Precision Agriculture: Soil Mapping and Measuring With a Data-Driven Approach
Digital tools make it easier to visualize how soil properties vary across our fields. Recent research suggests that using management zones to highlight these spatial patterns can help us understand field variations and how to better manage them.
Spartan Scientists Contribute to Global Examination of Pollinator Habitat
Michigan State University Distinguished Professor Rufus Isaacs and CANR alumna Gabriela Quinlan (Ph.D. ’20), now an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, collaborated with researchers from 19 countries to develop a framework for informing conservation policies to increase the quantity and enhance the quality of pollinator habitat in agricultural landscapes.
Molina Awarded NSF Career Grant to Advance Research on Human-AI Interaction and Privacy
Maria Molina, Assistant Professor of Advertising and Public Relations, has been awarded the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award. The five-year grant, totaling more than $500,000, will support Molina's groundbreaking research on human-AI interaction, specifically how people navigate trust and privacy in their use of generative AI systems.
Knowles Wins Grants to Improve Speech Therapy for Parkinson’s
Thea Knowles, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, assistant professor in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State University, and her collaborators have been awarded two competitive grants to support their innovative research on communication challenges in Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonism.
Automation Alley: Xiaobo Tan Finding Creative Uses for Soft Robots
What if a soft robot like Baymax in the Disney animated film Big Hero 6 were real? Xiaobo Tan, MSU Foundation Professor and Richard M. Hong Endowed Chair, and his team are working to bring that science fiction to life by designing robots made of soft materials that are safer for both human interaction and delicate objects.
VR Opens New Doors for Students With Disabilities to Learn Essential Life Skills
Two recent peer-reviewed studies found that nonimmersive virtual reality, or VR — screen-based programs on devices like laptops or Chromebooks, rather than expensive VR headsets — improved how well students with intellectual and developmental disabilities performed tasks such as cooking on a stove, shopping from a list and using kitchen appliances.
Decoding Plants’ Language of Light
Researchers have revealed a previously unknown way plants shape their growth in response to light — a breakthrough that could better equip crops to handle environmental stress. In a first-of-its-kind finding, the team discovered how a compound that’s involved in plant metabolism can directly "reprogram” an unrelated light-sensing protein.
Basso Lab Featured in New York Times
At Sandborn Farms in Portland, Michigan, a drone recently swept low over cornfields, delivering fertilizer only where data showed it was needed most. This careful approach not only saves money and boosts yields but also helps protect air, water, and soil by avoiding unnecessary fertilizer use.
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