Agriculture Commons^™

Deep Semantic Hashing For Aerial Livestock Detection, Shosei Anegawa, Franz Kurfess, Sumona Mukhopadhyay

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

The goal of this project is to be able to accurately detect and count livestock in footage captured by a drone in real time. The main problems with this arise from the fact that a drone can only carry limited computing resources, and hashing is conventionally thought of as a great method of doing image classification very quickly and thus even on low-power devices. In this project, we use both a Faster-RCNN, which is a state-of-the art object detection model as a benchmark to develop a hashing model that can perform a similar task much more quickly. These two models …

Ecological And Organic Life Safety Concerns Of Hfo-1234yf, Alberni V. Ruiz

STAR Program Research Presentations

While at NOAA my research was directed by the inquiry of whether or not HFO-1234yf, a new compound being introduced into coolant system and replacing greenhouse gases HFC, is harmful to organic life. Using the computer program Matlab I was able to develop figures that represented the concentration of HFO-1234yf (HFO) in 12 different tower locations throughout the country. Comparing and contrasting concentrations of this HFO compound at each site led me to the question the possible harmful side effects this compound could bring to organic life due to the fact that concentration levels are increasing, with one factor being …

Testing Predictions Used To Build An Agrivoltaics Installation On A Small-Scale Educational Model, Katie Kinney, Rebecca Minor, Greg Barron-Gafford

STAR Program Research Presentations

Models are valuable tools for explaining and testing systems. Small-scale models can be especially useful for educational purposes. For models to be useful, they have to accurately depict the larger system that they are describing. A novel man-made system, known as an agrivoltaic structure, is being constructed at Biosphere 2 near Oracle, Arizona. The word agrivoltaic is a combination of agriculture and photovoltaics, or solar farming. My research involved creating a small-scale version of this system for educational purposes. The model of this system tested two predictions: that plants will grow better in the shade of a panel and that …

Citizen Science Sensor Development - Smap | Soil Moisture Active Passive, Hagop Hovhannesian

STAR Program Research Presentations

“Detailed monitoring of soil moisture provides a view of how our whole Earth system works.”

The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite mission was launched in January 2015; its main purpose is to acquire global measurements of soil moisture. SMAP partnered with the GLOBE program (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment), which is an international program where students collect environmental variables in a scientifically methodical way. SMAP readings and maps have various uses in various fields, which include monitoring drought, predicting floods, assisting in crop productivity, and linking water, energy and carbon cycles. The goal of this project …

Chemical Oxygen Demand Reduction Using The Algae Dunaliella Primolecta And Chlorella Vulgaris, Angeles L. Mora, Alejandro Hernandez, Alejandro Calderón-Urrea

STAR Program Research Presentations

Farm industry wastewater is characterized by high organic materials and by high chemical oxygen demand (COD). Farms with large livestock and poultry operations can be a major source of wastewater thus a major concern for effective environmental and industrial management. Effective environmental and industrial management are high in cost therefor biofuels produced from plants have a potential of replacing a portion of fossil fuel consumption with a renewable efficient alternative. Due to California’s water crisis in the recent years, it is questioned if a biological treatment system that uses algal growth to create renewable energy in the form of biodiesel …

Agricultural Experiences And Factors Of Undergraduates Who Enroll In A College Of Agriculture, Benjamin G. Swan, Ann M. De Lay

Agricultural Education and Communication

Industry partners and College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES) faculty have observed students entering the college possessed fewer agriculture experiences and skills than their predecessors. They have also lamented the increasing pressure to develop industry-ready students, when the gaps are ever wider between their experience and skills entering college and what are required upon graduation. During the 2011 spring quarter, all CAFES students (N = 3,366) were sent an electronic survey that resulted in 911 responses (27% response rate). Three quarters of the students were female and one third were seniors. Prior to enrolling at the university, 34% …

Growing Conditions For Algae, Angeles Mora, Tamar Melkonian, Alejandro Calderon-Urrea

