Source: THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO submitted to NRP
ALFA-IOT: ALLIANCE FOR SMART AGRICULTURE IN THE INTERNET OF THINGS ERA
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1016865
Grant No.
2018-38422-28564
Cumulative Award Amt.
$999,976.00
Proposal No.
2018-03962
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2018
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2023
Grant Year
2018
Program Code
[NJ]- Hispanic Serving Institutions Education Grants Program
Recipient Organization
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO
500 WEST UNIVERSITY AVE
EL PASO,TX 79902
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Industry and educational leaders have predicted that the internet of things and data analytics will be fundamental to the future of increased food production and sustainable agriculture through enhanced production, resource efficiency, and improved adaptation to climate change. ALFA-IoT (ALliance For Smart Agriculture in the Internet of Things Era) is a multi-disciplinary alliance comprised of The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), New Mexico State University (NMSU) and The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) with the main goal of establishing an educational network focused on educating and empowering a new generation of digital citizens who can enable Smart Agricultural Systems through the understanding of the Internet of Agricultural Things and Data Analytics. ALFA-IoT promotes collaboration that bridges disciplines, departments, and institutions to broaden the treatment of Agriculture in the overall curriculum. The future of agriculture is on collecting, analyzing and using data for optimized decision making to maximize farm resiliency and efficiency. The use of new technological developments such as the Internet of Agricultural Things and Data Analytics are necessary to move agriculture to a more productive path and to sustain an education in agriculture that meets the challenges of the 21st century and beyond. Therefore, investment in education that broadens the treatment of agriculture in the overall curriculum is of vital importance. Through ALFA-IoT, we will recruit, inspire, train, and ultimately graduate 15 undergraduates and 12 Master of Science students capable of enhancing the nation's food, agricultural, and natural resource scientific and professional work force.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
40274102020100%
Knowledge Area
402 - Engineering Systems and Equipment;

Subject Of Investigation
7410 - General technology;

Field Of Science
2020 - Engineering;
Goals / Objectives
The ALliance For Smart Agriculture in the Internet of Things Era (ALFA-IoT) is a multi-disciplinary alliance comprised of The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), New Mexico State University (NMSU) and The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) with the main goal of establishing an educational network focused on educating and empowering a new generation of digital citizens who can enable smart agricultural systems through the understanding of big data and analytics. ALFA-IoT is not only a partnership but a strategic alliance that promotes collaboration that bridges disciplines, departments, and institutions to broaden the treatment of Agriculture in the overall curriculum and, augment institutional capacities in the Internet of Agricultural Things area to ultimately enable students achieve USDA Career Success. Our three Hispanic Serving Institutions involved in this project are firmly dedicated to provide educational opportunities to underrepresented minorities who otherwise may not be able to obtain a 4-year degree.The long term goals of ALFA-IoT are: 1) Foster collaboration among multiple participants and disciplines, 2) Serve as a focal point with the proposed educational activities throughout the region/nation in data analytics and the Internet of Agricultural Things, 3) Develop new curricula aligned with USDA needs in the Smart Agriculture area to train the next generation of Hispanic leaders, 4) Synergize the efforts of multiple investigators at different institutions to meet and continue the ALFA-IoT's objectives, and 5) Maintain strategic relationships with the USDA agencies so that students can be employed through USDA supported summer internship training programs.This project responds to the following USDA-NIFA priority need areas: (i) Food Security, and (ii) Climate Variability and Change as mentioned in the 2014-2018 USDA Strategic Plan. More specifically, our project advances the HSI Education Grants Program Goals through the development and implementation of the innovative ALFA-IoT project which has the potential to become an educational model for other institutions that serve underrepresented students, at the regional or national level. Specifically, we plan to, 1) Recruit, train, retain and graduate at least 15 UG students and 12 MS students, 2) Enhance the quality of postsecondary instruction through innovative teaching methods that promote access to powerful collaborative learning through real-life problem solving, 3) Amplify the agricultural narrative within the STEM careers, 4) Provide student experiential learning opportunities to participating students, 5) Develop problem solving and leadership skills through participation in global experiences, and 6) Provide opportunities and access to USDA careers
Project Methods
Alliance Coordination. UTEP, as the leading institution, will provide a unique platform for interaction of on-campus and off-campus participants to facilitate the achievement of the proposed objectives. A kick-off meeting will be held at UTEP to ensure that all institutions are aligned with the project objectives. Subsequently, at the beginning of each year, project directors from each institution (Taboada, Su, and Valles) will participate in the USDA-HSI's annual project directors meeting and will meet in person to assign and prioritize tasks; revise the plan; and assess the degree of completion of the different stated objectives such as student internships, student recruitment and retention, Smart Agriculture curricula development status, student mentorship and project evaluation plans (IDRA and internal). PD Taboada will be responsible for collecting individual reports received from institutional PDs to compile a yearly report. Project directors will have regular communication through emails, phone, and social media.Program Execution: Participating faculty at each institution will be responsible for recruiting, selecting, and tracking students at their institution. Selection of students will be a competitive process, involving choice of major, GPA, interview, and a personal statement. PDs at each institution will be responsible to supervise faculty and student salaries or stipends, student selection processes, travel for faculty and students to conferences or meetings, travel to USDA internships and faculty-mentored research experiences.Program Management: UTEP's College of Engineering will be the management entity for ALFA-IoT. COE staff includes the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies (Dr. Heidi Taboada), Co-PD Jose Espiritu, Graduate Program Director of IMSE Department, and assistant director and grant manager. they will form the management team for ALFA-IoT, managing student stipends, travel, managing subcontracts with collaborating institutions, and coordinating collaboration with USDA.Porject evaluation: The primary intent of the evaluation is to contribute to the achievements and success of the project as it unfolds and evolves. We plan to have two types of independent evaluations. The first one to be performed by an internal project data analyst and the second type of evaluation will be a meta-evaluation performed by IDRA (Intercultural Development Research Association).

Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/23

Outputs
Target Audience:Ph.D, MS Undergraduate, Community College and K-12 students. Faculty at our partner institutions Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Development of professional certificates and microcredentials How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated through conference presentations, participation in local outreach activities across our institutions, participation with several USDA agencies, and local industry. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The outputs produced by this project are divided according to each of the educational need areas addressed in this project -(a) Curricula Design and Materials Development - Across the consortium, 2 new 3-credit hour courses related to Data Analysis, entrepreneurship and the Internet of Things were developed. Additionally, 6 new learning modules have been designed and embedded into different courses. (c) Instruction Delivery systems - The two 3-credit hour courses and 2 learning modules were fully developed online. (e) Student Experiential Learning - Across the consortium, 95 students were supported during the duration of the award and over 25 peer-reviewed publications were produced by ALFA-IoT faculty and students. (f) Student Recruitment and Retention -the consortium supported through this award a total of 95 students (8 PhD, 24 MS and 63 UG students). 12 faculty members participated in this project during the duration of the award. (INDICATOR 1). Total number of USDA Agencies and Partners. Our consortium is partnering with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) - (Temple, Texas; El Reno, Oklahoma; Fort Collins, Colorado; Florence, South Carolina; Raleigh, North Carolina; Booneville, Arkansas and Fayetteville, Arkansas), U.S. National Poultry Research Center - Quality and Safety Assessment Research Unit, Athens, Georgia; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Fort Worth, Texas. USDA Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center, TAMUK - Citrus Center, Forest Service - Forest Products Laboratory, NM Climate Center that includes: ZiaMet weather station network, NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES), and the NMSU Aggie Innovation Space. (INDICATOR 2). Total number of internships (USDA vs. other). (INDICATOR 2) During the duration of the award, 68 students had summer research internship positions; 15 of them at USDA related agencies; 6 at industry and 47 at research labs at our collaborating universities. USDA-NIFA (1), USDA-ARS (12), USDA-NRCS (2), Industry (6), and Research Labs (47) at the participating universities in the consortium. (INDICATOR 3). Total number of Students served/including gender and ethnicity. During the duration of the award, across the consortium institutions, 95 students were supported; 44 female students; 51 male students. (INDICATOR 4). Total percent of retention Undergraduate/grad/Ph.Ds).Over the duration of the award, we achieved a 100% retention in the M.S and Ph.D levels and 96% retention at the UG level. (INDICATOR 5) Total number of students in experiential learning (research) mentoring. A total of 79 students participated in research work at our consortium institutions, and partner agencies. (INDICATOR 6). Total number of participants presenting. 37 research presentations were given by ALFA-IoT students/faculty at either regional or national conferences. (INDICATOR 7). Total number of students enrolled in disciplines applicable to USDA jobs. All students being supported under The ALliance For Smart Agriculture in the Internet of Things Era (ALFA-IoT) were enrolled in disciplines applicable to USDA jobs. (INDICATOR 8). Total number of degrees awarded with USDA qualifications. All participating students who have graduated have obtained degrees with USDA qualifications (INDICATOR 9). Total number of students publishing. During the duration of the award, over 25 peer-reviewed publications were produced by ALFA-IoT faculty and students. (INDICATOR 10). Comparison of GPAs before and after. All students are performing well; the UG students have a GPA above 3.0, graduate students have a GPA above 3.75. (INDICATOR 11). Developing curriculum and faculty for required USDA courses. during the duration of the award, two 3-credit hour classes on Data Analysis, entrepreneurship and the Internet of Things were developed and the data analytics class is being offered every Spring semester at UTEP. Moreover, a total of 6 learning modules (shared among participating institutions) have been developed (Project Management, Data Analytics and Modeling, Internet of Things applications in Agriculture, experimental measurements of infiltration and soil moisture using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Water Systems Design, processing UAV collected data in ArcGIS for GIS and Hydrologic and Hydraulic Modeling, supply chain analytics). (INDICATOR 12). Comparison of female success (before and after): gender and ethnicity. 95 students were supported; 44 female students and 51 male students; a total of 81 students are Hispanic. (INDICATOR 13). Total number of students honors advising and tutoring. 49 students enrolled in honor classes and supporting ALFA-IoT students. (INDICATOR 14). Tracking student placement into jobs or graduate school/student mobility. 