OCTOBER, 20, 2020 — The University of Texas at San Antonio has received a four-year, $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to advance research, technology development, student training and the diversity of students in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.
The Bioenergy and Water for Agriculture Research and Education (BE AWARE 2) Network is a consortium led by Krystel Castillo, director of the Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute, GreenStar Endowed Associate Professor in Energy and VP in Energy Efficiency for the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute. It involves several partners including The University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley, The University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, San Antonio College, South Texas College and multiple U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies.
Nowadays, concerns are growing over the ability of the modern smart agriculture systems to simultaneously achieve security and environmental sustainability. The increased penetration of Internet of Things (IoT) based smart security and monitoring devices allows farmers to collect data with a high granularity and in enormous quantities; however, security issues are a latent concern. Additionally, the use of machine learning as well as artificial intelligence techniques is revolutionizing the decision-making support systems in smart agriculture. Yet, the dominant tendency is to conceptualize diverse smart agriculture systems (e.g., biofuels, food, water, etc.) as separate, disconnected issues, which is a key barrier to educational transformation.
BE AWARE 2 will continue and expand efforts to provide research opportunities and transdisciplinary training in IoT security, data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence for the optimization and design of integrated bioenergy and water systems.
“The BE AWARE 2 team will work towards addressing the shortage of trained workforce in data analytics to optimize smart agriculture with a holistic systems perspective,” said Castillo.
BE AWARE 2 trains a future workforce with a strong baseline understanding of data-driven agriculture systems by engaging students in research projects showing the integrative nature of biofuel production and water remediation. BE AWARE 2 aims to identify frontiers in agriculture and devise the future of data-driven agriculture systems.
“The holistic approach and training in data-driven integrated systems will allow fellows to address challenges from a science, experimental, analytical and computational integrated approach,” said Castillo.
The long-term impact, Castillo added, will be to create a competitive workforce, able to design and manage smart agriculture systems to increase the economic competitiveness of the United States.
“This type of research, which directly impacts our communities while engaging a broad network of academic and government partners, is a perfect example of how UTSA and the College of Engineering seeks to serve our society,” said, JoAnn Browning, dean, UTSA College of Engineering. “The work that Dr. Castillo and her colleagues will complete helps us to shape the future economic prosperity, health, and food security of our region for generations to come.”UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
The UTSA Office of Undergraduate is proud to celebrate National Undergraduate Research with an annual event sponsored by the (OUR) featuring students will showcase undergraduate student research and creative endeavors from all disciplines across campus.
Various LocationsDía en la Sombrilla, formerly Fiesta UTSA, is a festival hosted each spring as a part of Fiesta® San Antonio events. Sponsored by Roadrunner Productions, the event features music, food, confetti, games, event t-shirts, and more.
Sombrilla Plaza and Central Plaza, Main CampusFiesta Arts Fair features contemporary art from more than 100 artists from across the U.S., Fiesta favorite foods, drinks, live music by local and regional performers, and a Young Artists Garden providing opportunities for budding artists to learn, explore and express their creativity.
UTSA Southwest CampusJoin the PEACE Center and Wellbeing Services for Denim Day, a day of learning about the importance of consent and why we wear denim on the last Wednesday of the month each April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Stop by our Denim Day display to take a photo in front of our Denim Wall, spin the "Is It Consent?" Wheel, and get a Concha or goodie.
Student Union Window Lounge, Main CampusLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
AlamodomeCelebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
AlamodomeThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
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The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
