Robust, Resilient Networked Communication in Challenged Environments

In challenged environments, digital communication infrastructure may be difficult or even impossible to access. This is especially true in rural and developing regions, as well as in any region during a time of political or environmental crisis. We advance the state of the art in wireless networking and security to design networks and applications that rapidly assess changing networking conditions to restore communication and provide local situational awareness. This dissertation examines new systems for responding to current and emerging needs for wireless networks. This work looks across the wireless ecosystem of widely deployed standards. We develop new tools to improve network assessment and to provide robust and reliable network communication. By incorporating new technological breakthroughs, such as the wide commercial success of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), we introduce novel methods and systems for existing wireless standards for these challenged networks. We assess how existing technologies and standards function in difficult environments: lacking end-end Internet connectivity, experiencing overload or other resource constraints, and operating in three dimensional space. Through this lens, we demonstrate how to optimize networks to serve marginalized communities outside of first world urban cities and make our networks resilient to natural and political crisis that threaten communication

RoadAhead - Removing Uncertainty in Travel. Creating a Data Warehouse for Green Transportation Nudging

This paper describes a data warehouse approach to environmentally friendly transportation nudging. Transportation makes up a significant part of global carbon emissions. These emissions impacts both the climate and the health of individuals. As such, efforts should be done to address transportation patterns and habits. In addition to the reduction of air pollution, making people more active through active transportation has health benefits of its own. Nudging is a tool meant to affect a person's choice in a non-coercive manner. An example of a transportation nudge is giving reminders of when a bus to a chosen destination is close to a nearby bus stop. The goal of this project is to nudge people to use healthier and greener transportation options by providing certainty in travel. We believe that we can affect a person's choice by providing them with relevant information about their travel paths. In this thesis research into relevant data sources are investigated and an initial system was created to reach the goal of this project. An IoT device was also developed and tested for this purpose. The system created provides information relevant for in-city traveling based on data analysed from multiple sources. In addition to the initial system, research into possible enhancements and the future of the system is investigated

Media Innovation Studio Interactive Review: Volume 1

The Media Innovation Studio’s founding aim in 2012 was to work across disciplines to explore the potential of creative and digital technologies to bring about positive change. Our ‘action research’ approach is lodged in a desire to create inclusively-designed prototypes as responses to real-world issues. Originally positioned within the University of Central Lancashire’s (UCLan) School of Journalism and Media, and now part of the College of Culture and the Creative Industries, the Studio’s remit is to inhabit ‘liminal spaces’ between disciplines. It hopes to explore, research and innovate within the digital ecosystem evolving around us. The human race is more socially, economically, politically and technologically interdependent than at any time in its history. Yet, inequality, instability and unsustainability remain. Collectively, the Media Innovation Studio is trying to understand whether technology has a contribution to make to resolving this broader set of fundamental social issues. Perhaps more interestingly, we’re asking whether there are an emerging series of ideas bound up in the creation and use of Information Computing Technology as it is repurposed by global communities to support activities that make our lives better. We do not believe that technology enables everyone by magically bridging the ‘digital divide’. Nor do we believe that its use by supporters of ‘digital democracy’ is any more democratic because of the use of ICT. Instead, we have discovered through a combination of talking to people, building relationships and making things together, possibilities for change are created. Thankfully, there’s plenty of evidence to demonstrate we’re capable of this. This review shows some of our projects, approaches and methodologies which combine disruptive design techniques, traditional social science and established practice-based methods from the arts. Focussing on the last 12 months of activity, the book also incorporates earlier projects that helped shape the thinking that brought us together to create the Media Innovation Studio

WATER FOR A HUNGRY WORLD: Innovation in Water and Food Security: Proceedings of the 2019 Water for Food Global Conference. Lincoln.

