Engineering Commons^™

Evaluating Evapotranspiration Values In Rwanda While Using The Turc And Hargreaves-Samani Equations., Elizabeth Uwase, Derek M. Heeren, Lameck O. Odhiambo

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Evapotranspiration (ET) is an important component of the hydrologic cycle and involves the exchange of water between the surrounding water bodies, soil, crop surfaces, and the atmosphere. Crop growth and yields are largely affected by the rate of ET, especially in semi-arid areas where the rate of ET is high and rainfall is not sufficient and reliable to add more water into the soil for crop use. Solar radiation, relative humidity, air temperature, rainfall, and wind velocity are some of the meteorological factors that affect ET. Therefore, this research was aimed at determining ET and its trend across Rwanda using …

Height And Pressure Test For Improving Spray Application, Anna Siebe, Joe D. Luck

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Pesticide application in agricultural fields affects a little over a million acres each year (USDA 2012). Current spray application equipment can automatically adjust nozzle flow rates in reaction to speed changes to maintain consistent application rates across the field. Uniform distribution of pesticides from the spray boom is critical to ensure proper crop care while minimizing negative environmental effects. Boom pressure and height are two primary factors that affect proper spray uniformity; however information on the combined effects of these factors are limited. The goal of this study was to provide end users with quantified data regarding the effects of …

Toward Mining Massive And Multi-Dimensional Data For Extreme Hydrometeorological And Climate Event Analyses, Ling Qiu, Francisco Munoz-Arriola, Carlos M. Carrilo

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This poster presents the research on the main patterns of spatial distribution and temporal variability of precipitation and temperature in the Missouri River Basin (MRB). MRB has 117 million acres in cropland, produces of 46%, 22%, and 34% US's wheat, corn, and cattle, respectively. Also, MRB is known for intense weather and extreme climate variability. The approach is to identify different patterns of spatial distribution and temporal variability of precipitation and temperature through the use of a Principal Component Analysis. We have found that precipitation and temperature are the ideal meteorological variable to test spatiotemporal variability of extreme events using …

Science-Informed Arguments In Undergraduates' Opinions About Biofuels, Olivia Straka, Jenny Dauer

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Socioscientific issues (SSIs) are complex, multifaceted issues with components of science as well as components of values requiring evaluation of social, political, and ethical concerns (Nichols & Zeidler, 2009). • However, many students do not possess a fundamental understanding of the underlying scientific foundations of SSIs (NRC, 1998), or may evaluate issues based on personal relevance as opposed to contemplation of evidence presented (Sadler et al., 2004). • This study examined how undergraduate students chose to substantiate their opinions on the SSI of using biofuels as a fuel source before and after taking a semester long course, AGRI/NRES 103. • …

Engineering Outreach Education Through Social Media, Katie E. Meiergerd, Dagen Valentine, Jennifer R. Keshwani, Bradley Barker

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Familiarizing teachers and educators with Engineering and other related STEM fields is crucial in educating students, so ensuring teachers with access to these resources is important. The objective of this work is to identify ways to use social media to provide support to K – 12 educators interested in implementing engineering education with their students.

Exploring Large-Scale Parameterization Of Irrigation In The Northern High Plains, Mitch Maguire, Daniel Rico, Katherine Smith, Francisco Munoz-Arriola

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Research Question – Objective - Hypothesis

How does irrigation respond to the demands of Crop Irrigation Requirements under extreme hydrometeorological events?

Implement a parameterization of irrigation into the land surface hydrology model VIC.

Changes in evapotranspiration (ET) will be more conspicuous during dry years, highlighting the limiting role of soil moisture in the model.