{"id":75827,"date":"2026-03-12T08:00:33","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T12:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/?p=75827"},"modified":"2026-03-11T12:54:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T16:54:49","slug":"institute-for-integrative-precision-agriculture-awards-6-new-seed-grants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/news\/institute-for-integrative-precision-agriculture-awards-6-new-seed-grants\/","title":{"rendered":"Institute for Integrative Precision Agriculture awards 6 new seed grants"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The University of Georgia Institute for Integrative Precision Agriculture (IIPA) has awarded six new seed grants to help launch research projects at the intersection of agriculture, engineering, and artificial intelligence, among other areas.<\/p>\n

The grants, totaling $390,480, represent a commitment by UGA and the institute to fostering the creation of new multidisciplinary teams. The six accepted proposals include 16 researchers from three colleges and eight schools or departments. They address problems ranging from plant surgical robotics implementation in maize, sensors to detect contamination in poultry, a smart ultrasonic cavitation system for waterborne plant disease management, and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgriculture is the top industry in Georgia and a major driver for technology, business, and workforce innovation,\u201d said Chris King, interim vice president for research. \u201cThese grants enable UGA researchers to continue applying emerging technologies across a range of domains in agriculture. The work that begins with these grants today will go on to help feed tomorrow\u2019s population, both in the state and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

Launched in 2022, IIPA advances research that supports a reliable food supply for a growing global population. Precision agriculture maximizes crop yields through data-driven decision-making tools like sensors, drones, satellite imagery, artificial intelligence, and robotics. At the core of this mission is the convergence of expertise from a wide range of domains, which was a key focus in this year\u2019s grants.<\/p>\n

\u201cIIPA is making a concerted effort to bring together researchers from different disciplines to solve the grand agricultural challenges of today and tomorrow,\u201d said George Vellidis, IIPA director with joint appointments in UGA\u2019s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and College of Engineering. \u201cThese seed grants represent a commitment by our institute to foster interdisciplinary research, education, extension, and outreach. Past grants are already beginning to bear fruit, and we expect the same from each of these new awardees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Explore the six awardees below:<\/p>\n

Developing Automated Machine Vision Systems for Non-Invasive Monitoring of Thermal Stress and Welfare <\/strong>\u2013 Anderson Alves, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; Thirimachos Bourlai, College of Engineering; Sha Tao, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences<\/p>\n

Vision-Guided Plant Surgical Robotics for Precision Miniaturized Sensor Implantation in Maize <\/strong>\u2013 Xin Zhang, College of Engineering; Leonardo Bastos, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; Liang Dong, joint College of Agricultural and Environmental Science and College of Engineering<\/p>\n

ROBO-Root3D: Miniaturized Robot for Underground Nondestructive 3D Root Phenotyping <\/strong>\u2013 Beiwen Li, College of Engineering; Zenglu Li, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences<\/p>\n

A Novel Sensor for Rabid Quantitative Detection of Campylobacter Contamination for Poultry Safety Applications <\/strong>\u2013 Ramaraja Ramasamy, College of Engineering; Aaron Bodie, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Smart Ultrasonic Cavitation System for Pathogen Control and Water Quality Management in Hydroponic CEA Facilities <\/strong>\u2013 Md Sultan Mahmud, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; Benjamin Davis, College of Engineering; Ruchika Kashyap, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; Whitney Pagan, College of Engineering<\/p>\n

A Fully Integrated System for Continuous Monitoring of Airborne Infectious Diseases in Poultry Production Environments <\/strong>\u2013 Liang Dong, joint College of Agricultural and Environmental Science and College of Engineering; Lilong Chai, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; Binu Velayudhan, College of Veterinary Medicine<\/p>\n

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”” el_class=”text-container first-paragraph”] The University of Georgia Institute for Integrative Precision Agriculture (IIPA) has awarded six new seed grants to help launch research projects at the intersection of agriculture, engineering, and artificial intelligence, among other areas. The grants, totaling $390,480, represent a commitment by UGA and the institute to fostering the creation of new … <\/p>\n

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