BBST

What is Biological and Biomanufacturing Systems Technology?

Are you interested in working with biological systems?  There are many opportunities!

Fermentation, brewing, distilling, and biofuels Grain and feed storage and processing Agronomy and seed technology Food and meat processing Genetics and biology Chemistry and biochemistry Biomedical and health systems Other bio-based industries

BBST is a Bridge between Science, Engineering, Management, and Applications

BBST can give you key skills:

Project management Laboratory methods and equipment Plant operations Data management and analysis

Potential employers:

Archer Daniels Midland Bayer Bristol Myers Squibb Cargill Exile Brewing Gevo Green Plains Energy Life Serve Blood Center Mary Greeley Medical Center POET Syngenta Toppling Goliath Brewery United States Department of Agriculture United States Department of Energy

Potential positions:

Analyst Biomedical equipment specialist Brewer Distiller Field technician/manager Laboratory manager Molecular biology technologist Plant manager Process supervisor Project manager R&D technologist

Want to learn more?  Check out the ABE Industrial Technology site for specific course requirements at

Industrial Technology | Iowa State University Catalog

Or email 

Dr. Kurt Rosentrater, Professor at karosent@iastate.edu

Tamara Kerns, Academic Advisor at tkerns@iastate.edu

Are you looking to hire BBST graduates?  

At ISU, we strive to produce ITEC graduates who have knowledge, skills, and abilities in solving technical problems, understanding design and manufacturing processes, excelling in authentic leadership, being aware of safety issues, having a quality improvement orientation, effectively managing projects, and having a systems-thinking perspective.

This translates to a holistic approach that uses science, engineering, and management principles that focus on the way constituent parts of bio-based products and systems interrelate, how they work and evolve over time, and how they fit into the context of larger systems and supply chains.

We prepare graduates for a variety of careers for a broad spectrum of industries, businesses, and organizations in the fields of bio-based products and biomanufacturing, including biofuels and beverage fermentation systems, grain and feed systems, seed technologies, biomedical devices and systems, analytical and processing laboratories, automation and controls systems, quality and operations management, safety management, and loss prevention.

Specifically, we prepare ITEC Biological and Biomanufacturing Systems Technology graduates to excel in:

• Management of biological, bioprocessing, and biotechnology systems
• Implementation, management, and documentation of analytical protocols, instrumentation, and equipment for products, processes, and facilities.
• Project management

Upon graduation, ITEC students in the biological and biomanufacturing systems technology (BBST) option will be able to:

1. Develop, implement, troubleshoot, and evaluate bio-based manufacturing products, processes, and facilities.
2. Calculate and interpret mass and energy balances of biological processes involving microbial growth and conversion, plants, animals, and human growth and biological functions, and optimize processing, production, and systems implementation.
3. Calculate and interpret rates of biological processes involving reaction kinetics, growth, death, heat production, gas transfer, and transpiration to optimize processing, production, and systems implementation.

In addition to foundational courses in biology, microbiology, and chemistry, some key courses that our students take include:

• Fundamentals, Modeling, and Applications of Biological Systems
• Applied Project Management
• Total Quality Improvement
• Occupational Safety
• Leadership
• Electric Power and Electronics
• A customizable menu of courses that can be tailored to each student’s interest and career trajectory