Tracy Mason

George Mason agricultural tool is another step closer to helping U.S. farmers, thanks to NSF support

Colleen Rich — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 19:08:57 +0000

George Mason agricultural tool is another step closer to helping U.S. farmers, thanks to NSF support Colleen Rich Tue, 08/13/2024 - 15:08

The CropSmart Digital Twin (CSDT) decision tool, a research project led by ��AV research professor Liping Di, is one of seven multidisciplinary projects nationwide recently selected to advance to Phase 2 of the National Science Foundation’s Convergence Accelerator, which could provide the researchers with up to $5 million in funding.

Liping Di. Photo provided

The user-inspired CropSmart Digital Twin provides on-demand, decision-ready solutions to take the guesswork out of crop management decisions. The services will be easily accessible to users through both web portals and smartphone apps. The optimal solutions are derived from near-real-time remote observations of cropping systems with artificial intelligence or machine learning-based modeling and simulations.

The United States accounts for more than 25% of the total grain traded globally. Successful crop production involves smart management decisions. With the Accelerator, the NSF is investing in new technologies that address the complex challenges in tackling food and nutrition insecurity from population growth, increasing diet-related diseases, and disparities and climate resilience.

In Phase 1 of the Convergence Accelerator, Di and his team received $750,000 from NSF to design CropSmart. With Phase 2, the team will focus on an operational release of the tool. “So it can be tested and evaluated in a real operational environment and provide services to users,” said Di, who is the director of the Center for Spatial Information Science and Systems in George Mason’s College of Science.

Farmers often depend on their own experience when making decisions, but some will make large investments in commercial instrumentation to measure and collect data on their crops. Yet, after making that investment, they must also collect the data and possess the scientific knowledge to apply it effectively. Di’s team will do this using remote sensing and modeling, covering larger areas at no or very low cost to the farmers, agribusiness operators, and governmental agriculture decision makers.

Di said they were working with more than 20 end-user partners to test CropSmart and anticipates increasing that number to 2,000 over the course of 2024. These users represent different agricultural sectors ranging from individual farmers to farm credit bureaus and ag-related businesses, and include the USDA.

The team is focused on commodity crops, such as wheat, corn, soybeans, and rice. Co-principal investigators on the project include Cenlin He at University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Jenny Du at Mississippi State University, Haishun Yang at University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and Juan P. Sesmero at Purdue University.

Sesmero said the first part of the release—CropSmart 1.0—focuses on certain decision points: when to apply irrigation and how much; crop condition and yield prediction for supporting farm loan and crop insurance decision making; and in-season crop mapping and statistics.

Over time, the teams plans to add additional decision points, such as when to plant and harvest and when to apply nitrogen fertilizer and how much. They will conduct comprehensive field testing to ensure a fully tested and operational solution by the time they release CropSmart 2.0.

“We use the results of our testing to refine the technology,” said Sesmero. “We collect data, process it, and deliver that information through the app.”

The CropSmart Digital Twin will provide three types of products to users: decision-ready information, a “what if” service, and direct management recommendations. The decision-ready information will be delivered to end users for free.

The CropSmart team is focused on commodity crops, such as wheat, corn, soybeans, and rice. Photo by Andrew Draper on Unsplash

“The users will get a good amount of aggregated information at whatever the format they want for free,” explained Sesmero.

The CropSmart "what if” and direct recommendation services are provided with a subscription fee, intended to help fund additional product development and sustain the operation of CropSmart Digital Twin.

In a “what if” service, the CropSmart Digital Twin will give a prediction of outcomes. Users can experiment with different decision scenarios and management paths, see their effects, and compare potential outcomes, by posing such questions as “Should we plant today or wait for another week?”

Also, a third service is available where the tool provides a direct management recommendation. For example, the CropSmart suggests planting within the next four days. This recommendation, optimized for the user’s specific decision goal, is automatically generated by CropSmart.

Topics

Research

College of Science

National Science Foundation

Tech Transfer

New Mason summer program shows high school students the value of a STEM degree

Colleen Rich — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 17:32:18 +0000

New Mason summer program shows high school students the value of a STEM degree Colleen Rich Tue, 08/15/2023 - 13:32

In This Story

Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm

��AV’s College of Science partnered with the Virginia Latino Higher Education Network (VALHEN) to offer the VALHEN Hispanic STEM Academy (VHSA) at its Fairfax Campus in the last week of July 2023.

Students engaged in a series of interactive and hands-on sessions across a range of STEM disciplines. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Designed for rising Virginia high school sophomores and juniors from Hispanic/Latine and other underserved communities, the program provided the opportunity for 48 participants to engage in a series of interactive and hands-on sessions across a range of STEM disciplines. During the three-day, two-night residential program, these potential future scientists toured Mason’s cutting-edge laboratories and facilities and learned from faculty and students about the forward-thinking research currently underway.

“We are thrilled to partner with VALHEN to show high school students from diverse backgrounds the potential of a STEM degree,” said College of Science Dean Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm. “This program provided participants access to the fastest growing STEM careers and academic pathways to get them there.”