35 students have earned their undergraduate degrees, 15 have achieved master's degrees, and 2 have successfully completed their Ph.D. programs. It's noteworthy that ALFA-IoT students are actively progressing toward their degrees or furthering their studies at the graduate level. (INDICATOR 15). Track research activities/ English skills. English proficiency is a mandatory competency component of all ALFA-IoT students. All students are required to submit written reports for their research/educational activities. Students performing research are also asked to submit periodical reports to ALFA-IoT faculty mentors. (INDICATOR 16) K-12 activities. At all consortium universities, there have been several summer activities directed to engage and attract K-12 students in the field of Sustainability and National Resource Management. For instance, at UTEP, ALFA-IoT faculty participated in the summer Excites outreach program with virtual presentations to middle and high school students using 2 different learning modules developed for this purpose. At NMSU, ALFA-IoT faculty participated in the Pre-Program in the College of Engineering at for High School and Middle School Students, in research project presentation for Gadsden High School in Anthony, New Mexico, in the Arrowhead High School Career Fair as well as Cruces Public School presentations during their career fairs. At UTA Dr. Su made a presentation in Freshman Interest Group for Math majors. Dr. Cantu works with Freshman Interest Group for engineering students. (INDICATOR 17). Community engagement activities. ALFA-IoT students and faculty attended the 2021 Gulf States Math Alliance conference and mentored minority Math students. We Held meetings with Red Chile Institute in New Mexico to present project outcomes, ALFA-IoT students participated in senior design projects such as 1) Internet of Things (IoT) Rain Gauge Device, 2) Implementing the Internet of Things to fully automate agricultural production systems, 3) Remote sensing applications, 4) Development of a Loop Mediated-Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) in Food Technology, and 5) Data analysis for weather modeling prediction and among other projects. (INDICATOR 18) Budget expenditures schedule due to COVID restrictions across our academic institutions and federal agencies (travel to conferences, student internships, etc.). We expect get back on track now that the pandemic restrictions are being lifted. (INDICATOR 19). Program activities/implementation. The proposed activities were successfully achieved. Other highlights of the program were: Having a number of exchanges with ARS researchers and collaboration with UTEP/NMSU/UTA/TAMUK researchers in this project. UTA/UTEP/NMSU/TAMUK successfully secured a USDA NIFA Agricultural Workforce Development grant $500K for 3 years to extend the successful experience to community college students. This is in collaboration with USDA NRCS in Fort Worth. Having guided students on organizing and presenting research activities, conducting academic journal reviews and academic journal writings; Excellent coordination with PIs and other collaborators for project management.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Sayed Kaes Maruf Hossain, Azul Toledo Vega, Delia Valles-Rosales, Young Ho Park, Sarada Kuravi & Hansuk Sohn. Particulate suspension: a review of studies characterizing particulates and volatile organic compounds emissions during additive manufacturing processes, Particulate Science and Technology (2022); DOI: 10.1080/02726351.2022.2094301.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: P. Cabrales-Arellano, E. Park, M. Minior, E. Delgado, D. Valles-Rosales, H. Taboada, J. Espiritu, S. Jianzhong, Y. H. Park. Rapid identification of Staphylococcus aureus based on fluorescence imaging/detection platform that combines Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification assay and the smartphone-based system. Scientific Reports, Vol. 12, 20655 (2022).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Ana Cram, Jose Espiritu, Heidi Taboada, Delia Valles, Young Ho Park, Efren Delgado, Jianzhong Su. Multi-objective biofuel feedstock optimization considering different land-use scenarios and watershed impacts. Clean Technologies and Recycling, Vol. 2 (2), 103-118 (2022).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Diaz-Mendoza, J. M., Valles-Rosales D. J., Park, Y.H., Sabo, R. C., Micromechanical Modeling for Tensile Properties of Wood Plastic Composites: Use of Pruned Waste from Pecan Orchards as Sustainable Material for Reinforcement of Thermoplastic Composite. Polymers, 14(3), 504 (2022); https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14030504.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Sapkota G, Delgado E, VanLeeuwen DF. Holguin O, Flores N, Heyduck R, Yao S. 2023. Dynamics of Nutrients in Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) at Different Maturity Stages, Cultivars, and Locations. HortScience 58(2):155163.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Gamero-Barraza, J.I., Pamanes-Carrasco, GA., Delgado, E, Medrano-Roldan, H, Gallegos-Ibanez, D, Reyes-Jaquez, D. 2022. Black Soldier Fly: Prospection of the inclusion of insect-based ingredients in extruded foods. Food Chemistry Advances, 100075.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: N�jera-Dom�nguez C, Guti�rrez-M�ndez N, Carballo-Carballo DE, Peralta-P�rez MR, S�nchez-Ram�rez B, Nevarez-Moorill�n GV, Quintero-Ramos A, Garc�a-Triana A, Delgado E. 2022. Milk-Gelling Properties of Proteases Extracted from the Fruits of Solanum Elaeagnifolium Cavanilles. International Journal of Food Science.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Quintero, J., Torres, JD., Corrales-Garcia, LL., Ciro, G., Delgado, E., Rojas, J. 2022. Effect of the concentration, pH, and Ca2+ ions on the rheological properties of isolate proteins from quinoa, lentil, and black bean. Foods, 11, 3116.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Framework to develop an open-source forage data network to improve primary productivity and enhance system resiliency, A. J. Ashworth, L. Marshall, J. J. Volenec, M. D. Casler, M. T. Berti, E. van Santen, C. L. Williams, V. Gopakumar, J. L. Foster, T. Propst, V. Picasso, J. Su. Agronomy Journal. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.21441
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Diverse eastern gamagrass ecotypes: General characteristics, ploidy levels, and biogeography James R. Kiniry, Amber S. Williams, Jacqueline Jacot, Alan Shadow, Melinda Brakie, Byron Burson, Russell Jessup, Ron Cordsiemon, Sumin Kim, Angela Avila, Sabry G. Elias. Crop Science. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.21103
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Jacqueline Jacot, Dawn M. Browning, Addison Coronel, Amber S. Williams, Jianzhong Su,James R. Kiniry Use of PhenoCam Measurements and Image Analysis to Inform the ALMANAC Process-based Simulation Model. Journal of Experimental Agriculture International, 43(4), 120-144.


Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience:Ph.D, MS Undergraduate, Community College and K-12 students. Faculty at our partner institutions Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The different online learning modules developed for the data analytics and entrepreneurship class is now going to be shared among participating institutions and used for a study abroad program. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated through conference presentations, participation in local outreach activities across our institutions, participation with several USDA agencies, and local industry. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The outputs produced by this project are divided according to each of the educational need areas addressed in this project -(a) Curricula Design and Materials Development - Across the consortium, 2 new 3-credit hour courses related to Data Analysis, entrepreneurship and the Internet of Things were developed. Additionally, 6 new learning modules have been designed and embedded into different courses. (c) Instruction Delivery systems - The two 3-credit hour courses and 2 learning modules were fully developed online. (e) Student Experiential Learning - Across the consortium, 39 students were supported during the duration of the award and over 10 peer-reviewed publications were produced by ALFA-IoT faculty and students. (f) Student Recruitment and Retention -the consortium supported through this award a total of 39 students (2 PhD, 9 MS and 28 UG students). (INDICATOR 1). Total number of USDA Agencies and Partners. Our consortium is partnering with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) - (Temple, Texas; El Reno, Oklahoma; Fort Collins, Colorado; Florence, South Carolina; Raleigh, North Carolina; Booneville, Arkansas and Fayetteville, Arkansas), U.S. National Poultry Research Center - Quality and Safety Assessment Research Unit, Athens, Georgia; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Fort Worth, Texas. USDA Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center, TAMUK - Citrus Center, Forest Service - Forest Products Laboratory, NM Climate Center that includes: ZiaMet weather station network, NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES), and the NMSU Aggie Innovation Space. (INDICATOR 2). Total number of internships (USDA vs. other). (INDICATOR 2) During year 4, 34 students had research internship positions; 10 of them at USDA related agencies; and 24 at research labs at our collaborating universities. USDA-ARS (6), USDA-NRCS (2), USDA-Forest service (2) and Research Labs (24) at the participating universities in the consortium. (INDICATOR 3). Total number of Students served/including gender and ethnicity. During year 4, across the consortium institutions, 39 students were supported; 14 female students; 25 male students. (INDICATOR 4). Total percent of retention Undergraduate/grad/Ph.Ds).during year 4, we achieved a 100% retention in the M.S and Ph.D levels and 96.42% retention at the UG level. (INDICATOR 5) Total number of students in experiential learning (research) mentoring. A total of 34 students participated in research work at our consortium institutions, and partner agencies. (INDICATOR 6). Total number of participants presenting. 21 research presentations were given by ALFA-IoT students/faculty at either regional or national conferences. (INDICATOR 7). Total number of students enrolled in disciplines applicable to USDA jobs. All students being supported under The ALliance For Smart Agriculture in the Internet of Things Era (ALFA-IoT) were enrolled in disciplines applicable to USDA jobs. (INDICATOR 8). Total number of degrees awarded with USDA qualifications. All participating students who have graduated have obtained degrees with USDA qualifications (INDICATOR 9). Total number of students publishing. During year 4, over 10 peer-reviewed publications were produced by ALFA-IoT faculty and students. (INDICATOR 10). Comparison of GPAs before and after. All students are performing well; the UG students have a GPA above 3.0, graduate students have a GPA above 3.75. (INDICATOR 11). Developing curriculum and faculty for required USDA courses. during year 4, one 3-credit hour class on Data Analytics and Entrepreneurship was developed and was offered during the Spring semester at TAMUK. Moreover, a total of Additional 2 learning modules (shared among participating institutions) were developed at NMSU. (INDICATOR 12). Comparison of female success (before and after): gender and ethnicity. 39 students were supported; 14 female students and 25 male students; a total of 31 students are Hispanic. (INDICATOR 13). Total number of students honors advising and tutoring. 49 students enrolled in honor classes and supporting ALFA-IoT students. (INDICATOR 14). Tracking student placement into jobs or graduate school/student mobility. 15 students have earned their undergraduate degrees, 7 have achieved master's degrees, and 1 has successfully completed their Ph.D. program. It's noteworthy that ALFA-IoT students are actively progressing toward their degrees or furthering their studies at the graduate level. (INDICATOR 15). Track research activities/ English skills. English proficiency is a mandatory competency component of all ALFA-IoT students. All students are required to submit written reports for their research/educational activities. Students performing research are also asked to submit periodical reports to ALFA-IoT faculty mentors. (INDICATOR 16) K-12 activities. At all consortium universities, there have been several summer activities directed to engage and attract K-12 students in the field of Sustainability and National Resource Management. For instance, at UTEP, ALFA-IoT faculty participated in the summer Excites outreach program with virtual presentations to middle and high school students using 2 different learning modules developed for this purpose. At NMSU, ALFA-IoT faculty participated in the Pre-Program in the College of Engineering at for High School and Middle School Students, in research project presentation for Gadsden High School in Anthony, New Mexico, in the Arrowhead High School Career Fair as well as Cruces Public School presentations during their career fairs. At UTA Dr. Su made a presentation in Freshman Interest Group for Math majors. Dr. Cantu works with Freshman Interest Group for engineering students. (INDICATOR 17). Community engagement activities. ALFA-IoT students and faculty attended the 2021 Gulf States Math Alliance conference and mentored minority Math students. We Held meetings with Red Chile Institute in New Mexico to present project outcomes, ALFA-IoT students participated in senior design projects such as 1) Internet of Things (IoT) Rain Gauge Device, 2) Implementing the Internet of Things to fully automate agricultural production systems, 3) Remote sensing applications, 4) Development of a Loop Mediated-Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) in Food Technology, and 5) Data analysis for weather modeling prediction and among other projects. (INDICATOR 18) The budget expenditures were meticulously executed in accordance with the established schedule. This disciplined financial management ensured that allocated funds were disbursed efficiently and as planned (INDICATOR 19). Program activities/implementation. The proposed activities were successfully achieved.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: Forage Data Hub  a platform for sharing valuable datasets for resilience Ashworth, A.J.; Marshall, L.; Volenec, J.; Berti, M.; van Santen, E.; Williams, C.; Gopakumar, V.; Su, J. Proceeding for International Grasslands Congress, 2022
