Biosystems Doctoral Student Tops in Ag

Doctoral candidate Sumit Sen has been named the College of Agriculture's 2009 Outstanding International Graduate Student Award winner. Sen is officially enrolled at Auburn in civil engineering, but he pursued and, in March, completed his doctorate in biosystems engineering under the supervision of associate professor Puneet Srivastava. His research examining storm water runoff from and infiltration processes in Sand Mountain-area pastures that have been fertilized with poultry litter has produced groundbreaking results. Through a complex network of sensors he developed, Sen has concluded there is far less runoff from the pastures than has long been believed. His findings could lead to major changes in the best management practices for applying poultry litter on farmland. Sen was selected for the award based not only on his superior research achievements but also on  his strong involvement in professional and technical societies and his commitment and service to biosystems engineering and the university community. He received his bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering from Deemed University in India and his master's in biological and agricultural engineering  from the University of Arkansas.