Welcome and Opening Remarks : Mike Boehm, Vice President and Vice Chancellor of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska ; Peter G. McCornick, Executive Director, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska How the Irrigation Industry is Driving the Future through Efficient Technologies. Speaker: Deborah Hamlin, CEO, Irrigation Association Sustainable Solutions for Water and Food Security — Business Perspectives. Speaker: Mark Edge, Director of Collaborations for Developing Countries, Bayer Value of Water. Speakers: Dustin Garrick, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford ; Tom Iseman, Director of Water Scarcity and Markets Strategy, The Nature Conservancy, Global Program ; Richael Young, Co-Founder and CEO, Mammoth Trading Supporting Profitable & Sustainable, Farmer-led Agriculture — Moderator: Montaha Hassan, Associate Operations Officer, International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group ; Speakers/Panelists: Jennie Barron, Professor of Water Management in Agricultural Landscapes, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Rob Bertram, Chief Scientist, Bureau for Food Security, USAID Ariana Constant, Director of Programs, Clinton Development Initiative, Clinton Foundation Selamawit Damtew, World Bank, Africa Fellow Regassa Ensermu Namara, Senior Water Economist, World Bank Water Global Practice Petra Schmitter, Research Group Leader, Agricultural Water Management, International Water Management Institute Innovations in Irrigation — Moderator: Sally Rockey, Executive Director, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research; Presenters: Panelists: Jay Ham, Colorado State University Cathie Lavis, Kansas State University Christopher Neale, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute David Zoldoske, Fresno State University George Burba, Science & Strategy Fellow, LI-COR Biosciences Deborah Hamlin, CEO, Irrigation Association John Kastl, Sr. Director of Innovation and Intellectual Property, Valley Irrigation Val Kovalskky, Lead Remote Sensing Scientist, Geospatial Team of The Climate Corporation Albert Maurin, Sales & Tactical Marketing Manager, FieldNET & FieldNET Advisor, Lindsay Corporation Aric Olson, President, Jain Irrigation “It’s Irrigation, Jim, But Not as We Know It” : Insights From a Synthesis Report, DFID-ESRC Growth Research Programme. Speaker: Bruce Lankford, Professor of Water and Irrigation Policy, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom Harnessing Innovation for Sustainable Water Management - Speaker: Sally Rockey, Executive Director, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research Developing Strategic Framework for Drought Risk Management and Improving Drought Monitoring Tools for Africa - Speaker: Tsegaye Tadesse, Research Associate Professor, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Climatologist and Remote Sensing Expert, National Drought Mitigation Center Close-range and Remote Sensing Technologies and their Role in Mitigating Drought Stress — Moderator: Archie Clutter, Dean, Agricultural Research Division, University of Nebraska–Lincoln ; Speakers: Tala Awada, Associate Dean, School of Natural Resources; Physiological Plant Ecologist; University of Nebraska–Lincoln Sruti Das Choudhury, Image Analysis Specialist, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska–Lincoln John Gamon, Quantitative Remote Sensing Scientist, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Yufeng Ge, Assistant Professor, Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Ayse Kilic, Professor and Remote Sensing Expert, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Harkamal Walia, Associate Professor, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Water: A War Game Scenario — Facilitators: National Strategic Research Institute and Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute Water Quality, Nutrition and Climate Change — Moderator: Claudia Ringler, Deputy Director of Environment and Production Technology Division, International Food Policy Research Institute ; Speakers: Panelists: Jesse Bell, Claire M. Hubbard Professor of Health and Environment, University of Nebraska Medical Center Martha Mamo, Department Head, John E. Weaver Professor of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Martha Rhoades, Research Manager, Xenobiotics Laboratory, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Claudia Ringler, Director of Environment and Production Technology Division, International Food Policy Research Institute Graham Christensen, President, GC Resolve, LLC Mik Schulte, Operations Analysit, Water in Agriculture Global Water Solutions, World Bank of Environment and Production Technology Division, International Food Policy Research Institute Water Reuse, an Untapped Resource for Food Production - Moderator: Yulie Meneses, Research Assistant Professor, Food Science and Technology Department, University of Nebraska–Lincoln; Water for Food Processing Specialist, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute ; Speakers: Wei Liao, Director of the Anaerobic Digestion Research Education Center, Michigan State University ; Bahman Sheikh, Independent Water Reuse Consultant ; Kurt Schwabe, Professor of Environmental Economics and Policy, University of California Riverside ; Kristan VandenHeuvel, Research Manager, Water Research Foundation Entrepreneurship Marketplace - Participants: John Gates, Chief Science Officer, CropMetrics Ramsay Huntley, Vice President and Clean Technology and Innovation Philanthropy Program Officer, Wells Fargo Neil Johnson, President and CEO, SmallData Tech Oren Kind, Chief Commercial Officer and U.S. General Manager, Phytech Vishal Singh, CEO and Founder, QuantifiedAg Monty Teeter, CEO, Dragon Line Steve Tippery, President and CEO, RealmFive Agriculture Welcome and Opening Remarks -- Speakers: Ronnie