MBDH / Illinois AgTech Accelerator / IEEE Standards Association “Enabling a Smart and Equitable Agriculture Ecosystem” Working Group meeting

Thursday, May 16, 2024 | 3:00–4:00 p.m. CT / 4:00–5:00 p.m. ET

Open to all; complete the Interest Form to have access.  Website

Collaboration Cafe: Support for Early-Career Researchers

The Collaboration Cafe is a monthly, informal webinar open to all that is focused on building a community of data science researchers in the Midwest and beyond to explore funding opportunities and develop proposals. We are focused on elevating early-career scholars, particularly from under-resourced institutions, but everyone is welcome, including participants from industry, nonprofits, and government agencies.

Topic: Support for Early-Career Researchers

Solicitation:  NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) (22-586)

Guest Presenter: Dr. Juan Jenny Li, NSF Program Director, NSF Office of Advanced Cyber-infrastructure (OAC), Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE)

Water Data Forum: Catching the Unseen: AI’s Role in Tackling Microplastic Pollution

The Water Data Forum is a virtual webinar series presented by the Cleveland Water Alliance, Water Environment Federation, and Midwest Big Data Innovation Hub. These interactive web sessions engage a cross-sector panel of experts in an exploration of utility, private sector, and research approaches to collecting, managing, and measuring water data for impact.

Topic: Catching the Unseen: AI’s Role in Tackling Microplastic Pollution

Moderator: Alexander Tompkins, Microplastic Free Systems and Safety (MPFSS)
Panelists: Yongli Zhang Wager, Wayne State University; Rachael Miller, Cora Ball and Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean; and Andrés Prada, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

Collaboration Cafe: Building Data-Enabled Climate-Resilient Communities

The Collaboration Cafe is a monthly, informal webinar open to all that is focused on building a community of data science researchers in the Midwest and beyond to explore funding opportunities and develop proposals. We are focused on elevating early-career scholars, particularly from under-resourced institutions, but everyone is welcome, including participants from industry, nonprofits, and government agencies.

Topic: Building Data-Enabled Climate-Resilient Communities

American Water Resources Association 2024 Geospatial Water Technology Conference

AWRA is hosting its 2024 Geospatial Water Technology Conference in Kissimmee, FL on March 25-27.   Details

MBDH / Illinois AgTech Accelerator / IEEE Standards Association “Enabling a Smart and Equitable Agriculture Ecosystem” Working Group meeting

IEEE Standards Association Enabling a Smart and Equitable Agriculture Ecosystem” Working Group meeting

Digitization in agriculture has rapidly accelerated over the past decade and the pace of innovation continues to increase. Innovative technologies such as blockchain-based supply chain management solutions, Al-based digital agronomy, autonomous and semi autonomous machines, and loT/remote sensing solutions have created an overwhelming amount of information.

This has all been in the service of feeding a rapidly growing population under increasingly challenging climate conditions. However, to truly accomplish this goal of feeding the world, solutions must now become more synergistic and the underlying standards that are required for this do not exist.

Collaboration Cafe: Understanding Research Administration Capacity Challenges and Opportunities in the Midwest Region

The Collaboration Cafe is a monthly, informal webinar open to all that is focused on building a community of data science researchers in the Midwest and beyond to explore funding opportunities and develop proposals. We are focused on elevating early-career scholars, particularly from under-resourced institutions, but everyone is welcome, including participants from industry, nonprofits, and government agencies.

Session includes a funding opportunity walk-through, lessons learned from prior awardees, researcher lightning talks, small group discussions, and a speed-networking segment.

Topic: Understanding Research Administration Capacity Challenges and Opportunities in the Midwest Region

Blind Spots in Agriculture and Food Markets

Seed Science Technology Webinar Series

The Seed Science Technology webinar series will take place Tuesdays in November (November 7, 14, 21, 28) starting at 12:00 noon Central time.

November 28 - Blind Spots in Agriculture and Food Markets

Presented by Carlos Nunez de Arco and Ron Hadar, Vibe Imaging Analytics

Seed: The Heart of the Acre. Drone Scouting: The Brain of the Acre.

The Seed Science Technology webinar series will take place Tuesdays in November (November 7, 14, 21, 28) starting at 12:00 noon Central time.

November 14 -  Seed: The Heart of the Acre. Drone Scouting: The Brain of the Acre.

USDA’s Seed Liaison Initiative

The Seed Science Technology webinar series will take place Tuesdays in November (November 7, 14, 21, 28) starting at 12:00 noon Central time.

November 7 - USDA’s Seed Liaison Initiative

Presented by Julie Dawson, PhD., Kiki Hubbard, and Paulina Jenney, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Towards a Resilient Water Future: Managing the Impacts of a Changing Climate on Community Infrastructure

Presented by Cleveland Water Alliance, Midwest Big Data Innovation Hub, and WEF’s Intelligent Water Technology Committee Water Data Forum is a series of interactive web sessions that engage cross-sector experts to demystify water data. A curated panel discussion with subject matter experts will be followed by audience Q&A. Participants can expect to learn: 

1. What climate resilience means in the context of community water systems 

2. How data and analytics can be used to support decision making around climate resilience 3. What new trends and technologies are emerging to address climate resilience for water systems.

