AI firm SolaRid lands innovation grant for insect fight

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

SolaRid, an artificial intelligence-based company that tracks insects in agriculture fields, has received a Phase II grant through the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Innovation Research program. The Clinton-based agtech company received $981,000 to further develop its smart insect control system.

The system enables farmers to fight pests more efficiently, reducing crop loss and pesticide waste, according to the company. A timetable for the completion of this second phase was not released.

“When we can allow farmers to do more with less, we all benefit,” said SolaRid co-founder Don Richardson.

AI firm SolaRid lands innovation grant for insect fight

Researchers test nanotechnology concept against herbicide ‘drift’

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

One of the most controversial issues in Arkansas agriculture is the use of the herbicide dicamba. It is one of the few herbicides that is still effective against pigweed, a pervasive weed that impacts many row crop fields in the Delta.

The problem with dicamba is that it is prone to drift onto adjacent fields and can cause serious damage to crops that haven’t been genetically modified to use the herbicide. Scientists in the Natural State are researching a new solution to this generations-long problem.

The startup CelluDot will receive a nearly $1 million National Science Foundation grant to optimize a nanotechnology product developed by the scientists of the company when they were doctoral students. The goal is to mitigate herbicide drift, and the ongoing research will be done in partnership with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/09/researchers-test-nanotechnology-concept-against-herbicide-drift/

Arkansas group receives $1 million grant to study Delta health, economic outcomes

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

A coalition of organizations in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi will use a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to promote improved and equitable health and economic outcomes in the Mississippi Delta regions of those states, the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement announced Thursday (May 11).

ACHI is the recipient of the planning grant, entitled NSF Engines Development Award: Advancing Equitable Access to Food and Health Technologies in the Delta.

ACHI will lead the tri-state effort, partnering with the Arkansas Rural Health Partnership, the Mississippi-based Delta Health Alliance, Mississippi-based HOPE (Hope Enterprise Corporation, Hope Credit Union, and Hope Policy Institute), the Louisiana Public Health Institute, and the Louisiana-based Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/05/arkansas-group-receives-1-million-grant-to-study-delta-health-economic-outcomes/

NSF awards $750,000 to UA Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

The National Science Foundation has awarded a nearly $750,000 grant to the University of Arkansas’ Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research. The institute, referred to as I³R, is a cross-disciplinary team of consultants, startup companies and university researchers, including those with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

The National Science Foundation Convergence Accelerator grant will fund a project designed to connect regional farmers with institutional buyers and ultimately expand access to healthy and nutritious food.

The project, “Data-driven Agriculture to Bridge Small Farms to Regional Food Supply Chains,” brings Division of Agriculture researchers together with colleagues from the University of Arkansas, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and University of Florida. The team also includes two startups, Cureate and Junction AI Inc., as well as several consultants. The project’s stated goal is to tackle challenges such as food insecurity while offering novel business solutions.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/01/nsf-awards-750000-to-ua-institute-for-integrative-and-innovative-research/

UA Cossatot Agriculture Projects to be Showcased in Washington, D.C.

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Six agriculture students from UA Cossatot will be attending the annual National Science Foundation Advanced Technician Education (NSF ATE) conference on October 25-28, 2022 in Washington D.C.

This year Keaton Cox, Kaydee Cowling, and Haley Wright are presenting posters about projects conducted by the agriculture department. Three additional students attending the conference include April Klitz, Hannah Honey, and Valerie Smith. UA Cossatot faculty members Kelli Harris and Crystal Sims will also be in attendance.

Cox’s research is about water quality. The students in Natural Resources have been collecting water samples and testing for coliform bacteria, lead, mercury, pH, and other quality factors. The data is recorded through ArcGIS Survey123, including location data which is then mapped.

Cowling and Wright’s project started in the Intro to GIS class in the spring of 2022. They are collaborating with Casey Hardaway at Rick Evans Grandview Prairie Nature Center to collect location data on fossils found on the management area.

The conference will host more than 850 NSF ATE grantees and their project cohorts to focus on the critical issues related to advanced technological education. Fundamental persons working on ATE projects across the country will partake in the hybrid event. Conference partakers represent community colleges,

business and industry, secondary school systems, and four-year universities covering projects in a wide variety of areas, such as information technology, engineering technology, micro-and nanotechnologies, chemical technology, biotechnology, and other program areas.