STAR Program Research Presentations

With the growing demands of water in California and the increasing cost of fossil fuels to operate water-cleaning equipment, Algae was cultivated in different concentrations of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (NPK) during different trails to identify the best growing conditions for the removal water contaminates. Before testing algae in waste water, the Algae: Dunaliella Primolecta, Chlorella Vulgaris, and Scenedesmus Dimorphus were cultivated in four different media containing distilled water and plant vitamins. The different mediums used include: Orchid Grow More (20-20-20), Miracle Grow (30-10-10), Murashige & Skoog, and Orchid Bloom Boster (11-35-15). As a result of the investigation, the algae, …

Aquaponics And Basil Plant Density, Danika L. Macmaster, Brook Murphy, Dudley Burton

STAR Program Research Presentations

Aquaponics is the use of water from a fish tank to provide nutrients to plants in a soil-less environment. The rocks cultivate the bacteria that turns the ammonia into nitrates that the plants need, and the plant bed functions as a filter for the fish tank. In this study, with the guidance of Doctor Dudley Burton, Doctor Brook Murphy, we researched the optimal plant density for basil in an Aquaponics system. We attempted to control or measure all the other variables to consider, as to isolate the variable of distance between plants. The water flow was spread through the plant …

Student Apathy As Defined By Secondary Agricultural Education Students, Ann M. De Lay, Benjamin G. Swan

Agricultural Education and Communication

Student motivation continues to be a source of concern for educators. This phenomenological study captured the voices of secondary agriculture students as they shared their perspectives and experiences surrounding student apathy. Four focus group interviews were conducted at four central California high schools with distinguished agriculture programs. The following question guided the research: What experience do secondary agriculture students have with student apathy in their academic environments? Findings suggest student apathy is born of personal choice and grown through mediocre teaching, archaic assessment and the absence of learning purpose. Recommendations suggest students, teachers, the local school and teacher educators form …

Regulated Deficit Irrigation Effect On Yield And Wine Color Of Cabernet Sauvignon In Central California, Michael J. Costello, W. Keith Patterson

Wine and Viticulture

Regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) is a management strategy that on grape can improve shoot/fruit ratio, water efficiency, and wine quality but has the potential to reduce yield. As part of a study on the influence of RDI on leafhopper density, we evaluated the effects on grape yield, berry size, berry soluble solids, and wine color. The studies were conducted at commercial vineyards in the San Joaquin Valley and in the Paso Robles region, CA, with Cabernet Sauvignon as the cultivar. Water deficits were imposed at either 50% (moderate deficit) or 25% (severe deficit) of standard irrigation (the control) for a …

Influence Of Intensity And Duration Of Regulated Deficit Irrigation On Erythroneura Elegantula (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) On Grape, Michael J. Costello, Shawn T. Veysey

Wine and Viticulture

We conducted studies in a Paso Robles, CA, grape (Vitis vinifera L.) vineyard in 2002 and 2003 to estimate the impact of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) intensity and duration on western grape leafhopper, Erythroneura elegantula Osborn. Treatments were based on deficit intensity, 50 and 25% of standard irrigation (moderate and severe deficits, respectively), and deficit duration, 3 or 6 wk time, initiated at the grape phenological stage of berry set.The standard irrigation served as the control, and was intended to be as close to 100% of evapotranspiration (1.0 ETc) for grape in this area. Each week we took counts of …

Model Tractor Teaching Tool, Blair L. Stringam, Benjamin G. Swan

Agricultural Education and Communication

A model tractor was developed to teach students about power consumption and wheel slip of farm tractors. The model was selected because of safety and resource issues. Using this model in the lab provided a safe and quiet atmosphere where the principals of power consumption and wheel slip could be demonstrated and learned. The students that participated in the lab appeared to grasp the concepts that were presented.

Changes In Teacher Self-Efficacy From The Student Teaching Experience Through The Third Year Of Teaching, Benjamin G. Swan, Kattlyn J. Wolf, Jamie Cano

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in teacher self–efficacy from the student teaching experience to the third year of teaching. The population was the entire cohort of student teachers from The Ohio State University. Of the 34 individuals who student taught, 17 entered the teaching profession. The researchers utilized the Teachers Sense of Efficacy Scale (Tschannen–Moran and Woolfolk Hoy, 2001) to assess the individuals in the study four different times; at the conclusion of student teaching, and the conclusion of their first, second and third years of teaching. No previous research exists in agricultural education that tracks …

Developing A Biophysical Model To Determine The Minimum Water Requirement For Irrigating Known Crops, Robyn M. Williams, Lahaouri Bounoua

STAR Program Research Presentations

This research is to determine the minimum amount of irrigation needed to grow 75 crops in semi-arid regions. The number of days each crop spends in their developmental stages and the amount of water needed to grow these crops will be gathered and then used to create a mathematical model that will calculate how much water certain crops need at their various developmental stages. From this model, we will be able to quantify the minimum water requirement in order to limit the amount of water that is possibly being wasted due to over irrigating agricultural areas.

