COLLABORATIVE CAPACITY BUILDING ON BIODEGRADABLE SOIL SENSORS FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: ACTIVE
• Funding Source: OTHER GRANTS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1030974
• Grant No.: 2023-70001-40988
• Cumulative Award Amt.: $299,997.00
• Proposal No.: 2023-01520
• Project Start Date: Sep 1, 2023
• Project End Date: Aug 31, 2026
• Grant Year: 2023
• Program Code: [NLGCA]- Capacity Building Grants for Non Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture

Recipient Organization
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY
9001 STOCKDALE HIGHWAY
BAKERSFIELD,CA 93311

Performing Department
(N/A)

Non Technical Summary
The agriculture and food industry in California, especially in the Central Valley, is experiencing an extremely challenging time due to drought, a recurring feature of California's climate. Meanwhile, nitrate, a key component of fertilizer used in agriculture, is contaminating groundwater which impacts human and environmental health. To address these challenges, sustainable precision agriculture, which empowers farmers to effectively use irrigation water and fertilizers and protects the environment at the same time, is a promising direction moving forward.Biodegradable soil moisture sensors and soil nitrate sensors proposed in this project enable frequent, timely characterizations of soil moisture and nitrate concentrations at high spatial density, so the location and amounts of water and fertilizer input can be optimized. In addition to building capacity to fabricate and test biodegradable soil sensors with undergraduate/graduate researchers, this integrated research, education, and outreach/extension project also develops collaborations with community partners and attracts and prepares diverse students for successful careers in agriculture. This consortium consisting of California State University-Bakersfield (CSUB), University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley), and University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Kern County will work together to achieve objectives of this collaborative project, including (1) recruiting and training undergraduate/graduate students, especially underrepresented minorities and women, on fabrication, characterization, and optimization of biodegradable soil moisture sensors and nitrate sensors; (2) developing student researchers' leadership skills by involving them in outreach/extension activities; (3) developing a new course, Biodegradable Electronics for Sustainable Agriculture; (4) delivering workshops on biodegradable soil sensors to Valley's agricultural community, forming collaborations with community partners, and providing internship opportunities to CSUB students; (5) engaging community college students and K-12 students by delivering lectures on biodegradable electronics, offering lab tours and farm tours, and providing hands-on experiences in labs and on farms.

Animal Health Component

40%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

30%

Applied

40%

Developmental

30%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
102	0110	2020	100%

Knowledge Area
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships;

Subject Of Investigation
0110 - Soil;

Field Of Science
2020 - Engineering;

Keywords

california

biodegradable electronics for sustainable agriculture

climate

food industry

Goals / Objectives
The goal of this integrated research, education, and outreach/extension project, jointly proposed by California State University-Bakersfield (CSUB) and University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley) and supported by UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Kern County, is to build capacity to fabricate and test biodegradable soil sensors, develop collaborations with community partners on their applications for sustainable precision agriculture, and attract and prepare students for successful careers in agriculture.The objectives of this collaborative project include:(1) Recruit and train undergraduate/graduate students, especially underrepresented minorities (URMs) and women, on fabrication of biodegradable soil moisture sensors and nitrate sensors, characterization of sensor performance and biodegradability in labs and on farms, and optimization of sensors based on testing results.(2) Develop student researchers' leadership skills by involving them in outreach/extension activities.(3) Develop a new course, Biodegradable Electronics for Sustainable Agriculture, for CSUB students.(4) Deliver workshops on biodegradable soil sensors to Valley's agricultural community, form collaborations with community partners, and provide internship opportunities to CSUB students.(5) Engage community college students and K-12 students by delivering lectures on biodegradable electronics, offering them lab tours and farm tours, and providing them hands-on experiences in labs and on farms.

