Delivering Food Engineering

at Sheffield Hallam University

Roger Eccleston

PVC, Faculty of Arts, Computing, Engineering and Science

• Sheffield Hallam is the UK's fourth largest university with around 35,500 students and 4,360 staff.

• Around 27,000 are undergraduate students and 8,500 are postgraduate (taught and research).

• Sheffield Hallam has the fourth highest number of postgraduate taught students in the UK.

• 4,250 are international students from 119 countries (26 of those are EU countries).

• The University is one of England’s largest provider of courses involving work placements.

Sheffield Hallam University

The Student Experience

Engineering Food

Knowledge transfer

Food and Engineering

Food, safety & quality

Process efficiency

Environmental sustainability

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 2000

5

10

15Controller Setpoint & Process Output

Time (hours)

Setpoint Trajectory

Process Output

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 2000

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05Controller Output

Time (hours)

Food Engineering Challenges

Business

& Management

Manufacturing

Food

Design & Materials Control & Automation

Engineering

Quality

Food Engineering Course Elements

MEng Food Engineering

Programme Outline

In their 1st year, the students will learn the basics about food and engineering and start reflecting on food specific issues for engineers.

You said " Our industry wants graduates…who will be food focused. Their frame of reference and specific focus will be on

our industry"

Year 1: Foundation - building blocks

•Engineering principles: Mass and Heat

•Transfer - Fluid mechanics

•Food Composition - Food Safety - Introduction to

nutrition

Raise awareness of process impact on safety and quality of

food

Industry supported summer placement

We reply: the teaching will involve group work using Problem Based Learning from cases provided by the industry.

You said " The industry wants well rounded Engineers who are able to communicate, work in teams…"

Year 2: Food Processing Operations Application of Engineering principles to the food industry

Studying food processing techniques using analytical and

experimental methods

Industry supported summer placement, developing interpersonal skills and experience of engineering applications

In their 3rd year, the students will have a strong focus on Total Productivity Maintenance and Total Quality Management

You said "Our industry seeks to develop advanced engineers… Leaders who will lead the transformation of our factories and production sites to greater levels of efficiency and productivity…"

Year 3: In depth understanding of food engineering,

processes and systems Focus on Advanced Food Processing and Simulation, Total

Quality Management, Individual projects

Developing the students’ understanding of advanced engineering and its

application to the food industry, complete a major individual study project.

Main industrial experience during 30 week placement, support the

students to develop the industrial application of their learning to date, to

develop their employability skills and to support their placement

employers.

In their final years, students will be able to specialise in engineering subjects specific to the food industry.

You said "Our industry seeks to develop advanced engineers… Individuals who understand the food supply chain, its complexities, dependencies and unique challenges …"

Year 4: Specialisation Deepening of engineering understanding, management studies

and specialisation through elective

Energy and environmental management, lean operations, contemporary

issues in food technology, machine vision, finance

Developing the students’ broader food engineering capability, enabling

deeper understanding and building their management understanding.

Group Project provides the investigation of a food engineering problem,

working with fellow students in a challenging group activity.

Product - Centre for Food Innovation

Process: Factory Modelling - MERI

Process: Material flow - MERI

Process: Sustainability - MERI/

Hallam Energy Manufacturing:

Process Control - MERI

People & Consumer choice - Sheffield

Business School/Psychology

Packaging - Design Futures

Food Engineering

Food innovation - services to business

Design Futures - Packaging Design

Food Engineering @ Sheffield Hallam University