Grapevine And Soil Water Relations With Nodding Needlegrass (Nassella Cernua), A California Native Grass, As A Cover Crop, Michael J. Costello

Wine and Viticulture

Nodding needlegrass [Nassella cernua (Stebbins & R.M. Love) Barkworth], a California native perennial grass, was tested for its effects on grapevine and soil–water relations in a drip-irrigated vineyard in Parlier, CA. Vine water status and in-row and between-row soil moisture (at 0.3 m, 0.6 m, 0.9 m, 1.2 m, and 1.5 m) were monitored semiweekly from June to September. There was no overall significant difference in leaf water potential between treatments. In-row soil moisture was lowest at depths of 0.6 m to 0.9 m within the nodding needlegrass treatment but was lowest from 0.3 m to 0.9 m within the …

Growth And Yield Of Cultivated Grape With Native Perennial Grasses Nodding Needlegrass Or California Barley As Cover Crops, Michael J. Costello

Wine and Viticulture

Two California native perennial grasses, nodding needlegrass [Nassella cernua (Stebbins & R.M. Love) Barkworth] and California barley [Hordeum brachyantherum Nevski ssp. californicum (Covas & Stebbins) Bothmer, N. Jacobsen & Seberg], were compared with a conventional grass cover crop, ‘Blando’ brome (Bromus hordeaceus L.), as well as resident (weedy) vegetation and a clean cultivated control for effects on growth and yield of cultivated grape (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Barbera). Statistical analyses did not reveal yield differences between treatments with floor vegetation (the native grasses, ‘Blando’ brome, and resident vegetation) and clean cultivation, the cover crop treatments (the native grasses and ‘Blando …

The Relationship Between Student Teacher Heart And Career Intent, Benjamin G. Swan, Jamie Cano

Agricultural Education and Communication

Students enter an agricultural teacher preparation program planning to teach agriculture. However, career intent appears to change during the preservice program for many students. The teacher’s “heart” is the combination of a teacher’s: mission, faith in teaching, caring for their students, and enthusiasm displayed in the classroom. There is no published research that examines the development of the teacher’s “heart” and how it relates to career intent. Further, Palmer (1998) stated that teacher “heart” cannot be developed; only diminished. However, Peterson and Seligman (2004) stated that the virtues of care, enthusiasm, hope, faith, and mission can be developed. No published …

The Relationship Of Agricultural Mechanics Teachers’ Confidence In Their Mathematic Skills And Confidence In Their Ability To Teach Mathematic Skills, Benjamin G, Swan, Lori L. Moore, Cody J. Echevarria

Agricultural Education and Communication

This study assessed Idaho agricultural science and technology teachers that taught at least one agricultural mechanics course during the 2006-2007 school year in terms of their confidence level in their own mathematics skills and their ability to teach mathematics skills. Data were collected using Dillman’s Tailored Design Method (2000) resulting in a response rate of 56.84% (N=95, n=54). Data were used to identify relationships between the level of confidence in mathematic abilities and confidence in ability to teach mathematics. A strong relationship was found between the confidence agricultural mechanics teachers had in their ability to perform mathematic tasks and their …

Developing Best Practices Of Teacher Induction, Lori L. Moore, Benjamin G. Swan

Agricultural Education and Communication

Problems and challenges faced by beginning teachers have been well documented in the literature and have created the need for teacher induction programs in all disciplines, including agricultural education. This paper used literature from inside and outside the agricultural education discipline to identify and describe best practices in teacher induction yielding a framework called the Best Practices of Teacher Induction for Agricultural Education. This framework is based on the work of Camp and Heath (1988), who identified four contributor groups responsible for teacher induction, and the work of Stansbury and Zimmerman (2000), who identified high and low intensity teacher induction …