Purdue joins ag IoT research collaboration
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — Researchers from Purdue University have been selected to participate in a new National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center (ERC). The NSF has awarded a $26 million grant to establish the ERC, which will be located at the University of Pennsylvania and used to develop Internet of Things technologies for precision agriculture.
Purdue says ERCs are a the flagship engineering program for the NSF to address large-scale societal challenges. The new center, which will be known as the Engineering Research Center for the Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture, or IOT4Ag, will involve researchers from four universities.
Purdue Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering David Cappelleri will serve as co-principal investigator, Purdue site director, and workforce development co-lead at the center.
“We are very excited about the new IoT4Ag ERC, which is poised to have a transformational impact on the future agriculture,” said Cappelleri. “The engagement of Purdue researchers in all three research thrusts of the center – agricultural sensor systems, communication and energy systems, and agricultural response systems – is a testament to the diverse leadership and collaboration between the Purdue College of Engineering and College of Agriculture.”
Mark Lundstrom, acting dean of the Purdue College of Engineering, says participation on the IoT4Ag center will leverage the universities strengths in developing new engineering technologies to improve agriculture.
In addition to Penn and Purdue, the ERC will include researchers from the University of California Merced and the University of Florida.
Several Purdue faculty members will play key roles in various research areas at IoT4Ag. You can learn more about the participants and the research that will be conducted at the center by clicking here.
Purdue also recently announced its participation in another ERC focusing on sustainable, electrified transportation, which will be located at Utah State University.