09.09.16

Hoeven Announces $1.25 Million in NSF Grants to Improve UAS, Agricultural Data Management, Expand Research Opportunities

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced that the National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded two grants totaling $1.25 million to support research and workforce training at North Dakota universities. The details of the awards are as follows:

• UAS & Plant Science Data Applications in Agriculture – $995,739 – The funding will support efforts at the University of North Dakota (UND) to improve the management, accessibility, automation and value of data collected through unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and agricultural research. This will help increase agriculture production and sustainability through the more efficient use of UAS and plant sciences as they apply to farm management and precision agriculture. The project comes as part of UND’s membership in the Midwest Big Data Hub and will focus heavily on workforce training for both students and those already in their careers.

• Research Instrumentation Award – $251,750 – The funding will allow North Dakota State University (NDSU) and UND to purchase a high-frequency, high-resolution, ultrasound imaging system, which will support collaborative research between the two universities in a wide range of fields, including pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry and engineering. Further, the technology will open new research and education opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students at the institutions.

“Through research, education and training, our state’s research institutions help our businesses, workers and students stay at the forefront of their fields,” Hoeven said. “Today’s grants will support many new research and educational opportunities with a wide range of practical applications. Further, by advancing the use of UAS in agriculture, this funding continues to establish North Dakota as a leader in this growing industry.”

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