This year, the academy focused on the topic of global sustainability. Participants worked with VHSA Guides, Mason undergraduate student mentors, and fellow high school students on group research projects addressing real-world scientific problems such as hunger, access to clean water, pollution, and climate solutions.

Kerin Hilker-Balkissoon welcomes students to the academy. Photo by Tracy Mason/College of Science

The “Mason VHSA Big Ideas Challenge” encouraged students to work collaboratively to tackle today’s most critical global sustainability challenges.

“The students presented some truly innovative solutions to very complex issues,” said Kerin Hilker-Balkissoon, director of educational and career pathways in the College of Science. “Hopefully this experience fuels their passion for STEM, while also helping them understand that their diversity of ideas, perspectives, and experiences are desperately needed in our global STEM community.”

Other sessions guided students through the college process to better know what to expect as a future student. Presentations also fostered connections to a wide range of resources, scholarships, and both academic and professional networks.

“Research shows that those from communities or identities underrepresented in STEM fields are less likely to pursue STEM majors in college, and those who do declare a STEM major when entering college are more likely to leave STEM than the general student population,” Hilker-Balkissoon said.

Topics

Students

College of Science

VALHEN Hispanic STEM Academy

Strategic Direction

Mason-led Immersion Program presents quantum pathways to high school students

Colleen Rich — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 19:00:27 +0000

Mason-led Immersion Program presents quantum pathways to high school students Colleen Rich Wed, 08/09/2023 - 15:00

Quantum is the study of the universe at the smallest scales. The strange behaviors that occur at the scale of atoms are key to the technologies that power our computers and many other modern devices. Recent advances that allow for greater manipulation of these strange behaviors have propelled quantum into a new era and holds promise for technological advances in computing, sensing, and communications. These new technologies may be the landscape of the workplace for today’s high school students.

Photo Provided by the College of Science

To excite high school students about the promise of quantum technologies and to prepare them for this future, ��AV and Connected DMV held the Pathways to Quantum Immersion Program during July. This program brought together high school students from 21 schools around the metropolitan Washington, D.C., region to explore quantum-focused education, research, and career opportunities.

The transdisciplinary program was coordinated by Jessica Rosenberg, Mason associate professor of physics and director of education at Mason’s Quantum Science and Engineering Center (QSEC), and Nancy Holincheck, Mason College of Education and Human Development Assistant Professor, Associate Director, Center for Social Equity Through Science Education, and co-Academic Program Coordinator of the Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning program.

Participants began with a two-week virtual program in which they learned about key quantum concepts, engaged with quantum phenomena using polarizers and simulations of experiments including the double slit experiment, learned about applications of quantum technologies, and were introduced to quantum careers.

Following the virtual program, the students spent a week in residence on Mason’s Fairfax Campus for a packed agenda of in-person programming that included lectures, discussions, and visits to sites working on quantum at Mason and around the region.

Participants visited several of the labs engaged in quantum research including Yun Yu’s quantum chemistry lab that is studying two-dimensional materials, Rob Cressman’s biophysics lab that is using quantum sensors to study the brain, Karen Sauer’s physics lab that is developing quantum sensors to detect magnetic fields, and QSEC Director Patrick Vora’s lab to learn about quantum materials research.

Photo Provided by the College of Science

“I learned about interdisciplinary, collaborative, and connected research across a variety of quantum topics—some I had already heard about and some emerging fields were new to me,” said Shivani Nadella, a rising senior at Freedom High School in South Riding, Virginia. “The professors were very knowledgeable and excited to share their expertise or resources you need to discover and pursue your passion.”

Nadella was originally planning to pursue a computer science degree when she got to college, but said, as a result of this experience, she is considering a dual major in physics.

Beyond Mason, program participants got to see quantum work that is being done at NASA, University of Maryland, MITRE, and George Washington University. At the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the students learned about the role of quantum in communications and got to see quantum labs as well as other facilities like the high bay where the Nancy Grace Roman telescope is being assembled.

At University of Maryland, they got to see lots of quantum labs including a cyclotron and a quantum computer. The MITRE tour included a career panel, as well as visits to the company’s nano-bio and vision-sensing labs. The nano-fabrication facility at George Washington University showed them work being done with scanning and transmitting electron microscopes.

The students’ final visit was to the White House Eisenhower Executive Office for presentations by members of the Office of Science and Technology Policy Quantum coordination office and a tour of the building.

Holincheck said this experience was important for access to opportunities and career information. “The students met diverse scientists working in quantum technologies and quantum policy and heard from them about current and future quantum applications and careers,” she said. “This program is one way that we can provide equitable access to STEM knowledge and opportunities for students from across our region.”

Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid said work-based learning experiences like the Quantum Immersion Program help prepare students for careers of the future—careers that don’t yet exist. Nine FCPS students participated in this summer program.

“Our deepest gratitude to our academic, government, and business partners who recognize the value of giving our students hands-on experiences to guide and shape their futures,” she added.

On the final day of the program, participants delivered presentations about what they had learned over the week and their quantum learning continues.