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Estrade, E., Li, D., Gao, S., Wienhold, K., Sisson, P., Fang, Z. (2019), Study the Effect of Different Vegetation Types on Infiltration and Soil Water Retention for Flood Control Purposes using In-Situ Infiltration Test and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, American Geophysical Union Annual Conference 2019, San Francisco, CA, December, 2019
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Estrade, E., Li, D., Gao, S., Wienhold, K., Sisson, P., Fang, Z. (2019), Study the Effect of Different Vegetation Types on Infiltration and Soil Water Retention for Flood Control Purposes using In-Situ Infiltration Test and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD), Houston, TX September, 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Rodriguez, J. (2020). MINIMIZING FOOD WASTE IN THE PERISHABLE FOOD DISTRIBUTION NETWORKA REVIEW OF OPTIMIZATION MODELS. Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Management 2020 International Annual Conference


Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21

Outputs
Target Audience:Ph.D, MS Undergraduate, Community College and K-12 students. Faculty at our partner institutions Changes/Problems:Supporting students for summer internships (or conferences) to other states have been a challenge due to COVID, the PI for the project assumes a leadership position at another institution (project activities continued but had to be adjusted to accomedate the change) What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The different online learning modules developed by the participating institutions are now going to be used for microcredentialing (1 credit each module), additonally, we are consideing the creating of digital badges for those students who go over the modules How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated through conference presentations, participation in local outreach activities across our institutions, participation with several USDA gaencies, and local industry What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to support an increased number of student internships and support faculty and students to give presentations at regional/national conferences. We plan to organize an ALFA-IoT faculty lead study and research abroad program

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The outputs produced by this project are divided according to each of the educational need areas addressed in this project -(a) Curricula Design and Materials Development - Across the consortium, 1 new 3-credit hour courses related to Data Analysis and the Internet of Things has been developed. Additionally, 6 new learning modules have been designed and embedded into different courses. (c) Instruction Delivery systems - The Data Analytics class and 2 learning modules were fully developed online. (e) Student Experiential Learning - Across the consortium, 32 students were supported during the third year (18 male and 14 female students. A total of 23 students got an internship during the year, 5 at USDA agencies, 6 at industry, and 13 more at research labs in our collaborating universities. On Year 3, a total of 15 peer-reviewed publications were produced by ALFA-IoT faculty (5 peer-reviewed publications) have been co-authored with ALFA-IoT students. (f) Student Recruitment and Retention -the consortium supported through this award a total of 32 students (4 PhD, 5 MS and 23 UG students). 11 obtained their UG degree and 4 obtained their M.S degree, 8 obtained a full-time job, 4 transitioned to an MS program and 3 to a PhD program after graduating Across the consortium. 12 faculty members participated in this project during the year. (INDICATOR 1). Total number of USDA Agencies and Partners. Our consortium is partnering with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) - (Temple, Texas; El Reno, Oklahoma; Fort Collins, Colorado), U.S. National Poultry Research Center - Quality and Safety Assessment Research Unit, Athens, Georgia; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Fort Worth, Texas. USDA Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center, NM Climate Center that includes: ZiaMet weather station network, NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES), and the NMSU Aggie Innovation Space. (INDICATOR 2). Total number of internships (USDA vs. other). (INDICATOR 2) In Year 4, 23 students had summer research internship positions; 5 of them at USDA related agencies; 6 at industry and 13 at research labs at our collaborating universities. USDA-NIFA (1), USDA-ARS (3), USDA-NRCS (1), Industry (6), and Research Labs (13) at the participating universities in the consortium. (INDICATOR 3). Total number of Students served/including gender and ethnicity. On Year 3, across the six institutions, 32 students were supported; 14 female students; 18 male students; 29 are Hispanic. 4. (INDICATOR 4). Total percent of retention Undergraduate/grad/Ph.Ds). On Year 3, the level of study of the supported students was as follows; 4 PhD, 5 MS, 23 UG. 100% retention in the M.S and Ph.D levels and 95% retention at the UG level. (INDICATOR 5) Total number of students in experiential learning (research) mentoring. For Year 3, a total of 32 students participated in research work at our consortium institutions, and partner agencies. (INDICATOR 6). Total number of participants presenting. 16 research presentations were given by ALFA-IoT students/faculty at either regional or national conferences. (INDICATOR 7). Total number of students enrolled in disciplines applicable to USDA jobs. Out of the 32 students being supported under The ALliance For Smart Agriculture in the Internet of Things Era (ALFA-IoT) in year 3, 32 are enrolled in disciplines applicable to USDA jobs. (INDICATOR 8). Total number of degrees awarded with USDA qualifications. A total of 14 participating students obtained their degree. 10 obtained their UG degree, 4 obtained their M.S degree. (INDICATOR 9). Total number of students publishing. On Year 3, a total of 15 peer-reviewed publications were produced by ALFA-IoT faculty (5 peer-reviewed publications) have been co-authored with ALFA-IoT students. (INDICATOR 10). Comparison of GPAs before and after. All students are performing well; the UG students have a GPA above 3.0, graduate students have a GPA above 3.75. (INDICATOR 11). Developing curriculum and faculty for required USDA courses. during year 3, one 3-credit hour class on Industrial Data Analytics was developed and offered every Spring semester at UTEP. Moreover, a total of 6 learning modules (shared among participating institutions) have been developed (Project Management, Data Analytics and Modeling, Internet of Things applications in Agriculture, experimental measurements of infiltration and soil moisture using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Water Systems Design, processing UAV collected data in ArcGIS for GIS and Hydrologic and Hydraulic Modeling, supply chain analytics). (INDICATOR 12). Comparison of female success (before and after): gender and ethnicity. On year 3, 32 students were supported; 14 are female students; 18 are male students; a total of 29 students are Hispanic. (INDICATOR 13). Total number of students honors advising and tutoring. 