aims to achieve engineering objectives in the strategic context of the project and applies multidisciplinary knowledges and skills (systems dynamics, mechanics, control engineering, building physics and special techniques, irrigation, plant physiology, environmental metrology, image analysis,...) in a digital environment.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Physics
Mathematics
Biology
Chemistry

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Research and project-based learning

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Face to face and distance learning
Project

Organisational adjustments related to the current health context

Distance learning
Online evaluation

Recommended or required readings

Kozai Toyoki, Niu Genhua, Takagaki Michiko,  2015, Plant Factory  - An Indoor Vertical Farming System for Efficient Quality Food Production, ISBN : 0-12-801775-9 
Kozai Toyoki, Fujiwara Kazuhiro, Runkle Erik S., 2016, LED Lighting for Urban Agriculture, ISBN 978-981-10-1848-0

Assessment methods and criteria

Below you will find information on the evaluation methods planned for in-person and remote exams as well as those planned for hybrid sessions. Depending on how the health crisis evolves, the chosen method will be communicated to you no later than one month before the start of the exam session.

Any session :

- In-person

oral exam

- Remote

oral exam

- If evaluation in "hybrid"

preferred remote


Additional information:

Written report and oral examination

Work placement(s)

Organizational remarks

The project requires a face-to face or distance participation and is not subject to an assessment in second session

Contacts

f.lebeau@uliege.be