Join us May 7-8, 2024, to learn about current research, share ideas for collaboration, and to grow our networks with one another. We welcome participants from the Penn State community as well as our partners across academic institutions, industry, government, and our stakeholder networks.
REGISTRATION CLOSED
About the Symposium
A commitment to a healthy planet and healthy people across farms, wetlands, and waterways to promote biodiversity and to improve the resiliency of our crops, forests, and community health.
Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences is hosting the Technologies for Agriculture and Living Systems Symposium at the University Park campus on May 7-8, 2024, to initiate and foster the productive partnerships necessary for the integration of emerging and advanced technologies to address the complex challenges we face with climate change, resource protection (soil, water, air), biodiversity losses, rural and urban health, and social and economic shifts within our communities.
Symposium Agenda
Day 1 | May 7, 2024
We invite you to join us to learn about current research. Presentations will focus on the development and applications of technologies that are integral to establishing sustainable and resilient agricultural systems that are interconnected with the broader living systems that support them.
Details on the sessions (session themes, presentation titles, and room locations) will be updated as the sessions are finalized with contributing participants.
Breakfast / Check-in8:00 am - Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Lobby |
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Welcome102 Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Building |
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| 8:30 am | László Kulcsár | Opening Remarks |
| 8:45 am | Christina Grozinger | Welcome & Overview |
Session 1: Leveraging technology and AI for management and conservation102 Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Building |
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| 9:00 am | Yanqiu Yang | Guardians of Green: Combating Box Tree Moth Proliferation with AI & IoT |
| 9:10 am | Breanna Bone | Advancing Calf Health Monitoring: Validating Gyroscope Collars for Nutritive and Non-Nutritive Behavior Assessment, and Machine Learning-Based Alert System for Bovine Respiratory Disease Detection |
| 9:20 am | Edward Amoah | Developing automated monitoring of solitary bee foraging and nesting behaviors to inform population models |
| 9:30 am | Avalon Miller | Moving towards high-throughput phenotyping of disease-tolerant forest trees |
| 9:40 am | Juan Arguijo | Vision system for the detection of apples in the green fruit stage |
| 9:50 am | Armen Kemanian | Using the Cycles agroecosystem simulation model to predict agricultural and environmental performance |
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10:00 am - Break |
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Session 2: Strategies for sustainable food production and supply102 Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Science Building |
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| 10:15 am | Francesco Di Gioia & Chenchen Kang |
Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence for Advancing the Sustainability of Controlled environment Agricultural Systems |
| 10:30 am | Shiran Ben Zeev | Plant-plant interactions in sorghum plants through chemical and physical communication belowground |
| 10:40 am | H Grant Troop | All In Crop Production - Climate Smart |
| 10:50 am | Curtis Dell | Manure injection and emissions of nitrogen gases |
| 11:00 am | Rob Chiles | Growing Cellular Agriculture at Penn State (and Beyond): Interdisciplinary Research, Stakeholder Partnerships, and Global Dialogues |
| 11:10 am | Jeff Catchmark | Expanding the agroeconomy: An example of industrial supply chain driven research in sustainable packaging |
Session 3a: Mapping, modeling and decision support tool development102 Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Science Building |
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| 11:30 am | Lily Houtman | Using Beescape NexGen: A Pollinator Health Decision-Support Tool |
| 11:40 am | Patrick Dudas | Blending Immersive Technologies and Nature: Capturing, Visualizing, and Storytelling the Outdoors |
Lunch12:00 pm - Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Lobby & Room 106 |
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Guest Speaker |
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1:00 pm |
Sean Rhodes | Uncertainty Assessment of Imputation Conducted Using Machine Learning Techniques at the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service |
Session 3b: Mapping, modeling and decision support tool development
102 Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Science Building |
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| 1:30 pm | Jen Weld | Development and Implementation of a Pennsylvania Farm Planning System: PAOneStop |
| 1:40 pm | Tara Anthony | Donald W. Hamer Center for Maps and Geospatial Information Overview |
| 1:50 pm | Harry Crissy | Understanding the Requirements to Resolve Rural Broadband Shortcomings in the United States |
| 2:00 pm | David Hughes | How can PlantVillage as a well-developed AI platform help Tech in Ag |
| 2:10 pm | Paul Esker | The Open Crop Manager as an interdisciplinary tool for improving crop production and management |
| 2:20 pm | Sarah Goslee | When are flowers? Tracking and predicting plant phenology |
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2:30 pm - Break |
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Session 4: Application of Robotics to Living Systems102 Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Science Building |
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| 2:45 pm | Bo Cheng | Bio-inspired Robotics with the Potential for Biodiversity Monitoring |
| 2:55 pm | Francisco Yandun | Robotics in Ag: Opportunities and Challenges |
| 3:05 pm | Paul Heinemann | Advanced Technology Applications in Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Penn State - Evolution and Current Status |
| 3:15 pm | Magni Hussain | Research in Agricultural AI and Robotics: Past Work and Future Plans |
| 3:25 pm | Shirin Ghatresamani | Future of Farming: Smart Agricultural Machines (SAM) |
| 3:35 pm | Long He | Applied Research and Extension in Specialty Crop Production |
Arboretum Tour4:00 pm - Arboretum Event Lawn |
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Reception at the Arboretum5:30 pm - Arboretum Overlook Pavilion |
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Day 2 | May 8, 2024
We welcome you to join one of the three concurrent ideation sessions where panelists will share their experiences in building partnerships and set the stage for discussions on how to form lasting networks to advance:
- Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem;
- Establishing Workforce Development Pipelines;
- Ensuring Successful Adoption and implementation.
