Making a transparent, biodegradable film from crop residue and native grasses—that is the goal assistant professor of dairy and food science Srinivas Janaswamy is pursuing through a three-year, $481,618 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant. What he is doing will benefit farmers as well as the environment.
Associate professor Mostafa Tazarv of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and assistant professor Kwanghee Won of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, are developing artificial intelligence software that scans and pinpoints cracks and other damages in support columns and other structural components.
The longer farmers use cover crops, the more likely they are to see the benefits and to use the conservation practice on a higher percentage of their farmland, according to a survey of eastern South Dakota producers. Those who use cover crops for grazing are more likely to view them as increasing their profitability, even during the first few years.
A National Science Foundation project to determine how a new material--lithium metal--helps increase the stability as well as the storage capacity of lithium-ion batteries can help researchers develop high-performance energy storage devices.
Assistant professor Yue Zhou of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science leads the three-year, nearly $450,000 project.