“Some of the students will continue with an extended internship program following this experience,” said Rosenberg. “All of the students also have the opportunity to present a poster on their vision for future quantum technologies the Quantum World Congress occurring in September.”

Rosenberg added, “A student told me that after this experience, they can truly realize how quantum can be applied to many fields—it is the future. They learn whatever career path they choose, whether medical or computational, quantum will be there.”

The Pathways to Quantum Immersion program is part of QSEC’s K12 Quantum Workforce Development Project, which was funded by an appropriation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton, and aims to inspire the next generation of students to pursue the field while simultaneously preparing a diverse quantum workforce in Northern Virginia.

“A student told me that after this experience, they can truly realize how quantum can be applied to many fields—it is the future. They learn whatever career path they choose, whether medical or computational, quantum will be there.”

Jessica Rosenberg

Learn more about the Quantum Immersion Program

Topics

Students

College of Science

Quantum Science and Engineering Center

K12 Quantum Workforce Development Project

Students apply mathematical modeling to drug addiction and recovery in summer research program

Colleen Rich — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 14:17:34 +0000

Students apply mathematical modeling to drug addiction and recovery in summer research program Colleen Rich Thu, 08/03/2023 - 10:17

The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) chose five sites across the United States for its inaugural summer SIAM-Simons Undergraduate Research Program in applied mathematics and computational science. ��AV, and specifically the Department of Mathematical Sciences in the College of Science, was one of those sites.

Mason professor Padhu Seshaiyer (second from left) and Mason PhD student Alonso Ogueda-Oliva (far right) work with SIAM-Simons program participants Diego Gonzalez and Adan Baca. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Mason Science mathematics professor Padmanabhan (Padhu) Seshaiyer served as program mentor with support from Mason mathematical PhD student Alonso Ogueda-Oliva. The two selected undergraduate students were Adan Baca from the University of Arizona and Diego Gonzalez of the University of La Verne in Fontana, California, who tackled how computational science might inform the road to recovery from drug addiction.

For their six weeks at Mason, Baca and Gonzalez worked with their mentors to learned how to conduct scientific research and effectively communicate mathematics and computational science principles. The goal was for the students to gain an improved understanding of how their ongoing education can translate into a career in applied mathematics and computational science.

Working at Mason’s Fairfax Campus, the team researched drug addiction and built computational simulations to better understand pathways for recovery and patient detox journeys. Students also engaged with Mason College of Public Health Associate Professor Holly Matto, who shared important insights into addiction behavior that helped enhance the mathematical models, further demonstrating the importance of interdisciplinary research.

Undergraduates Adan Baca and Diego Gonzalez traveled to Mason for the SIAM-Simons research opportunity. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Baca was excited about the research opportunity the program provided. “For me, it was the internal motivation to do something with my major beyond just turning in my homework,” he said. “I could research something that interests me to create real and useful results to benefit someone beyond the grade on my transcript.”

Gonzalez started the program concerned about his ability to keep up. “But the very opposite to what I expected happened,” said Gonzalez. “This opportunity convinced me of the value of graduate school and that a welcoming, supportive mentor could definitely encourage me to succeed, which is very important in this environment.”

“This supported opportunity for the Mason MASTER (Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation for the grand challenges through innovative Training Education and Research) program created a special summer for me,” Seshaiyer said. “The two undergraduate students clearly blossomed over the six weeks—from not having done any research at all to really producing something that was quite substantial, involving modeling, analysis, and simulation that is publishable, meaningful, and impactful.”

Seshaiyer recently received the 2023 Council on Undergraduate Research’s (CUR) Mathematical, Computing and Statistical Sciences Advanced Career Mentor Award, an annual award which honors one faculty mentor nationwide for their success in mentoring undergraduate students in mathematics and computer science research.

The summer program ended with a research presentation to Mason faculty, students, SIAM representatives, and parents.

“These students gained experience both in the abstract space as a foundation while also learning how to apply it to something that matters today—in this case right on the edge of pushing the boundaries of what we know and understand about addiction and recovery,” said Karen Bliss, SIAM senior manager of education and outreach. “To be at a place where they understand the model and make predictions is amazing.”

“This program demonstrated the value of strong mentorship to create the right foundation for success and that students who are curious about big societal problems can in fact learn how to apply mathematical principles and hone their research and modeling skills to solve them,” said College of Science dean Fernando Miralles Wilhelm. “We are very thankful to be selected in this impactful inaugural program from SIAM and The Simons Foundation and look forward to additional opportunities to participate.”

Other mentor sites selected this year were the Moffitt Cancer Center, Rice University, Youngstown State University, and Arizona State University. The applications for the next cycle of SIAM member mentors are open now. Application review will begin August 30, 2023, and the student participant application for summer 2024 will open in December 2023.

Topics

computational science

Addiction

Mason hosts Department of Homeland Security Centers of Excellence 2019 Summit

Melanie Balog — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 23:21:18 +0000

Mason hosts Department of Homeland Security Centers of Excellence 2019 Summit Melanie Balog Mon, 07/08/2019 - 19:21

Topics

Campus News