Source: CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to
RELO: RESEARCH, EXPERIENTIAL AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS IN BIOLOGICAL AND AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING.
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1009780
Grant No.
2016-38422-25544
Cumulative Award Amt.
$274,727.00
Proposal No.
2016-03492
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2016
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2020
Grant Year
2016
Program Code
[NJ]- Hispanic Serving Institutions Education Grants Program
Project Director
Ampatzidis, Y.
Recipient Organization
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY
9001 STOCKDALE HIGHWAY
BAKERSFIELD,CA 93311
Performing Department
Physics and Engineering
Non Technical Summary
The main goal of this 48-month project is to broaden the student body, especially the number of Hispanic and underrepresented students in biological and agricultural engineering (BAE) at CSUB. It addresses NIFA priority areas in climate change, water for agriculture, and food safety. The proposed work will investigate the impact of a comprehensive research-integrated engineering emphasis on student participation and training, towards developing a comprehensive agriculture degree at CSUB.It will develop innovative experiential learning, research and extension opportunities for underrepresented students, in the BEA concentration; the first step towards developing a comprehensive agriculture degree at CSUB.
Animal Health Component
80%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
10%
Applied
80%
Developmental
10%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
4020210202050%
4045310303050%
Knowledge Area
404 - Instrumentation and Control Systems; 402 - Engineering Systems and Equipment;

Subject Of Investigation
0210 - Water resources; 5310 - Machinery and equipment;

Field Of Science
2020 - Engineering; 3030 - Information and communication;
Goals / Objectives
The main objective of this project is to broaden the student body and increase the number of Hispanic and underrepresented students in agricultural engineering emphasis at CSUB. In order to achieve this goal two CSUB departments, the Physics and Engineering department and the Electrical and Computer Engineering department, will work closely together to effectively develop experiential learning (hands-on experience) activities and outreach activities. Another objective of the project is to provide the agricultural engineering students with industrial internships (USDA agencies, UC cooperative extension, local industry) in order to produce graduates with real-world experience and developed engineering skills.This project has three major objectives as detailed below.Increase student enrollment (by 30% every year). The freshman enrollment in the emphasis will grow by a minimum of 50% per yearIncrease of Hispanic and underrepresented students in the agricultural engineering emphasis (60% by the end of fourth year)Increase female enrollment (by 40% at the end of fourth year). The female students will form at least 40% of the student body of the emphasis by the end of the proposed project.The primary USDA educational strategies addressed by this project are detailed below:Faculty preparation and enhancement for teachingAs part of this proposal, the proposing CSUB Engineering faculty members will redesign courses based on student learning outcomes (SLOs) needed by modern agricultural engineers and leaders to solve real-world problems. Such redesign will enhance classroom instruction with project-based learning, hands-on research, and experiential learning opportunities.Student experiential learningThe PIs will develop project-based (hands-on) learning opportunities for BAE students. This is a key step in the continuation of the development of a BAE concentration. These opportunities will increase student learning and develop their engineering skills.Student recruitment and retentionThis project includes student recruitment and retention strategies. The project will use several activities to attract students into the BAE emphasis. These activities are listed and discussed here.Student clubs and organizations: Student members of several organizations on campus are expected to have interest in the BAE emphasis. These students are mainly engineering, math, biology and physics majors. After coordinating with these organizations, the PIs will present the program at the meetings to the students involved in these organizations.Society of Engineers at CSUB: Perhaps the most BAE-relevant student organization on CSUB campus. This society attracts many CSUB students interested in engineering disciplines, and therefore has great potential in introducing quality students to the BAE program.Society of Women Engineers (SWE): Targeting SWE offers our program a unique opportunity to reach female students. This is important for the PIs as female students currently form 61% of the student body of CSUB, but only 20% of the engineering science students (lowest among all the engineering programs offered at CSUB).Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) is the largest student organization for Hispanic students on campus. Reaching out to MEChA will enable the BAE program to reach a diverse body of students.