26 students enrolled in honor classes and supporting ALFA-IoT students. (INDICATOR 14). Tracking student's placement into jobs or graduate school/student mobility. 11 obtained their UG degree and 4 obtained their M.S degree, 8 obtained a full-time job, 4 transitioned to an MS program and 3 to a PhD program after graduating. other ALFA-IoT students are considering continuing with their graduate studies after graduating. (INDICATOR 15). Track research activities/ English skills. English proficiency is a mandatory competency component of all ALFA-IoT students. All students are required to submit written reports for their research/educational activities. Students performing research are also asked to submit periodical reports to ALFA-IoT faculty mentors. (INDICATOR 16) K-12 activities. At all consortium universities, there have been several summer activities directed to engage and attract K-12 students in the field of Sustainability and National Resource Management. For instance, at UTEP, ALFA-IoT faculty participated in the summer Excites outreach program with virtual presentations to middle and high school students using 2 different learning modules developed for this purpose. At NMSU, ALFA-IoT faculty participated in the Pre-Program in the College of Engineering at for High School and Middle School Students, in research project presentation for Gadsden High School in Anthony, New Mexico, in the Arrowhead High School Career Fair as well as Cruces Public School presentations during their semester's career fairs. At UTA Dr. Su made a presentation in Freshman Interest Group for Math majors. Dr. Cantu works with Freshman Interest Group for engineering students. Due to COVID several K-12 visits and school activities were not allowed. (INDICATOR 17). Community engagement activities. ALFA-IoT students and faculty attended the 2021 Gulf States Math Alliance conference and mentored minority Math students. We Held meetings with Red Chile Institute in New Mexico to present project outcomes, ALFA-IoT students participated in senior design projects such as 1) Internet of Things (IoT) Rain Gauge Device, 2) Implementing the Internet of Things to fully automate agricultural production systems, 3) Remote sensing applications, 4) Development of a Loop Mediated-Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) in Food Technology, and 5) Data analysis for weather modeling prediction and among other projects. (INDICATOR 18) Budget expenditures are behind schedule due to COVID restrictions across our academic institutions and federal agencies (travel to conferences, student internships, etc.). We expect get back on track now that the pandemic restrictions are being lifted. (INDICATOR 19). Program activities/implementation. Most of the planned activities are being carried out according to the anticipated schedule, there are students who are currently being supported by the program and they are in their either last year of their UG or MS degree. However, sending students for summer internships (or conferences) to other states have been a challenge due to COVID.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: 1.Ana Cram1, Jose Espiritu, Heidi Taboada, Delia J. Valles-Rosales, Young Ho Park, Efren Delgado and Jianzhong Su.(2022). Multi-objective Biofuel Feedstock Optimization Considering Different Land-Cover Scenarios and Watershed Impacts. Clean Technologies and Recycling Journal.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: 2. Eduardo J. Castillo Fatule, Yuanrui Sang, Jose F. Espiritu and Heidi Taboada. (2021). Co-Optimizing Operating Cost and Renewable Energy Curtailment in D-FACTS Allocation. The 53rd North American Power Symposium (NAPS), Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. November 1416, 2021
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: 3. D. Rojas-Barboza, E. Park, G. Smith, D. Valles-Rosalles, E. Delgado, Y. H. Park. (2021). Rapid, Simple, and Low-cost smartphone-based fluorescence detection of Escherichia coli. International Journal of Agriculture and Biology Engineering, 2021; 14(3): 189-193.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: 4.Jacqueline Jacot, Dawn M. Browning, Addison Coronel, Amber S. Williams, Jianzhong Su, James R. Kiniry. (2021) Use of PhenoCam Measurements and Image Analysis to Inform the ALMANAC Process-based Simulation Model. Journal of Experimental Agriculture International, 43(4), 120-144.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: 5. Eduardo J. Castillo Fatule, Yuanrui Sang, Jose F. Espiritu and Heidi Taboada. (2020). A Computationally Efficient Evolutionary Algorithm for Stochastic D-FACTS Optimization. The 52nd North American Power Symposium, Tempe, AZ, October 11-13, 2020.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: 6. Vel�zquez-Mart�nez, V., Valles-Rosales, D., Rodr�guez-Uribe, L., Laguna-Camacho, J.R., L�pez-Calder�n, H.D., Delgado, E. 2022. Effect of different extraction methods and geographical origins on the total phenolic yield, composition, and antimicrobial activity of sugarcane bagasse extracts. Frontiers in Nutrition, 252.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2022 Citation: 8. D�az-Mendoza, J.M.; Valles-Rosales, D.J.; Park, Y.H.; Sabo, R.C. Micromechanical Modeling for Tensile Properties of Wood Plastic Composites: Use of Pruned Waste from Pecan Orchards as Sustainable Material for Reinforcement of Thermoplastic Composite. Polymers 2022, 14, 504. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14030504
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2022 Citation: 9. Velazquez Martinez, V., Quintero Quiroz, J., Rodriguez Uribe, L., Valles Rosales, D., Klasson, T.K., Delgado, E. 2022. Effect of glandless cottonseed meal protein and maltodextrin as microencapsulating agents on spray-drying of sugar cane bagasse phenolic compounds. J Food Sci, 87(2), 750  763. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.16032.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: 7. Trinidad Reyes and Jose F. Espiritu. Microgrid Supplier Selection Problem Considering Euclidean Distance and Ideal Vector System. 6th North American Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management. Monterrey, Mexico, November 3-5, 2021.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: 10. Tongdan Jin, Heidi A. Taboada, and Jose F. Espiritu. (2020). Variance of Reliability Estimate for K-Out-Of- N System with Cold Standby Units. 2020 Asia-Pacific International Symposium on Advanced Reliability and Maintenance Modeling (APARM). Vancouver, Canada, August 20-23, 2020.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: 11. Elias H. Arias-Nava, B. Patrick Sullivan, Delia J. Valles-Rosales. (2021). Biopolymer Degradation Analysis: Accelerated Life Testing Study to Characterize Polylactic Acid Durability. Materials 2021, 14(19), 5730; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14195730
