Award Data

An airborne imaging system, built around a two axis optical mount with a light weight scanning mirror will be designed an built. This innovative design allows for flexible control of the various senosr viewing angleenabling us to control many sensor parameters including: 1) field of view, 2) scan patterns, and 3) dwell time. The design supports a variety of sensors including high resolution multi- ...

According to the USDA (2012) approximately 80% of the Nation & #39;s consumptive water use, and over 90% in many western states, is used in agriculture. Groundwater provides over 50 billion gallons per day for agricultural needs. Long term water level declines caused by sustained groundwater pumping for agriculture are impacting the environment at large and the agricultural community specifically. ...

High value fruit and nut crops are a vital component of agricultural productivity in the United States. Almost 80% of this economic sector is located in the Pacific Northwest (Washington and Oregon), California, and the Southeast (Texas and Florida). Orchards and vineyards in these regions provide healthful fruits and nuts to the nation and for export, support local tourism, and generate economic ...

Throughout the past decade, there has been increasing urgency to develop novel technologies for alternative energy sources. This is being driven by the consequential relationships of increased global consumption, rapidly diminishing fossil fuel reserves, growing national energy security concerns, and geopolitical factors, all of which translate into high oil prices for the end consumer. In additio ...

Glycerol, also called glycerin(e), is a byproduct or contaminant of biofuel production. Glycerol must be removed from biofuels before they can be burned in order to avoid damage to combustion engines. The standard for biodiesel is less than 0.02% by weight (ASTM D6751; ASTM International sets voluntary consensus standards for quality in many industry sectors). Standard methods for glycerol determi ...

Global food production from plants is at risk from insect pests. To protect their crops farmers spend a great deal of money on insecticides. For example, US farmers spent $1.2 billion in 2009 on insecticides for crop protection, which resulted in $22.9 billion of additional income due to crops saved from insect damage. However, the number of insecticides available to farmers is declining due to de ...

U.S. live fish exports are growing and have further potential for growth. In 2009 live fish U.S. exports were on the order of $44 million. In 2012, there was unique opportunity in the live eel export market and there were reports of $100-150 million in exports in that species alone. The overall goal of this project is to provide active oxygenation during the transportation of live aquaculture prod ...

Most commercially available antibody-based test strips for the detection of foodborne pathogenic bacteria are rapid (work in minutes), but not very sensitive. Operational Technologies Corporation (OpTech) aims to improve the sensitivity of such test strips by using higher affinity and more specific DNA aptamers in place of the antibodies. In addition, OpTech will couple its aptamer-based test stri ...

This project will provide researchers a valuable tool to better learn about bees in almost any enviornment. The self contained power through PV panels will allow these hives to be used without the need to an outside powersource. Researchers can monitor stationary hives, as well as commercial pollination operations. Apiarists can also use these hives to gather data and monitor their own colonies. T ...

Many factors acting together, including concerns about worker safety, food safety, pesticide resistance and new regulations governing pesticides, have heightened grower awareness to reduce insecticide inputs and increase reliance on biopesticides. Foremost among the forces leading to change is the need to reduce input costs in order to maintain economic viability. Mating disruption is among the mo ...