Award Data

This proposal will design, develop, and demonstrate a self-contained probe that will provide sensor videos on-demand to aircraft operators. A Miniature Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (MUAV) is proposed to meet this requirement. The MUAV will be capable of being launched from existing airborne aircraft platforms, including helicopters, and will be capable of being controlled by the aircraft operator in fl ...

Lettuce is a major vegetable crop grown in the United States with a farm gate value in 2003 of $2 billion. For crops such as lettuce, the vegetative leaves of the plant are the harvested material. Because lettuce must be harvested before it flowers, premature flowering, or bolting, reduces crop quality and yield, and therefore is a leading cause of profit loss to farmers. Lettuce cultivars with en ...

Ethylene is a growth hormone for fruits and vegetables that is generated by the plants themselves; that is, it acts as a self-ripening agent. Hence, the removal of ethylene gas can play a central role in maintaining the freshness of these products. Whereas the temperature and the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide gases are also important system variables that demand a significant economic invest ...

A. Water must be removed from biodegradable hydraulic fluids as they react with water and degrade insitu. B. Biodegradable hydraulic fluids for farm equipment provide a significant improvement over traditional petroleum based fluids due to decreased pollution. Increase the use and value of biodegradable hydraulic fluids by development of a membrane-based dewatering system.

The use of biodiesel offers significant advantages with regards to the reduction of total harmful engine emissions with the exception of NOx. Biodiesel is a renewable resource and soybean oil is known to be economically viable as a biodiesel fuel. Recent studies from the Environmental Protection Agency have shown that soybean oil alone or blended with #2 diesel fuel results in a significant decrea ...

Noxious, invasive weeds cause billions of dollars per year in damage to the environment. Progress in invasive weed control has been retarded by lack of commercially feasible diet to support mass production of specialist insects that control major noxious weeds. Such damage could be reduced by natural enemies of noxious weeds, but a means to mass produce the insects is not available for economical, ...

The rate of invasion of harmful organisms into the USA is now higher than ever before. The current concern over the potential for species introductions to be used strategically as instruments of bio-terrorism or bio-warfare appears to be well founded. Growth in the volume and complexity of international trade, combined with the liberalization of regulatory regimes to encourage trade, has at once i ...

There are many environmental problems associated with the disposal of large quantities of organic wastes, including animal wastes, food and garden wastes, and industrial wastes. More than 50% of organic wastes produced in the USA are currently disposed into landfills at very considerable economic and environmental costs. There are many constraints to utilizing these organic wastes on agricultural ...

Varroa jacobsoni (Oudemans) (= V. destructor) is a parasitic mite of honey bees Apis mellifera (L.), that has had a catastrophic effect on populations of managed and feral honey bee colonies, beekeepers and the beekeeping industry worldwide. Honey bee colony losses in the United States range between 40% and 80% annually. These losses are stressing the bee industry's ability to provide adequate pol ...