Award Data

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a synthetic chemical which does not occur naturally in the environment,it has been used in many commercial applications. A number of scientific findings since the late 1990's have elevated PFOAs to the category of great environmental concern beacuse of its persistence, and the potential for bioaccumulation and biomagnification. Effective environmental and health pr ...

Small businesses are the bedrock of the American economy. To bring economic development to rural America, these regions must have more effective tools for attracting and retaining the businesses that will provide the jobs and investment these communities need to thrive. The proposal seeks to apply an existing technology, Geographic Information Systems, on a proven platform, DecisionTree, in an inn ...

Basic science discoveries have led to the development of a series of human biotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of cancer and HIV as well as many other diseases. Currently there are over 400 drugs in clinical trials just for the first two diseases. The current biotherapeutics' manufacturing platforms have not kept pace resulting in a dramatic rise in treatment cost and more importantly unmet the ...

Recreation trails are a key component of the social, economic and health of rural communities. People with mobility impairments are often excluded from trails, shared-use paths, parks and other public areas where barriers are erected to prevent access by motorized trail vehicles (MTVs), to control livestock or wildlife, as an access point in a fenced area, or for a variety of other reasons. Many p ...

Overabundance of fiber from young trees derived from first thinnings with little or no market is a serious problem for the timber industry as well as private landowners. Because of this, many private landowners fail to conduct appropriate timber management which in turn causes reductions in stand volume, increased risk of insect and/or disease from reduced stand vigor, reduced browse for wildlife ...

Removal and disposal of agricultural mulch films made from polyethylene requires large expenditures of time and money, and creates excessive demand for landfill space. The purpose of this project is to create agricultural mulch films from renewable resources that can be incorporated into the soil for disposal rather than being landfilled.

As agricultural acreage and production in South America and other low cost production areas continue to expand, U.S. producers must adopt new technology, streamline their already highly efficient production systems, and look for value-adding opportunities to diversify from the highly competitive commodity markets. Indeed, value-added agriculture promises to become increasingly important as new spe ...

Plant parasitic nematodes are among the most important crop pathogens in the United States, causing an estimated $7-9 billion in lost yield annually. Traditional nematicides, including organophosphates, are under severe regulatory pressure because of toxological and environmental concerns. The purpose of this project is to develop a new, safer nematode control agent for U.S. growers.

Plant parasitic nematodes annually cause damage in excess of $8 billion in the U.S. and $78 billion worldwide. The goal of this research is to generate crops, such as cotton and tomato, with broad-spectrum, season-long resistance to root knot nematode.

Gene detection in soil using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is nearly impossible due to the inhibitory affects of the components of soil, including humic acid. Currently, the DNA must be extracted from the soil in order to perform PCR. The DNA extraction/purification step is expensive and time consuming. We intend to develop commercially available PCR enzymes that will enable PCR to detect pa ...