Project Methods
While CSUB does have summer research programs for high school students and numerous opportunities exist across the country for summer research for upper-classmen, there are very few opportunities to keep students engaged while they are lower-classmen, such as after their first year or when they have first transferred to the institution. To help provide the connections between their degree and future employment, to keep the students motivated, and to keep them engaged with the campus and their major, we propose to develop two enrichment programs for students. Each program will consist of 15 weeks.For program 1, and during the fall semester, students will receive a $1,500 stipend for participation in the 15-weeks research activities (up to 20 hours per week). The program will be advertised to students in May. Students will apply to the program in June. Applications will be screened by a committee of STEM faculty and staff. The committee will be responsible for identifying qualified applicants and for identifying applicants with competitive priority. Five students, with interest in agricultural engineering or science, will be selected from the application pool to participate in each focus area (research and extension projects). In order to achieve the project's objectives, selection will be based on criteria below:Major related to the food and agricultural sciences (e.g. ag engineering emphasis) (30%)Hispanic or underrepresented student (20%)Female (20%)Essay indicating interest in food and agricultural sciences/Desire to pursue a career at USDA or in food and agricultural sciences (10%)Leadership activities and community service (10%)G.P.A. (10%)Requirements:Be a citizen or national of the United StatesMust be attending a public or other non-profit Hispanic-Serving InstitutionThe duration of the program is 15 weeks, from August to December. We will follow the same selection process for the year 2-4.For program 2, and during the spring quarter (January to May), the students will receive a $1,500 stipend for participation in the 15-weeks research and extension program (up to 20 hours per week). The program will be advertised to students in October. Students will apply to the program in November. The same selection process as program 1 will be followed. A "student replacement plan" will be developed in order to replace undergraduate fellows, who terminate the program early. The selection faculty team will be responsible to replace these students (five students) from the application pool. The selected students will come from the local area and hence housing is not necessary.Additionally, we will offer summer activities (internships) to five students (10 week program). The students will receive a $1,000 stipend for participation in the 10-weeks research and extension program. The program will be advertised to students in February. Students will apply to the program in March. The same selection process as program 1 will be followed.

Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience: BAE (Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, CSUB) students, local specialty crop growers and allied industry. Faculty and researchers at various research conferences Changes/Problems:Expect of issues regarding Covid-19 (e.g., lockdowns etc.), we did not experience any other issues. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provides support for research projects for several undergraduate students. Example of projects (hands-on) are: Voice-controlled irrigation system using Amazon Alexa Smart irrigation system using Wireless Sensor Network Remote Sensing using UAVs in agriculture Vision-Based Plant Disease Detection System Using Transfer and Deep Learning Wireless Sensor Network for Flood Irrigation Evaluation and Control Uncertainty Analysis Through Membership Functions Filtration of oilfield water for agricultural irrigation Electrochemical oxidation of wastewater Mechanical properties of textiles after hydrophobic coating application Students also participated in data collection and prepared manuscripts in formats suitable for publication in peer reviewed journals. Students participated during the summer in an internship at the local NRCS office. Two first-generation Hispanic students per year, one male and one female, were selected to go during 6 weeks to a hands-on training under the supervision of a local agricultural engineer. The students were exposed to the different programs at USDA, and the students learned of the Pathways program for a future career in the government. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have developed a web-site (http://www.csub.edu/relo/) for this program to advertise goals/objectives and activities. The students demonstrated their research projects in a variety of events in presence of the PIs. This offered a chance to interested individuals to learn about the program and further familiarize themselves by questioning the PIs present in the events. The PIs also presented the program to several groups of students on campus. In addition, PIs and student participants have presented and published their research findings in venues other than local CSUB events. The students who participated at the NRCS internship presented their summer work to the local USDA staff, USDA HSI liaison, and to other academic staff at Bakersfield College. The students exposed what they have learned during the internship. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Based on the CSUB IRPA, the number of Hispanic and underrepresented students is increased. We also experienced and increase in the female enrollment. A scholarship has been offered every year as part of the program. The recipient of the scholarship was a female student in the BAE emphasis. The grant started in Fall 2016 and ended in Fall 2020. In the table below, the numbers of students enrolled in the emphasis of biosystems and agricultural engineering is shown (Total BAE). The total number of students increases from 12 to 23 in the first year of the grant, then to 28 students in the second year of the grant, and has a decrease to 20 students in Fall 2020. The number of female students in BAE remained constant at around 7. The number of Hispanic students in BAE emphasis increased from 8 to 19 and then to 14 students in the Fall of 2020. The number of graduates of the BAE emphasis in each year increased from 2 students in the year 2016, to 5 in the year of 2019. The decrease in Total number of BAE students and the Hispanic students in the last two years of the grant, could be related to the decrease in the total number of engineering students. In Fall 2016, we had around 312 students enrolled in all engineering sciences program. In Fall 2020, 224 students are enrolled. This decrease could be related to two facts, the change from quarter to semester system and also to the increase in prerequisite in the engineering courses. In the last few years, in order to increase the academic level of the engineering program, several prerequisites have been established for all the engineering courses including lower level courses. A grade of C minus has been required for all prerequisites in the courses. This could have led to a number of students leaving the engineering program in the freshman and sophomore courses. Total BAE Female BAE Hispanic BAE Graduates BAE (year) ENGR total Fall 2020 20 7 14 - 224 Fall 2019 19 6 14 5 256 Fall 2018 28 8 19 2 266 Fall 2017 23 7 19 1 299 Fall 2016 12 7 8 2 312 In response to the interest expressed by CSUB students in participating in research in agriculture engineering and related areas, the PIs formed a team of undergraduate students that conduct research studies. The students work on research projects that contribute to the technical goals of the project. Most undergraduate students lack the theoretical background for such research-intensive project. Therefore, each student required the PIs' attention and time. The PIs had regular meetings with each student, where they can discuss their work and progress. The students had the opportunity to learn about and use relevant software packages as part of their research projects. While they might have been introduced to these software packages in our curriculum, their research experience is quite different and required additional training. In addition, these research projects equipped students with experiences that should exceed typical expectations by most graduate schools, research facilities, or industrial employers. Another aspect of student involvement in research projects has been participation in technical venues such as regional or nation-wide research competitions, as well as writing articles for submission to reputable scientific journals. One of the goals in this program was to disseminate the results of research projects conducted by the students and supervised by the PIs. Student participants have developed, published and presented several publications. This project supported 53 undergraduate students (4-year project) One female Hispanic engineering student was assisted with scholarship, after her graduation, another female Hispanic engineering student was supported.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Michieka, M. N. Ampatzidis, Y. and R. S. Gearhart. 2020. Oil Prices, Housing Market and Spillover Effects Evidence from Californias Central Valley. Journal of Housing Research.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ampatzidis Y., Kiner J., Abdolee R., Ferguson L., 2018. Voice-Controlled and Wireless Solid Set Canopy Delivery (VCW-SSCD) System for Mist-Cooling. Sustainability, Special Issue: Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) for Sustainability, 10(2), 421; doi:10.3390/su10020421
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Cruz A., Ampatzidis Y., Pierro R., Materazzi A., Panattoni A., De Bellis L., Luvisi A., 2019. Detection of Grapevine Yellows Symptoms in Vitis vinifera L. with Artificial Intelligence. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 157 (February 2019), pp. 63-76.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Sadiqbatcha S., Jafarzadeh S., Ampatzidis Y., 2018. Particle swarm optimization for solving a class of type-1 and type-2 fuzzy nonlinear equations. Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Soft Computing Research, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 103-110, doi:10.1515/jaiscr-2018-0007.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Cruz A.C., Luvisi A., De Bellis L., and Ampatzidis Y., 2017. X-FIDO: An Effective Application for Detecting Olive Quick Decline Syndrome with Novel Deep Learning Methods. Frontiers, Plant Sci., 10 October 2017 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.01741.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Ampatzidis Y., and Partel V., 2019. Low-cost and automated remote sensing technology to assess fruit crops utilizing machine vision and artificial intelligence. European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment (EFITA-HAICTA-WCCA Congress), June 27-29, Rhodes, Greece.