Panelists: 

Physiological Testing and Digital Imaging Analysis

The Seed Science Technology webinar series will take place Tuesdays in November (November 7, 14, 21, 28) starting at 12:00 noon Central time.

November 7: Physiological Testing and Digital Imaging Analysis, Presented by Brent Reschly, Syngenta Seeds

An overview of the challenges to developing a digital solution for seedling analysis format capable of applying AOSA/ISTA Rules for Testing Seeds. Including an overview of current available technologies.

IEEE Working Group: Enabling a Smart and Equitable Agriculture Ecosystem

MBDH / Illinois AgTech Accelerator / IEEE Standards Association “Enabling a Smart and Equitable Agriculture Ecosystem” Working Group

Thursday, October 19, 2023 | 3:00–4:00 p.m. CT / 4:00–5:00 p.m. ET

Open to all:  For access, complete the Interest Form 

More information can be found at the IEEE Standards Association Website

Collaboration Cafe: Cyberinfrastructure Workforce Development

The Collaboration Cafe is a monthly, informal webinar open to all that is focused on building a community of data science researchers in the Midwest and beyond to explore funding opportunities and develop proposals. We are focused on elevating early-career scholars, particularly from under-resourced institutions, but everyone is welcome, including participants from industry, nonprofits, and government agencies.

Session includes a funding opportunity walk-through, lessons learned from prior awardees, researcher lightning talks, small group discussions, and a speed-networking segment.

Topic: Cyberinfrastructure Workforce Development

Solicitation: NSF Strengthening the Cyberinfrastructure Professionals Ecosystem (SCIPE) (23-521)

MN Water Resource Conference

Immerse yourself in innovative, practical, and applied water resource engineering solutions, management techniques, and current research about Minnesota’s water resources. The Minnesota Water Resources Conference is an opportunity to address:

The conference takes place at Saint Paul RiverCentre, 175 Kellogg Boulevard, Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Details and Registration 

Workshop on "Agricultural Robotics for a Sustainable Future"

The Center for Digital Agriculture at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, CROPPS, and PhenoRob are organizing a full-day workshop on “Agricultural Robotics for a Sustainable Future” at the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robotics and Systems (IROS) 2023. This workshop will take place on October 1, 2023, from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm ET, in Detroit, MI. Researchers working in different areas of Agricultural Robotics and Precision Agriculture are invited to submit their work as abstracts to be considered for poster presentations and lightning talks. 

Water Data Forum - The Digital Twin Readiness Guide-The Path to Implementation

The Water Data Forum is a virtual webinar series presented by the Cleveland Water Alliance, Water Environment Federation, and Midwest Big Data Innovation Hub. These interactive web sessions engage a cross-sector panel of experts in an exploration of utility, private sector, and research approaches to collecting, managing, and measuring water data for impact.

September 12, 2023 | 12:00–1:00 p.m. CT
Moderator: Elkin Hernandez, DC Water
Panelists: Mike Karl, AECOM; Dr. Pusker Regmi, Brown and Caldwell; and Dr. Agnethe Nedergaard Pederson, VandCenter Syd (Denmark)
Topic: The Digital Twin Readiness Guide—The Path to Implementation
Host: Max Herzog | Cleveland Water Alliance Program Manager

MBDH Collaboration Cafe - Connecting Research and teaching through the INCLUDES Network

Topic: Connecting Research and Teaching through the INCLUDES Network

Solicitation: NSF Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES) (22-622)

When:  Wednesday, July 19, 2023 | 3:00–4:00 p.m. CT / 4:00–5:00 p.m. ET

Hosted by John MacMullen, MBDH Executive Director, The Collaboration Cafe is a monthly webinar open to all that is focused on building a community of data science researchers in the Midwest and beyond to explore funding opportunities and develop proposals. We are focused on elevating early-career scholars, particularly from under-resourced institutions, but everyone is welcome, including participants from industry, nonprofits, and government agencies.

MBDH Collaboration Cafe - Data Innovations in Agriculture

Topic: Data Innovations in Agriculture

On this webinar, we'll focus on the Data Science for Food and Agricultural Systems (DSFAS) track of the AFRI program with USDA NIFA program leader Dr. Ann Stapleton

Solicitation: USDA NIFA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative—Foundational and Applied Science Program (USDA-NIFA-AFRI-009755)

When:  Wednesday, June 21, 2023 | 3:00–4:00 p.m. CT / 4:00–5:00 p.m. ET

Zoom registration link

Water Data Forum - Wastewater surveillance for Public Health

This forum will convene industry, government, and research experts to explore the current and future application of wastewater surveillance to issues of public health. In a facilitated discussion, the panelists will examine specific case studies and projects to define a vision for the impact and future of this unique mode of water data.

1. How does wastewater surveillance help us understand the source & spread of disease?

2. What implications does this technology have for management of COVID-19 and future pandemics?

3. What kind of risks or protections exist around the possibility of revealing peoples’ individual health information using this technology?

Panelists, Details and Registration