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: 12. Victor Velazquez-Mart�nez, Luz Yazm�n Villagr�n-Villegas, Miguel Pati�o-Ort�z, Julian Pati�o-Ort�z, Delia Valles-Rosales, Alejandro Marquina-Chavez. (2021). Solar Light Bulbs: Effect of the Volume and Shape of the Pet Bottles on the Luminous Flux. Defect and Diffusion Forum, vol. 412, Trans Tech Publications, Ltd., 12 Nov. 2021, pp. 39. Crossref, doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/ddf.412.3.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: 13. Velazquez-Martinez, V., Valles-Rosales, D., Rodriguez-Uribe, L., Holguin, O., Quintero Quiroz, J., Reyes-Jaquez, D., Rodriguez-Borbon, M.I., Villagr�n-Villegas, L.Y., Delgado, E. 2021. Antimicrobial, shelf-life stability, and effect of maltodextrin and gum arabic on the encapsulation efficiency of sugarcane bagasse bioactive compounds. Foods 10(1), 115. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10010116.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: 14. Delgado E., Valles-Rosales D. J., P�manes-Carrasco G. A., Cooke P., Flores N. C., Reyes J�quez D. 2021. Structural, rheological, and calorimetric properties of an extruded shrimp feed using glandless cottonseed meal as a protein source. Journal of Aquaculture Research and Development 12(3), 627.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: 15. Sara Almeraz-Dur�n, Luis Asunci�n P�rez-Dom�nguez, David Luviano-Cruz, Jes�s Israel Hern�ndez, Roberto Romero L�pez, and Delia J. Valle-Rosales (2021). A Proposed Framework for Developing FMEA Method Using Pythagorean Fuzzy CODAS. Journal of Symmetry, Vol. 13, 2236.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: 16. Alberto Luis Rodr�guez-Pic�n, Luis Mendez Luis Mendez, Roberto Moreno, Ivan Perez Olguin, Ivan Rodriguez, and Delia J. Valles-Rosales. (2021). Reliability Analysis Based on a Gamma-Gaussian Deconvolution Degradation Modeling with Measurement Error. Journal of Applied Sciences Volume 11(9):4133.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: 17. Aldo Joel Villa Silva, Luis Perez, E.A. Mart�nez, David Luviano-Cruz, and Delia J. Valles-Rosales. (2021). Dimensional Analysis under Linguistic Pythagorean Fuzzy Set. Journal of Symmetry, 13(3):440.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: 1. Christian E. Perez-Cordero, David Dubois, Young Ho Park, and Delia J. Valles-Rosales. (2021). Medium-term rainfall forecasting in New Mexico: A comparative study using deep neural networks. Research and Creativity Conference, Las Cruces, NM.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2021 Citation: 3. Shouyi Wang, Deep Learning of High Order Interactions for Hybrid Crop Yield Prediction, INFORMS Business Analytics Conference, May 20, 2020.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: 4. Angela Avila (presenter) Jianzhong Su, virtual INFORMS conference, Using Machine Learning to classify soil moisture, Poster presentation
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: 5.Sean Guidry (presenter) and Jianzhong Su. Virtual INFORMS conference, Analogous method in agriculture weather forecasting, Poster presentation
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: 1. Jie Han, Fangyun Bai and Ho Manh Linh, Shouyi Wang, Hybrid Crop Yield Prediction Using Deep Factorization Methods with Integrated Modeling of Implicit and Explicit High-Order Latent Variable. The UTA COSMOS Technical Report, March 2020.


Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Target audience is mainly undergraduate and master of science students. Changes/Problems:Due to the pandemic, adjustment to faculty and student travel need to be made. No outreach activities that involve the visits from K-12 students are allowed on campus at this time. Only a few students were able to hold their 'virtual' interships this year. Some of these activities will be carried over to the next year. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Opportunities for training in research methods have been provided to all students participating in the ALFA IoT project across institutions. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Yes, students have participated in local and national conferences and disseminated results. Due to the pandemic, presentations have been conducted through zoom or other types of virtual platforms. Journal and conference proceedings have been published as well. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During Years 1 and 2 of the ALFA IoT project, the consortium supported 6 UG and 6 MS students per year. During year 3 of the project, the consortium needs to recruit a larger number of students to meet 9 UG and 6 MS students per year. Due to COVID-19, a number of activities are on hold, specially those that involved visits to our different campus forK-12 outreach programs. These activities will be retaken on next year, once campus visits are allowed.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The specific goals of ALFA-IoT are: 1) Recruit, train, retain and graduate at least 15 UG students and 12 MS students 2) Enhance the quality of postsecondary instruction through innovative teaching methods that promote access to powerful collaborative learning through real-life problem solving, - On track up to year 2 so far 3) Amplify the agricultural narrative within the STEM careers - Currently being done at all participating institutions 4) Provide student experiential learning opportunities to participating students _ On track according to what the pandemic allows 5) Develop problem solving and leadership skills through participation in global experiences - On track 6) Provide opportunities and access to USDA careers - On track

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: 1. Rojas-Barboza D*, Park E,* Sassenfeld R, Winder J, Smith GB, Valles-Rosales D, Delgado E, Park YH. 2020. Rapid, Simple, Low-Cost Fluorescence Detection of Escherichia coli Using 3D-Printed Smartphone-Based Device. International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. Accepted for publication August 2020.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Ahsan, M.A., Jabbari, V., Imam, M.A., Castro, E., Kim, H., Curry, M.L., Valles-Rosales, D.J., & Noveron, J.C. (2020). Nanoscale Nickel Metal Organic Framework Decorated over Grapheneoxide and Carbon Nanotubes for Water Remediation. Journal of Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 698, 134214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv. 2019. 134214.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Matthews, A.*, Ulery, A., Rogus, S., Phillips, G., Delgado E. 2020. Heavy metal content of produce grown in San Juan County (New Mexico, USA). Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B. Published online. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601234.2020.1794220.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Flores N, Delgado E, Walker S, Rojas-Contreras J, P�manes-Carrasco G. 2020. Effect of water stress on functional and marketable properties of roasted Big Jim chili pepper (Capsicum annum L.) in Southern USA. Acta Agricola y Pecuaria, 6(1), 1-8.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Delgado E, Gamero-Barraza G, Flores-Rosas W, Valles-Rosales DJ, Medrano-Rold�n H, Reyes-J�quez D. 2020. Effect of lipids content and process parameters on the physicochemical, rheological, calorimetric and structural properties of an extruded canine food. Animal Nutrition and Feed Technology, 455-469. DOI: 10.5958/0974-181X.2019.00042.8.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: Quintero JQ, Velazquez V, Corrales-Garc�a LL, Torres JD, Delgado E, Ciro G, Rojas J. 2020. Use of plant proteins as microencapsulating agents of bioactive compounds extracted from annatto seeds (Bixa orellana L.). Antioxidants. Accepted for publication. Impact Factor: 3.011.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Ordo�ez?Quintana, E., Salmeron, I., Chavez?Flores, D., Ramos, V., Gutierrez, N., Morales?Oyervides, L., Delgado, E., Kwofie, E., Ngadi, M., Perez?Vega, S.B. 2020. Supercritical and subcritical extraction of ursolic acid and polyphenols from apple pomace: Effect of variables on composition and antioxidant capacity. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, 44(1), e14296. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.14296