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Cruz A., Ampatzidis Y., Pierro R., Luvisi A., 2019. Automatic Diagnosis of Olive Quick Decline Syndrome and Grapevine Yellows for the Agriculture Industry. Artificial Intelligence for Industries (ai4i 2019), Laguna Hills, California, September 25-27.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Sadiqbatcha S., Jafarzadeh S., Uncertainty Propagation in Circuit Analysis Using Fuzzy Membership Functions, CSCE Annual Conference, June 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Smizer-Muldoon K., O. Osagie-Amayo, A. Cruz, A. El-kereamy, and Y. Ampatzidis, 2019. A Mobile Application to Detect Grapevine Pierces Disease with Neural Networks. 31st CSU Annual Biotechnology Symposium, Garden Grove, CA, January 3-5, 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ampatzidis Y, 2018. Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence for Pest and Plant Disease Detection. Florida ASABE Conference, June 13-16, Jensen Beach, Florida.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ampatzidis Y., and Cruz A.C., 2018. Plant disease detection utilizing artificial intelligence and remote sensing. International Congress of Plant Pathology (ICPP) 2018: Plant Health in a Global Economy, July 29  August 3, Boston, USA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ampatzidis Y., Cruz A.C., Roberto Pierro, Alberto Materazzi, Alessandra Panattoni, De Bellis L., Luvisi A., 2018. Vision-based System for Detecting Grapevine Yellow Diseases Using Artificial Intelligence. XXX International Horticultural Congress, II International Symposium on Mechanization, Precision Horticulture, and Robotics, 12-16 August, 2018, Istanbul Turkey.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Cruz A.C., El-Kereamy A., and Ampatzidis Y., 2018. Vision-based Grapevine Pierces disease detection system using artificial intelligence. ASABE Annual International Meeting, July 29  August 1, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ehsan Reihani, Alireza Eshraghi, Mahdi Motalleb, and Saeed Jafarzadeh, Frequency Regulation of Microgrid with Battery Droop Control, IEEE PES Transmission and Distribution Conference & Exposition, 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Juan Franco, and Saeed Jafarzadeh, Unscented Transformations for Probabilistic Load Flow, North American Power Symposium, 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Michieka N., and Ampatzidis Y, 2018. The Relationship Between Shocks in Oil Prices and Housing Prices in Oklahoma and Top Oil Producing Regions in the U.S.: A Panel ARDL approach. 36th USAEE/IAEE North American Conference, "Evolving Energy Realities: Adapting to What's Next.". Washington DC, September 23-26, 2018.


Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19

Outputs
Target Audience:BAE (Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, CSUB) students, local specialty crop growers and industry stakeholder. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provides support for research projects for several undergraduate students (13 students). Example of projects (hands-on) are: Voice-controlled irrigation system using Amazon Alexa Smart irrigation system using Wireless Sensor Network Remote Sensing using UAVs in agriculture Vision-Based Plant Disease Detection System Using Transfer and Deep Learning Wireless Sensor Network for Flood Irrigation Evaluation and Control Uncertainty Analysis Through Membership Functions Students also participated in data collection and prepared manuscripts in formats suitable for publication in peer reviewed journals. Students participated during the summer in an internship at the local NRCS office. Two first-generation Hispanic students, one male and one female, were selected to go during 6 weeks to a hands-on training under the supervision of a local agricultural engineer. The students were exposed to the different programs at USDA, and the students learned of the Pathways program for a future career in the government. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The students demonstrated their research projects in a variety of events in presence of the PIs. This offered a chance to interested individuals to learn about the program and further familiarize themselves by questioning the PIs present in the events. The PIs also presented the program to several groups of students on campus. In addition, PIs and student participants have presented and published their research findings in venues other than local CSUB events. The students who participated at the NRCS internship presented their summer work to the local USDA staff, USDA HSI liaison, and to other academic staff at Bakersfield College. The students exposed what they have learned during the internship. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In Year 4, we will continue offering three (applied) research projects (Fall, Spring and Summer Semester; total of 15 students) to keep the students motivated and keep them engaged with the campus and their major. Students will participate in the internship program at the NRCS office to gain hands-on experience to further their career in agricultural areas. We will continue our Outreach Activities to increase student enrollment (Hispanic, underrepresented groups, and females). We will continue providing the scholarship to a female student and several internships (local industry, USDA etc.).