Project Methods
I. Proposed project activities and techniques to be employedActivities under Objective (1):Dr. Li and Dr. Arias will prepare their labs for fabrication and characterization of soil sensors and select undergraduate/graduate research assistants. Research assistants will firstly receive lab safety training.Soil moisture sensors and soil nitrate sensors will be fabricated by printing using a Dimatix Materials Printer (DMP-2850) or by stencil-printing where the stencil is patterned using a laser cutter. Only biodegradable materials will be used as substrates, electrodes, and encapsulation layers of sensors. Digital Multimeter (DMM) and/or LCR Meter will be used for electrical characterizations. Electrochemical analyzer (CHI600E) will be employed for electrochemical characterizations. A precision balance will be used for biodegradation testing.Dr. Li will work with a total of 6 CSUB undergraduates on fabrication and characterization of biodegradable soil moisture sensors and nitrate sensors. She will train, supervise, and work together with undergraduate research assistants on sensor fabrication, electrical characterization, electrochemical characterization, and biodegradability testing. Dr. Arias will recruit and mentor undergraduate researchers working on the printing methods for humidity and nitrate biodegradable sensors. Her group will be characterizing the electrical properties of printable metals that are deposited onto biodegradable substrates. The research will focus on improving the electrical conductivity of printed biodegradable metals and studying the stability in soil. Drs. Li and Arias will also guide students through data analysis, result interpretation, and material/device optimization based on testing results.Dr. Li will work with Dr. Arias and her students at UC Berkeley for one week in Year 1 to learn novel experimental techniques specialized in Dr. Arias' group. Dr. Li will then relay what she learns with CSUB students. Moreover, CSUB undergraduate researchers will work with Dr. Arias' students for short-term research experiences at UC Berkeley in Year 2.When promising results are obtained in labs, Dr. Li and Dr. Arias will work closely together with Dr. Marsh at UCCE Kern County to plan and implement sensor performance testing and biodegradability testing on farms. Data obtained on farms will be analyzed the same way as data obtained from labs, and the results will be compared. If considerable discrepancy between testing in labs and on farms is found, factors that contribute to the discrepancy will be identified and further optimization will be pursued.Activities under Objective (2):Dr. Li and Dr. Arias will instill leadership qualities while preparing their research students for their STEM careers. Student researchers will give oral presentations about their research to Valley's agriculture community in workshops. Moreover, student researchers will be involved in outreach activities ( see Objective (5)).Activities under Objective (3):Dr. Li will develop a new course, Biodegradable Electronics for Sustainable Agriculture, for CSUB students. It will be firstly offered in Year 2, and outcomes from Objective (1) will be incorporated. In addition to introducing the principles of electronic devices, biodegradable materials and devices, and various biodegradable electronics for applications in agriculture, Dr. Li will guide students to identify a mini project of their interest, conduct literature survey, and present their findings.Activities under Objective (4):Drs. Li, Michieka, Arias, and Marsh will deliver workshops on biodegradable soil sensors to Valley's agricultural community in Years 2-3 to introduce opportunities for new developments in sustainable precision agriculture that biodegradable soil sensors could bring, recent research progress on biodegradable soil moisture sensors and nitrate sensors (including findings from Objective (1)), and potential economic benefits. Student researchers mentored by Drs. Li and Arias will give oral presentations about their research (see Objective (2)). Drs. Li and Michieka will form new collaborations with community partners. A total of 60 internship opportunities, open to CSUB students, will be provided by UCCE and through new collaborations established.Activities under Objective (5):Dr. Li will deliver lectures on biodegradable electronics to community college students and K-12 students in Years 2-3. Dr. Li's student researchers will offer lab tours and farm tours to these students, encourage them to pursue higher education in STEM, and help them identify potential career opportunities in the Central Valley. In addition, Dr. Li and her student researchers will provide hands-on experiences on fabrication and testing of biodegradable soil sensors to community college students and K-12 students in her lab. In collaboration with Dr. Marsh, hands-on experiences on farms will also be offered to interested students.II. How data will be analyzed or interpretedExperimental data from characterization of biodegradable soil sensors include discrete data points read from equipment and series of data points collected by scientific software (e.g. LabVIEW). For discrete data points, multiple reading will be made and the average and standard deviation will be calculated using professional data analysis software (e.g. SigmaPlot). For series of data points, multiple experimental runs will be performed and the data collected will be processed, analyzed, and plotted by professional data analysis software (e.g. SigmaPlot). Physical quantities (e.g. the sensitivity of a sensor) will be extracted from the data based on standard approaches from literature.III. Evaluation planDr. Jianjun Wang will serve as the independent evaluator for this project. To assess the project effectiveness, a participatory, utilization-focused, and program theory-driven approach will be taken to model the best practice in justifying return of the federal grant funding in the project attainment and local capacity building. The participatory consideration hinges on involvement of key stakeholders, particularly the PDs, in survey instrument design to ensure meaningful data gathering that is closely aligned with the expected outcomes of this project funding. Meanwhile, adequate literature review will be conducted to enforce the conceptual framework of utilization-focused evaluation and make the results relevant to similar projects for enrichment of the current knowledge development in the intended professional community. To sustain the impact of program funding, the theory-driven component is designed to link the evaluation mechanism to well-documented institution platforms for disentanglement of what works for whom and in which context. Evaluation findings will be reported to provide feedback and corrective measures for project improvement each year. Meanwhile, student success will be contextualized with the following indicator tracking: a) total number of students (research and internship) supported by the program, b) Demographic information, c) Class grades (before and after the research or internship), d) Research performance (based on goals) e) Working paper (from research project), f) Internship performance (upon completion).For the information triangulation, a survey will be administered to survey participants assess ways in which the seminar can be improved. Further, faculty members involved with the project will be asked to compare students' abilities after research activities with those in previous years who have not been exposed to such projects. The evaluator will also obtain feedback regarding the internship. Evaluations will be conducted every year. The PDs and evaluator will submit a final report with assessment of performance and deliverables. Recommendations will be made following submission of the report.

Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:Valley's agricultural community Students who are interested in sensors for agriculture Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?PD Li posted Undergraduate Student Researcher positions for this award five times. Among all students who applied, only one met the qualifications. Nevertheless, when PD Li reached out to the qualified student to schedule an interview, the student did not respond. Strategies to address the challenge of undergraduate researcher recruitment at CSUB are discussed under "What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?". Co-PD Arias had a graduate student who spent part of his time working on this project. Her students have presented posters at UC Davis during the annual meeting of the AI institute for food systems (AIFS) and participated in the ARPA-e submit where they had sensor prototypes and demonstration of wireless communication. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Co-PD Michieka and PD Li wrote an article titled "Biodegradable Soil Sensors: A Primer". This article, which discussed both the technology and economics aspects of biodegradable soil sensors, has been published in Kern Economic Journal, which is expected to be of interests to Valley's Agricultural Community and other community partners. Co-PD Arias presented the work on sensors for agriculture in national and international conferences as part of outreach, including the National Academy of Sciences Summit on AI for Agriculture. Her talk "The role of AI and novel sensors in tracking added Nitrogen" was part of the session on AI for Sensing/Perception. Co-PD Arias' students have presented posters at UC Davis during the annual meeting of the AI institute for food systems (AIFS) and participated in the ARPA-e submit where they had sensor prototypes and demonstration of wireless communication. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective (1): Recruit and train undergraduate/graduate students, especially URM and women, on fabrication of biodegradable soil moisture sensors and nitrate sensors, characterization of sensor performance and biodegradability in labs and on farms, and optimization of sensors based on testing results. Based on the evaluation findings in the "Evaluator Report on Year 1 Operation", completed by Independent Evaluator Dr. Jianjun Wang, undergraduate researcher recruitment is identified as a persistent challenge to sustain project improvement. CSUB encountered similar issues in the past. As indicated in the "Persistent Challenges" section and the "Conclusion" section of the Evaluator Report, "The grant team needs to complete undergraduate researcher recruitment" and "Beyond the repeated position announcements, more active approaches seem to be needed". Two possible avenues recommended in the Evaluator Report are (i) to have targeted outreach to ensure that the right candidates are identified and contacted, and (ii) to request referrals from colleagues to expand the candidate pool in relevant academic departments. These individualized pursuits can also "help clarify the long-term benefits, such as lab skill department, network building, and career preparation in the field of sustainable precision agriculture", so underrepresented minorities who often have part-time employment or other commitments can see the benefits of participation in this research. In light of recommendations from the Evaluator Report, in addition to posting Undergraduate Student Researcher positions on the university recruitment website, PD Li will reach out to students in her classes (including her Biodegradable Electronics for Sustainable Agriculture class, see Objective (3)) and encourage students to apply for this position. She will also request referrals from colleagues in Electrical Engineering, Biochemistry & Chemistry, and Biology to expand the candidate pool. Moreover, PD Li will also expose biodegradable sensor research to more students by inviting co-PD Arias to deliver a colloquium on this topic, and the colloquium will be advertised to all relevant majors and will be posted to social media of the College of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering. Students will receive lab safety training and will be trained on basic experimental