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: 8. Delgado, E., Gamero-Barraza, M., Flores-Rosas, W., Valles-Rosales, D. J., Medrano-Rold�n, H., & Reyes-J�quez, D. (2019). Effect of Lipids Content and Process Parameters on the Physicochemical, Rheological, Calorimetric and Structural Properties of an Extruded Canine Food. Journal of Animal Nutrition and Feed Technology, Vol. 19(3), 455-469. DOI: 10.5958/0974-181X.2019.00042.8.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: 9. Johnson, A.; Mu, L.; Park, Y.H.; Valles, D.J.; Wang, H.; Xu, P.; Kota, K.; Kuravi, S. (2019). A Thermal Model for Predicting the Performance of a Solar Still with Fresnel Lens. Journal of Water, Vol. 11(9), 1860; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11091860.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: 10. Delgado, E., Valverde?Quiroz, L., Lopez, D., Cooke, P., Valles?Rosales, D., & Flores, N. (2019). Characterization of Soluble Glandless Cottonseed Meal Proteins Based on Electrophoresis, Functional Properties, and Microscopic Structure. Journal of Food Science, Vol. 84(10), 2820-2830. https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.14770.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: 11. Madrid-Solorzano, J. M., Valles-Rosales, D. J., Macias Martin, L. E., & Soto Nogueira, L. (2019). Generaci�n de un Material a Partir del Bagazo de Sotol para el Desarrollo de Productos. Journal of Mundo FESC, Vol. 9(17), 31-34.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: 12. Murguia, C., Valles, D., Park, Y. H., & Kuravi, S. (2019). Effect of High Aged Albedo Cool Roofs on Commercial Buildings Energy Savings in U.S.A. Climates. International Journal of Renewable Energy Research (IJRER). Vol. 9(1), 65-72.


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

Outputs
Target Audience:ALFA-IoT reached out to the undergraduate and graduate community audience in the general areas of Engineering and Math across the three participating campuses: The University of Texas at El Paso, The University of Texas at Arlington and New Mexico State University. Students recruited to work directly in our project include: 6 undergraduates, 5 masters, and 1 Ph.D., for a total of 12 students across the three participating campuses. Changes/Problems:This report provides the major accomplishments of Year 1 of the ALFA-IoT project. No changes or problems to report. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Our participating students interned atUSDA ARS-Temple, TX., and ARS-El Reno, OK. They received training in understanding and operating SWAT software. They were able to access several watershed databases and run several simulations. All the students presented their research work at our first kick-off meeting that took place in UT-Arlington. 6 students and 5 faculty members attended and gave presentations at the 2019 Annual INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences) conference held in Seattle, Washington in October 2019. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?All the students presented their research work at our first kick-off meeting that took place in UT-Arlington. 6 students and 5 faculty members attended and gave presentations at the 2019 Annual INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences) conference held in Seattle, Washington in October 2019. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will continue contributing to our project goals, support UG, MS and Ph.D. students as originally stated in the project submission. On this second year, we will offer a global experience to some of our students. We will meet as a group and have all students present their advance in research and their plans for presentations and publications.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1) Recruit, train, retain and graduate at least 15 UG students and 12 MS student * This first year, our universities (UTEP, NMSU and UT-Arlington) supported 6 undergraduate students, 5 master's students, and 1 Ph.D. student . 2) Enhance the quality of postsecondary instruction through innovative teaching methods that promote access to powerful collaborative learning through real-life problem solving * 2 new courses (3-credit hour) and 1 module on Data Analytics with Agriculture Applications were developed at our consortium institutions. 3) Amplify the agricultural narrative within the STEM careers. * The courses and module developed with Agriculture Applications are being offered in Engineering and Math departments. These examples amplify the agricultural narrative within the STEM careers. 4) Provide student experiential learning opportunities to participating students. * All students supported under the project in this first year participated in undergraduateresearch and research in our facultylabs. Our students participated in several outreach activities internal to ouruniversities where they had the opportunity to speak to K-12 students and develop interpersonal and communication skills. 5) Develop problem solving and leadership skills through participation in global experiences. * This year there was no global experience available on Year 1 6) Provide opportunities and access to USDA careers * Our participating students interned atUSDA ARS-Temple, TX., and ARS-El Reno, OK. * 3 of our master students (1 from UTEP) and 2 from (UT-Arlington) graduated with the MS degree and moved to pursue a Ph.D. degree.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2020 Citation: 1. Ana Johnson, Rocio Castillo-Gomez, Lei Mu, Young H. Park, Krishna Kota, Delia J. Valles, Huiyao Wang, Pei Xu, Sarada Kuravi (2019). Evaluation of the Effect of Water Depth and Solar Insolation on the Performance of a Single-Slope Solar Still, International Journal of Renewable Energy Research, accepted for publication.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Estrade, E., Li, D., Gao, S., Wienhold, K., Sisson, P., Fang, Z. (2019), Study the Effect of Different Vegetation Types on Infiltration and Soil Water Retention for Flood Control Purposes using In-Situ Infiltration Test and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, American Geophysical Union Annual Conference 2019, San Francisco, CA, December, 2019