Convergence Research Seminar Series, Dr. Ehsani and Dr. Olsson

Abstract: 

Detecting and managing plant biotic and abiotic stresses is a very important part of crop production. Biotic stressors such as pathogens, pests, and diseases, along with abiotic factors like temperature fluctuations, water stress, and nutrient deficiencies, can significantly impact plant growth. Currently, growers rely mostly on crop scouting and the detection of visual symptoms for the detection of biotic and abiotic stresses. This approach is time-consuming and costly. Also, in many cases, by the time the visual symptoms appear, it is too late to implement an effective stress management strategy. Developing cost-effective sensors that can detect plant stresses at an early stage can play a pivotal role in enabling early and precise identification of stress factors that can compromise plant health and productivity. This talk provides an overview of recent advancements in the detection of both biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. It also covers multiple cutting-edge technologies that are currently being developed by an interdisciplinary research effort at IoT4Ag-NSF Engineering Research Center for plant stress detection.

Bios:

Dr. Ehsani is a professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Merced. His current areas of research cover the intersection of engineering and agriculture, encompassing the area of Precision Agriculture and particularly the development of innovative tools and techniques for plant stress detection and management. In addition, he works on developing automation and intelligent systems for agricultural machinery. He received his Ph.D. in Biological and Agricultural Engineering from the University of California, Davis. Before joining UC Merced in 2017, he worked at the Ohio State University and the University of Florida.

Roy (Troy) H. Olsson III is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include materials, devices, and architectures for low-power processing of wireless, sensor, and biological signals. He received his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2004. He was awarded an R&D100 award in 2011 for his work on Microresonator Filters and Frequency References, was named the 2017 DARPA program manager of the year, was the recipient of the NSF CAREER award in 2019, and was the general chair of the 2022 PiezoMEMS workshop. Troy was awarded the 2022 Bell Labs Prize for his work on Memory Enhanced Computing with III-Nitride Ferrodiodes.