techniques before they are sent to co-PD Arias' lab at UC Berkeley for a short-term research experience. When the students get back to CSUB, they will perform systematical experiments on fabrication of soil moisture sensors and nitrate sensors and characterization of sensor performance and biodegradability. Objective (2): Develop student researchers' leadership skills by involving them in outreach/extension activities. Undergraduate student researchers in PD Li's lab will be involved in activities under Objectives (4) & (5). Graduate student researchers in co-PD Arias' lab will be involved in activities under Objective (4). Student researchers will give oral presentations about their research to Valley's agriculture community, which are opportunities for them to showcase their work and get connected with community partners. Moreover, undergraduate student researchers in PD Li's lab will offer lab tours and farm tours to community college students and K-12 students, share their experiences as STEM majors at CSUB, encourage community college students and K-12 students to pursue higher education in STEM, and help them identify potential career opportunities in the Central Valley. Objective (3): Develop a new course, Biodegradable Electronics for Sustainable Agriculture, for CSUB Students. PD Li is currently developing this course. It is scheduled to be offered to CSUB students in Spring 2025. PD Li will advertise this course to students from relevant programs. Objective (4): Deliver workshops on biodegradable soil sensors to Valley's agricultural community, form collaborations with community partners, and provide internship opportunities to CSUB students. Dr. Tobias Oker, Soils and Irrigation Advisor at the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) - Kern County, will help connect the PD team with Valley's agricultural community. The PD team will deliver workshops on biodegradable soil sensors to community partners and develop collaborations with them. Internship opportunities at UCCE - Kern County, agricultural companies, and farms will be provided to CSUB students. Objective (5): Engage community college students and K-12 students by delivering lectures on biodegradable electronics, offering them lab tours and farm tours, and providing them hands-on experiences in labs and on farms. PD Li will reach out to Bakersfield College, Taft College, Stockdale High School, and Mira Monte High School and deliver lectures on biodegradable electronics to their students. Interested students will be offered lab tours and farm tours and gain hands-on experiences.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective (1): Recruit and train undergraduate/graduate students, especially URM and women, on fabrication of biodegradable soil moisture sensors and nitrate sensors, characterization of sensor performance and biodegradability in labs and on farms, and optimization of sensors based on testing results. The grant team processed paperwork for fund distribution at CSUB and UC Berkeley. Institutional reviews were completed to ensure the project's compliance with federal, state, and local laws and/or regulations. CSUB: PD Li conducted thorough literature survey on soil moisture sensors and soil nitrate sensors and developed a detailed plan to fabricate and characterize zinc-based biodegradable sensors (using existing supplies that were purchased for a student research project before) that would allow student involvement at every stage of the research. PD Li visited co-PD Arias' lab on June 25-27, 2024. PD Li observed the experiments, carried out by graduate student Mr. Lucas Lahann and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Yuting Cai of co-PD Arias' group, on fabrication of carbon-based nitrate sensors using the stencil printing technique and characterization of the sensor performance. This collaborative effort helped PD Li understand how she might prepare CSUB students before sending them to co-PD Arias' lab at UC Berkeley for short-term research experiences in Year 2. Following PD Li's visit to co-PD Arias' lab, five supply items were purchased to support student preparations for research experiences at UC Berkeley. PD Li posted the Undergraduate Student Researcher positions for this award on the university