The Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) track of the ABS GIDP is designed to prepare students who wish to possess a graduate-level education that integrates science and<br>engineering-based approaches to provide specific controlled environments for plant productivity while optimizing resources including water, energy, space, capital and labor, and more specifically incorporates knowledge in management and business. Graduates of this track will be prepared for careers in the controlled environment agriculture industries, academia and government.<br>The CEA is an agricultural production practice for year round continuous production of nutritionally high quality foods, with crop yields that can exceed field production by as much as<br>10-fold, and with the potentials to utilize local renewable energy resources, and optimize water, energy, space, capital, and labor resources with efficiency well above field traditional<br>capabilities. This production technology, can employ crop production systems, provide harvest much less dependent on the season, and can generate higher crop yields, quality, safety, and nutritional value with consistency and predictability, while utilizing less land in an environmentally friendly way.<br>The Applied Biosciences (ABS) program at the University of Arizona (UA) is a Graduate Interdisciplinary Program (GIDP) under the Graduate College. ABS is a dedicated Master's program that awards a Professional Science Master's degree, and prepares students for careers in the biotechnology and health science industries. It consists of foundational and practical training in various areas of applied biosciences, along with cross-training in workplace skills, such as business, research and regulatory affairs. A mandatory internship is an integral part of the ABS experience. During a two-year course of studies, students will gain a strong understanding of the applications of the biological sciences to real world problems, including those faced by public institutions and private industry.