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Based on the CSUB ERPA, the number of Hispanic and underrepresented students is increased. We also experienced and increase in the female enrollment. A scholarship has been offered every year as part of the program. The recipient of the scholarship was a female student in the BAE emphasis. Since this report is due before CSUB's census day, we could not provide the most recent data. Nonetheless, we expect positive data after census day based on promising preliminary data we received so far. One of the goals in this program is to disseminate the results of research projects conducted by the students and supervised by the PIs. Student participants have developed, published and presented several publications. For the last year, this project supported 13 undergraduate students. In the 2019/2020 academic year, students will present their work at various undergraduate conferences at the University. Winning posters and presentations will be presented with the opportunity to compete at state level competitions.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Cruz A., Ampatzidis Y., Pierro R., Materazzi A., Panattoni A., De Bellis L., Luvisi A., 2019. Detection of Grapevine Yellows Symptoms in Vitis vinifera L. with Artificial Intelligence. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 157 (February 2019), pp. 63-76.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Cruz A., Ampatzidis Y., Pierro R., Luvisi A., 2019. Automatic Diagnosis of Olive Quick Decline Syndrome and Grapevine Yellows for the Agriculture Industry. Artificial Intelligence for Industries (ai4i 2019), Laguna Hills, California, September 25-27.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Ampatzidis Y., and Partel V., 2019. Low-cost and automated remote sensing technology to assess fruit crops utilizing machine vision and artificial intelligence. European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment (EFITA-HAICTA-WCCA Congress), June 27-29, Rhodes, Greece.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Smizer-Muldoon K., O. Osagie-Amayo, A. Cruz, A. El-kereamy, and Y. Ampatzidis, 2019. A Mobile Application to Detect Grapevine Pierces Disease with Neural Networks. 31st CSU Annual Biotechnology Symposium, Garden Grove, CA, January 3-5, 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Michieka N., and Ampatzidis Y, 2019. Oil prices, the housing market and spillover effects: Evidence from California's central valley. WRSA 58th Annual Meeting (Western Regional Science Association), Napa Valley, CA, February 10-13.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Michieka N., and Ampatzidis Y, 2018. The Relationship Between Shocks in Oil Prices and Housing Prices in Oklahoma and Top Oil Producing Regions in the U.S.: A Panel ARDL approach. 36th USAEE/IAEE North American Conference, "Evolving Energy Realities: Adapting to What's Next.". Washington DC, September 23-26, 2018.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Sadiqbatcha S., Jafarzadeh S., Ampatzidis Y., 2018. Particle swarm optimization for solving a class of type-1 and type-2 fuzzy nonlinear equations. Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Soft Computing Research, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 103-110, doi:10.1515/jaiscr-2018-0007.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Sadiqbatcha S., Jafarzadeh S., Uncertainty Propagation in Circuit Analysis Using Fuzzy Membership Functions, CSCE Annual Conference, June 2019.


Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18

Outputs
Target Audience:We used several activities/events to attract students into the BAE (Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering) emphasis at CSUB. The PIs supervised the student research project as part of the program. The results of these research projects are used to advertise the program on campus. The students demonstrated their research projects in a variety of events in presence of the PIs. This offered a chance to interested individuals to learn about the program and further familiarize themselves by questioning the PIs present in the events. The PIs also presented the program to several groups of students on campus as listed below: Society of Engineers at CSUB Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) Engineering Day The website of this program is: http://www.csub.edu/relo Changes/Problems:Based on the results of the program and the steady increase in the enrollment, the PIs believe that the program implementation is on the right track to achieve the objectives detailed in the original proposal. While the PIs see minor changes as great tools to improve the program, they see no need to major changes to the program. The opportunities provided by the program to the students is valuable and PIs are grateful for the support by USDA that enabled them in pursuing this program. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This program supported the research activities/projects of several students. It generated several conference publications for the year 2. Example of projects (hands-on) are: Voice-controlled irrigation system using Amazon Alexa Smart irrigation system using Wireless Sensor Network Remote Sensing using UAVs in agriculture Vision-Based Plant Disease Detection System Using Transfer and Deep Learning Wireless Sensor Network for Flood Irrigation Evaluation and Control How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have developed a web-site (http://www.csub.edu/relo/) for this program to advertise goals/objectives and activities. The students demonstrated their research projects in a variety of events in presence of the PIs. This offered a chance to interested individuals to learn about the program and further familiarize themselves by questioning the PIs present in the events. The PIs also presented the program to several groups of students on campus. In addition, PIs and student participants have presented and published their research findings in venues other than local CSUB events. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In Year 3, we will continue offering three (applied) research projects (Fall, Spring and Summer Semester; total of 15 students) to keep the students motivated and keep them engaged with the campus and their major. We will continue our Outreach Activities to increase student enrollment (Hispanic, underrepresented groups, and females). We will continue providing the scholarship to a female student and several internships (local industry, USDA etc.).