The primary goal of the GSTARS project is to design and implement a curriculum that meets the region’s need for technician-level GIS skills in agriculture and related science industries. In addition, the $299,635 grant will create pathways for future GIS Technicians to enter the local workforce.

“This grant has created an amazing opportunity to integrate technology and technical skills, such as GIS data collection and drone operations, into our agriculture and science programs. We are excited to share what our students have been learning at UA Cossatot through the GSTARS grant during the NSF ATE conference," said GSTARS team leader and agriculture faculty, Kelli Harris.

To learn more about this grant and conference, contact Kelli Harris at kharris@cccua.edu. ###

UA researchers receive nearly $18 million to build semiconductor fabrication facility

by Jeff Della Rosa (JDellaRosa@nwabj.com)

University of Arkansas engineering researchers led by distinguished professor Alan Mantooth will use a $17.87 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to build and operate a national silicon carbide research and fabrication facility on campus, according to a Monday (Oct. 4) news release.

“The national impact of having a fabrication facility such as this is enormous,” Mantooth said. “The country that leads the world in advancing silicon carbide semiconductor design and fabrication will also lead the race to market nearly all game-changing technologies, including those used by the military, as well as general electronic devices that are essential to our economy.”

According to the release, the new facility will be the only openly accessible fabrication facility of its kind in the United States, meaning its facilities and services will be available to external researchers. All existing silicon carbide fabrication facilities in the United States are for internal use only, and U.S. research and development of silicon carbide integrated circuits rely on international fabrication. The new UA facility will provide domestic opportunities for prototyping, proof-of-principle demonstrations and device design.

https://talkbusiness.net/2021/10/ua-researchers-receive-nearly-18-million-to-build-semiconductor-fabrication-facility/

Dr. Alan Mantooth, a distinguished professor in the University of Arkansas' electrical engineering department, said the electric power program's collaborative research has added more than $1 billion to the state's economy.

UA Cossatot Receives NSF ATE Grant

UA Cossatot is the recipient of a National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) grant for its "GIS-Skilled Technicians in Agriculture-Related Sciences (GSTARS)" proposal within the College's Agriculture and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs. The primary goal of the GSTARS project is to design and implement a curriculum that meets the region’s need for technician-level GIS skills in agriculture and related science industries. The $299,635 grant will create pathways for future GIS Technicians to enter the local workforce.

The National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education program supports the development of innovative approaches for educating highly skilled technicians for the industries that drive the nation’s economy. The program involves partnerships between academic institutions and industry to promote improvement in the education of science and engineering technicians at the undergraduate and secondary institution school levels.

The GSTARS program will include the integration of GIS skills into existing agriculture and science courses, the creation of a new course (Introduction to GIS in Agriculture) within the agriculture department, and the addition of a Certification of Proficiency in GIS Technology through the agriculture program. Students will use applications of analysis of spatial data using ESRI’s ArcGIS tools in data collection, remote sensing, map design, and spatial analysis.

The GSTARS team includes agriculture faculty and primary investigator (PI), Kelli Harris; co-PI’s Robert Guillory, science faculty, and, Crystal Sims, Chair of the Division of General Education; and external

evaluators, The New Growth Group. New Growth is an evaluation and analytics firm based in Cleveland, Ohio, specializing in workforce development. Several industry representatives will also serve on the program's advisory board to assist in curriculum development and provide important career insight to students enrolled in this program. Some of the local employers represented on the board include Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Arkansas Forestry Division.

“This grant will offer an innovative pathway for students pursuing careers in agriculture and science, and it will provide valuable skills in emerging technology. These skills are crucial to the success of our students and our economy. We are excited to help these students achieve their dreams and support a vibrant, high-tech workforce in southwest Arkansas" said GSTARS team leader and agriculture faculty, Kelli Harris.

Funding will begin in July 2021 and will enable the UA Cossatot team to receive training and develop GIS curriculum that will include exploring mapped data; learning to utilize remote sensing technologies; recording, analyzing, and presenting spatial data using GIS analysis tools from ESRI ArcGIS; and creating maps, images and apps to communicate spatial data. As a step towards diversifying the workforce, UA Cossatot’s collaboration with the public schools will place special emphasis on recruiting underrepresented minority students in skilled technician positions.

To learn more about this grant, contact kharris@cccua.edu. ###