Breakfast / Check-in8:15 am - Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Lobby |
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Pathways to Collaboration: Plenary102 Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Building |
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| 8:30 am | Blair Siegfried | Opening Remarks |
| 8:40 am | Gretta Tritch Roman | Overview and Instructions for Participants |
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8:50 am - Breakout in Concurrent Sessions |
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Pathways to Collaboration: Concurrent Ideation Sessions9:00 am - See session details below for room locations |
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Session A: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem102 Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences BuildingHow might technologies for agriculture and living systems be integral to building an entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports productive engagement across industry and academia and facilitates the discovery and translation of research toward societal benefits? |
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Session Facilitator |
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| Jeff Catchmark | Professor, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences |
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Panelists |
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| Dan Azzara | Alan R. Warehime Faculty Chair in Agribusiness; Director, Entrepreneurship & Innovation Program, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences |
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| Kelly Kundratic | Agriculture Policy Director, Team Pennsylvania | |
| Darryl Blakey | Associate Director, Government Affairs U.S., FMC Corporation | |
| Todd Erdley | Central Regional Director, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central & Northern PA |
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| Ben Pratt | Regional Economic Competitiveness Officer, Southwest Pennsylvania New Economy Collaborative |
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| Kevin Dowling | Managing Director, The Robotics Factory | |
Session B: Establishing Workforce Development Pipelines106 Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences BuildingImagine an inspired and skilled workforce in Pennsylvania who drive cutting-edge research, efficient production, sustained conservation, and economic growth…What would that workforce development pipeline look like across diverse age groups and needs? |
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Session Facilitator |
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| Mark Gagnon | Associate Teaching Professor, Agribusiness; Harbaugh Entrepreneur and Innovation Faculty Scholar, Entrepreneurship & Innovation Program, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences |
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Panelists |
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| Christina Grozinger | Distinguished Professor, Entomology, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences; Director, Technology for Living Systems Center; Director, Center for Pollinator Research Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences |
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| Maria Spencer | Assistant Clinical Professor; John and Patty Warehime Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Entrepreneurship & Innovation Program, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences |
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| Sam Johnson | Director of Aquaponic Programs, AgWorks, Commonwealth Charter Academy |
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| Jeff Remington | Outreach Liaison, Penn State Center for Science and Technology in the Schools |
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| Heather Preisendanz | Associate Professor, Agricultural and Biological Engineering; Director, Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences |
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| Tamie Veith | Agricultural Engineer, USDA-ARS-Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit |
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| Jim Ladlee | State Program Leader, Emerging & Advanced Technology, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences and Penn State Extension |
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Session C: Ensuring Successful Adoption & Implementation112 Forest Resources BuildingWhat would the successful implementation and adoption of emerging and advanced technologies for agriculture and the conservation of living systems look like in Pennsylvania? |
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Session Facilitator |
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| Gretta Tritch Roman | Director of Research Development & Initiatives, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences |
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Panelists |
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| Mike Roth | Director of Conservation and Innovation, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture |
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| Scott Welsh | Managing Partner, Fieldstone Innovations, LLC; Consultant, Entrepreneurship & Innovation Program, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences |
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| Adrian Barragan | Associate Research Professor and Extension Veterinarian, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences and Penn State Extension |
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| Krista Rose | Implementation Leader, Writer, and Moderator, Beck Ag, Inc | |
| Joel Rotz | Farmer Liaison, Agriculture and Environment Center, Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science |
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Reconvene for Session Outcomes Reporting11:15 pm - 102 Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Building |
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Lunch12:00 pm - Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Lobby & Room 106 |
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Symposium Logistics
All events will be held on the Penn State University Park campus. Parking information will be provided to registrants.
Director, Technologies for Living Systems Center
- Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology
- Email cmgrozinger@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-2214
Director, Technologies for Living Systems Center
- Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology
- Email cmgrozinger@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-2214