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Regarding the three major objectives: Increase student enrollment Increase of Hispanic and underrepresented students in the agricultural engineering emphasis Increase female enrollment The statistics reflecting the progress in achieving these objectives are obtained through CSUB ERPA. The data shows an increase in student enrollment (Hispanic and underrepresented students). The female enrollment has also been increased. The official data for Fall 2018 enrollment will not be available until after CSUB census day. However, the preliminary data based on local software looks promising. As part of the program a scholarship has been offered to a female student to follow the BAE emphasis. The PI attended the Principal Investigators Meeting. One of the goals in this program is to disseminate the results of research projects conducted by the students and supervised by the PIs. Student participants have developed, published and presented nine publications.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Cruz A., Ampatzidis Y., Pierro R., Materazzi A., Panattoni A., De Bellis L., Luvisi A., 2018. Detection of Grapevine Yellows Symptoms in Vitis vinifera L. with Artificial Intelligence. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ampatzidis Y., Kiner J., Abdolee R., Ferguson L., 2018. Voice-Controlled and Wireless Solid Set Canopy Delivery (VCW-SSCD) System for Mist-Cooling. Sustainability, Special Issue: Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) for Sustainability, 10(2), 421; doi:10.3390/su10020421.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ampatzidis Y, 2018. Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence for Pest and Plant Disease Detection. Florida ASABE Conference, June 13-16, Jensen Beach, Florida.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Cruz A.C., El-Kereamy A., and Ampatzidis Y., 2018. Vision-based Grapevine Pierces disease detection system using artificial intelligence. ASABE Annual International Meeting, July 29  August 1, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ampatzidis Y., and Cruz A.C., 2018. Plant disease detection utilizing artificial intelligence and remote sensing. International Congress of Plant Pathology (ICPP) 2018: Plant Health in a Global Economy, July 29  August 3, Boston, USA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ampatzidis Y., Cruz A.C., Roberto Pierro, Alberto Materazzi, Alessandra Panattoni, De Bellis L., Luvisi A., 2018. Vision-based System for Detecting Grapevine Yellow Diseases Using Artificial Intelligence. XXX International Horticultural Congress, II International Symposium on Mechanization, Precision Horticulture, and Robotics, 12-16 August, 2018, Istanbul Turkey.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Juan Franco, and Saeed Jafarzadeh, Unscented Transformations for Probabilistic Load Flow, North American Power Symposium, 2018.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Ehsan Reihani, Alireza Eshraghi, Mahdi Motalleb, and Saeed Jafarzadeh, Frequency Regulation of Microgrid with Battery Droop Control, IEEE PES Transmission and Distribution Conference & Exposition, 2018.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Cruz A.C., Luvisi A., De Bellis L., and Ampatzidis Y., 2017. X-FIDO: An Effective Application for Detecting Olive Quick Decline Syndrome with Novel Deep Learning Methods. Frontiers, Plant Sci., 10 October 2017 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.01741.


Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/17

Outputs
Target Audience:We used several activities/events to attract students into the BAE (Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering) emphasis at CSUB. The PIs and the students involved in this program presented the project's activities/objectives, and demonstrated several research projects in: Society of Engineers at CSUB: This society attracts many CSUB students interested in engineering disciplines, and therefore had great potential in introducing quality students to the BAE program. Society of Women Engineers (SWE): Targeting SWE offers our program a unique opportunity to reach female students. Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) is the largest student organization for Hispanic students on campus. Reaching out to MEChA enabled the BAE program to reach a diverse body of students. Engineering courses: ENGR 1618 and 1628 (Introduction to Engineering I & II); ENGR 2110 and 2120 (Analytic Mechanics: Statics and Dynamics); ENGR 3400 (Soil and Water Resource Management); ENGR 3410 (Agricultural Machines and Instrumentation). RevitalizingScience University Program (REVS-UP): REVS-UP is an industry sponsored summer research program for local high school students interested in STEM disciplines. The research projects span four weeks and are supervised by CSUB faculty. Several successful BAE-related projects have been conducted under REVS-UP in the past few years. We (students and faculty) demonstrated practical research projects during the REVS-UP event (July 2017). Engineering Day: The engineering day at CSUB is an annual event that educates local students about engineering careers and opportunities in local industries, and how CSUB engineering programs can help them reach their professional goals. The PIs presented the BAE program and the NIFA funded program to the students. Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP2): MSEIP2 is a 4-week summer research program, similar in concept to REVS-UP, which is for academically talented first and second year students. The PIs presented the activities of this program to identify and attract interested students. Web-site of this project: http://www.csub.edu/relo/ Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This program supported the research activities/projects of 10 students (5 in the Fall Semester and 5 in Spring). It generated five conference publications for the year 1. Example of projects (hands-on) are: Voice-controlled irrigation system using Amazon Alexa Smart irrigation system using Wireless Sensor Network Remote Sensing using UAVs in agriculture Vision-Based Plant Disease Detection System Using Transfer and Deep Learning Wireless Sensor Network for Flood Irrigation Evaluation and Control Additionally, the PI and a student attended the Principal Investigators Meeting on February 16-18 in Albuquerque, NM, USA. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?First of all, we have developed a web-site (http://www.csub.edu/relo/) for this program to advertise goals/objectives and activities. PIs and student participants have presented and published five conference papers. PIs and student participants have reached student's clubs and events to demonstrate their projects. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In Year 2, we will continue offering three (applied) research projects (Fall, Spring and Summer Semester; total of 15 students) to keep the students motivated and keep them engaged with the campus and their major. We will continue our Outreach Activities to increase student enrollment (Hispanic, underrepresented groups, and females). We will continue providing the scholarship to a female student and several internships (local industry, USDA etc.).

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Regarding the three major objectives: Increase student enrollment Increase of Hispanic and underrepresented students in the agricultural engineering emphasis Increase female enrollment We will measure and report increases during the Fall 2017 Semester. We offered a scholarship to a female student to follow the BAE emphasis. Additionally, the PI and a student attended the Principal Investigators Meeting on February 16-18 in Albuquerque, NM, USA. Student participants (10 students for the first year of the project) have developed, published and presented five conference papers and posters. The PIs redesigned a course (ENGR 3410; Agricultural Machines and Instrumentation) adding project-based activities and hands-on research (e.g. development of a remote-controlled lawn mower; development of a voice-controlled irrigation system). Regarding the "student recruitment and retention strategies": We have developed a web-site for this program (http://www.csub.edu/relo/) and presented the activities in several students' clubs and events (please see section "description of the target audience(s) reached by your efforts during this reporting period only"). Finally, we have developed a well-organized mentoring plan.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Samara O., Harmening T., Meyer J., Curtis R., Moore T., and Ampatzidis Y., 2017. Development of a Solar UAV for Long Endurance Flights of Industrial Payloads. ASABE California-Nevada Section, poster competition, February 15, Tulare, California, USA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Snowden T., Trudeau D., Martin K., Pulido-Mejia Y., Lai P., and Ampatzidis Y., 2017. Development of Wireless Sensor Network for Flood Irrigation Evaluation and Control. Principal Investigators Meeting, USDA, February 16-18, Albuquerque, NM, USA (poster).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Cruz A., De Bellis L., Luvisi A., and Ampatzidis Y., 2017. Vision-Based Plant Disease Detection System Using Transfer and Deep Learning. ASABE 2017, Annual International Meeting, July 16  July 19, 2017, Spokane, WA, USA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Trudeau D., Ward J., Zhang L., Ferguson L., and Ampatzidis Y., 2017. Automated solid state canopy delivery (SSCD) system to deliver mist-cooling to increase winter chill for dormancy and bud break. ASABE 2017, Annual International Meeting, July 16  July 19, 2017, Spokane, WA, USA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Sadiqbatcha S., Jafarzadeh S., and Ampatzidis Y., 2017. Particle Swarm Optimization for Solving a Class of Type-1 and Type-2 Fuzzy Nonlinear Equations. In: Proceedings of FUZZ-IEEE (IEEE International Conference on Fuzzy Systems), July 9-12, Naples, Italy.