Award Data

Based upon the PSI InstantEye sUAV platform, PSI will develop a high performance, low cost tactically employed, small UAV that willprovide on-demand overhead aerial video surveillance to firefighters actively engaged in containing wildfires.

For rural farmers and ranchers with small and mid-sized operations who suffer losses in efficiency due to unproductive pastures and damage and property loss due to wild fires, the envisioned tree saw is an auxiliary tractor attachment with the potential to rapidly and safely remove large trees, brush, and undergrowth. Unlike current heavy and expensive attachments that require non-traditional farm ...

Larger, taller wind turbines could significantly reduce the cost of wind energy and enable much broader deployment. For example, a recent study from the National Renewable Energy Lab [NREL/TP-5000-61063] showed that increasing tower heights from 96m to 140m would nearly double the available wind resource in the US (adding 1,800 GW) and bring wind development to many areas where it is not currently ...

The objective of the proposed research effort is to develop low-cost, non-toxic, soy-based polymers as vehicles for ePaint photoactive antifouling technology. Phase I research investigates the feasibility of synthesizing soy polymers as water-based emulsions and assessing their utility as photoactive biofouling release coatings. This approach, if successful, will result in an affordable, non-toxic ...

Thisprogramwill develop and demonstrate a modular mixed-oxidant water treatment system that can operate with agricultural enterprises to deactivate contaminants present in drinking water sources. The system will be designed to oxidize contaminants that include pharmaceutical compounds, pesticides, fertilizers, and manure present in farming water sources.

Large areas across the United States and around the world are afflicted by drought, a condition that inflicts damage to local economies and particularly to agriculture. While some communities are turning to expensive energy-intensive processes such as desalination and long distance transport to address water shortages, NBD Nanotechnologies, Inc. is working to reduce stress on watershed resources b ...

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and methane (CH4) are two of the major pollutants associated with animal waste and sewage. Their release to the atmosphere has consequences both locally, where H2S can be present at toxic levels that influence human health and quality of life, and globally, where CH4 acts as a greenhouse gas to influence climate change. Southwest Sciences proposes to develop a compact, inexp ...

Luna will design, manufacture, and test of first generation spacer textiles to prevent plant infestation using the tomato plant as a model system and insect pests on tomato. The proposed research will utilize inexpensive, commercially available materials which will make the process cost effective and scalable.

Ammonia (NH3) is an extremely important feedstockfor producing nitrogen fertilizers, such as that provide essential nutrition for crop vitality. The worldwide production of ammonia is more than 100 million tons per year. The conventional Haber-Bosch ammonia production process requires high pressure and temperature (up to 300 atm and 500 & deg;C) and is, as such, extremely energy-intensive. This pr ...

"Shipping Fever" is the main cause of illness/death in beef cattle in North America, resulting in & gt;$500 million/year of losses due to treatment costs, poor weight gain, reduced carcass value and death. Mannheimia haemolyticabacteria causes the most serious form of shipping fever, causing severe, often fatal pneumonia. Because currently availableM. haemolytica vaccines are not effective enough, ...