Query: Does "Biological Engineering" refer primarily to agriculture?

[Dave Hause]

>>From a physician's perspective, I would not expect it to be so, although if
there were agricultural projects within the department, that wouldn't be
surprising.  I would expect things like biological devices and materials,
maybe production schemes for such, computer applications (such as the chap
doing the melanoma recognition research.)
Dave Hause, dwhause at jobe.net
Ft. Leonard Wood, MO
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gerald Cohen" <gcohen at UMR.EDU>


    Would anyone know if "Biological Engineering" (vs.
"Bio-Engineering") in the title of a university department implies an
agricultural program? Is the term perhaps ambiguous? If a Chemical
Engineering Department wishes to add a possibly wide-ranging program
in bio-engineering (certainly not limited to agriculture), would
"Biological Engineering" be an inappropriate name?

     I wasn't even aware of any possible controversy on this score;
but I'm now on a university committee which has to rule on the
subject, and I'd be grateful for any clarification.

Gerald Cohen