recruitment website, Handshake, in Nov. 2023, Feb. 2024, May 2024, Jun. 2024, and Aug. 2024, respectively. There were 2 or 3 applicants each time. Among all applicants, only one met the qualifications. When PD Li reached out to the qualified applicant to schedule an interview, they did not respond. UC Berkeley: Co-PD Arias' group hosted PD Li's visit on June 25-27, 2024, and showed her equipment and tools available in Arias Lab, as well as their experimental procedures to fabricate carbon-based nitrate sensors using the stencil printing technique and to test the performance of nitrate sensors. This collaborative effort helps PD Li prepare CSUB students before sending them to co-PD Arias' lab at UC Berkeley for short-term research experiences in Year 2. Co-PD Arias has recruited 2 new PhD students to work in project related to the objectives of this project. Both students are female, one latina. In addition, Co-PD Arias participated in panels to promote the involvement of female researchers in academia and entrepreneurship activities. Objective (2): Develop student researchers' leadership skills by involving them in outreach/extension activities. Co-PD Arias' students presented posters at UC Davis during the annual meeting of the AI institute for food systems (AIFS) and participated in the ARPA-e submit where they had sensor prototypes and demonstration of wireless communication. Objective (3): Develop a new course, Biodegradable Electronics for Sustainable Agriculture, for CSUB Students. PD Li communicated with the Interim Chair of the Department of Physics and Engineering and requested that a 2-unit upper-division elective, Biodegradable Electronics for Sustainable Agriculture, be scheduled as a combined Engineering and Physics course (ENGR/PHYS 4700) in Spring 2025 semester. PD Li started developing the syllabus and preparing course materials from scratch. Objective (4): Deliver workshops on biodegradable soil sensors to Valley's agricultural community, form collaborations with community partners, and provide internship opportunities to CSUB students. Co-PD Michieka and PD Li wrote an article titled "Biodegradable Soil Sensors: A Primer". This article, which discussed both the technology and economics aspects of biodegradable soil sensors, has been published in Kern Economic Journal, which is expected to be of interests to Valley's Agricultural Community and other community partners. Co-PD Arias presented the work on sensors for agriculture in national and international conferences as part of outreach, including the National Academy of Sciences Summit on AI for Agriculture. Her talk "The role of AI and novel sensors in tracking added Nitrogen" was part of the session on AI for Sensing/Perception. Co-PD Arias' students have presented posters at UC Davis during the annual meeting of the AI institute for food systems (AIFS) and participated in the ARPA-e submit where they had sensor prototypes and demonstration of wireless communication. PD Li visited Dr. Tobias Oker, Soils and Irrigation Advisor at the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) - Kern County, on 07/10/24, and discussed about potential internship opportunities and future outreach plans. Dr. Okber is expecting to have an internship opportunity available at UCCE - Kern County for a couple CSUB students starting from Fall 2024 and will identify other internship opportunities. When the PD team is ready to deliver workshops to the Valley's agricultural community, Dr. Oker will also help connect the PD team with community partners. Objective (5): Engage community college students and K-12 students by delivering lectures on biodegradable electronics, offering them lab tours and farm tours, and providing them hands-on experiences in labs and on farms. Proposed activities under Objective (5) will start in Year 2.

Publications

• Type: Other Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: N. Michieka and Y. S. Li, Biodegradable Soil Sensors: A Primer, Kern Economic Journal, 26(2), 13-16 (2024).
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2024 Citation: A. C. Arias, The Role of AI and Novel Sensors in Tracking Added Nitrogen, Session: AI for Sensing / Perception, AI for Agriculture Summit, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC (July 2024).