Green, Chancellor, University of Nebraska ; Mike Boehm, Vice President and Vice Chancellor of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska A Water Secure World For All: Sustaining Water Resources, Delivering Services, Building Resilience - Speaker: Jennifer Sara, Senior Director, Water Global Practice, World Bank Group Water and Food Security in the State of Bahía, Brazil - Speaker: Leonardo Góes Silva, Secretary of Water Infrastructure and Sanitation, State of Bahía, Brazil Flash Talk Presentations : Technology and Resilience in Irrigated Row Crop Systems - Speaker: Hannah E. Birgé, Water and Agriculture Program Manager,The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska ; Nebraska Strong: Rebuilding After Historic Flood - Speaker: Steve Nelson, President, Nebraska Farm Bureau ; Malawi — USA via The Netherlands: How My Career Path Changed My Perspective - Speaker: Mavuto Banda, double masters degree graduate, University of Nebraska–Lincoln and IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (The Netherlands) Policy Strategies for Agriculture Supply Chain Management - Presenters: S. Sajeesh, Assistant Professor, Marketing Department, College of Business, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Shivam Gupta, Assistant Professor, Supply Chain Management and Analytics Department, College of Business, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Marco Ugarte, Sustainability Consultant, Antea Group J. Kalu Osiri, Director of International Business, College of Business, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Kelechi Chibuikem, Graduate student, Community and Regional Planning, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Azariah Lawal, Graduate student, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Jacob Monti, Mechanical Engineering, University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Alum) Theo Udeigwe, Director of Research, Institute for the Advancement of Developing Economies Water Footprint: How Light Are We Treading - Moderator: Christopher Neale, Director of Research, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute ; Speakers: Galen Erickson, Animal Science Professor, University of Nebraska–Lincoln ; Landon Marston, Assistant Professor, Kansas State University ; Mesfin Mekonnen, Post-doctoral Research Associate, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute ; Christopher Neale, Director of Research, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute ; Pasquale Steduto, Regional Strategic Program Coordinator, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Drought Early Warning and Risk Management: Provision of Tools and Services for Informed Decision and Policy Making - Moderator: Mike Hayes, Professor, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Speakers: Jesse Bell, Claire M Hubbard Professor of Health and Environment, University of Nebraska Medical Center Ravinder Kaur, Principal Scientist, Indian Agricultural Research Institute Eduardo Martins, President, FUNCEME, Brazil Rachael McDonnell, Principal Researcher, International Water Management Institute Mark Svoboda, Director, Associate Research Professor, National Drought Mitigation Center, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Business Models for Smallholder Irrigation - Presenters: Samuel Adewole, Co-Founder, Volta Irrigatio William Shyaka Bakunda, Entreprenuer and Farmer, Rwanda Charles Kwarteng, CEO and Co-Founder, Volta Irrigation Grace Mukarusagara, Irrigation Consultant, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute Fabien Ngoga, Rwanda Project Coordinator and Country Representative, European Cooperative for Rural Development Petra Schmitter, Research Group Leader, Agricultural Water Management, International Water Management Institute Keeping It Fresh: Protecting Fresh Water Quality and Mitigating Pollution - Moderator: Mike Hayes, Professor, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska–Lincoln ; Panelists: Richard B. Ferguson, Vice Chancellor, Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture Matthew Helmers, Director, Iowa Nutrient Research Center, Iowa State University Brian Krienke, Assistant Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Martha Kauffman, Managing Director, Northern Great Plains, World Wildlife Fund View From the Field - Moderator: Leticia Obeng, International Advisory Panel member, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute ; Panelists: William Shyaka Bakunda, Entreprenuer and Farmer, Rwanda Dean Eisenhauer, Professor Emeritus, University of Nebraska–Lincoln; Farmer, Nebraska Grace Mukarusagara, Irrigation Consultant, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute Jerry Stahr, Farmer, Nebraska Elisa Zancanaro Zanella, Farmer, Brazil Closing Remarks - Peter G. McCornick, Executive Director, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute Managing Water and Agriculture for Sustainable Food Security - Heuermann Lecture - Mark Rosegrant, Research Fellow Emeritus, International Food Policy Research Institute WOMEN FOR WATER : A Side Event of the Water for Food Global Conference Peter Rogers Memorial Student Poster Competition — Online Competition Winners : First Place $1,000 cash + conference registration - Ear Formation Issues in Corn: a Field Survey. Osler Ortez; Second Place$750 cash + conference registration - Pesticide Application Practices And Knowledge Among Small-Scale Local Rice Growers And Communities in Rwanda. Ben Ndayambaje ; Third Place $500 cash + conference registration - Effect of Chlorination on Treatment of Meat Processing Wastewater Using Immobilized Co-culture of Microalgae and Activated Sludge. Xinjuan Hu. On-site Competition Winners: First Place$1,000 cash - Improving Aquifer Characterization through Integration of Airborne Electromagnetics (AEM) and Well Hydrographs. Jacqueline Polashek. Second Place $750 cash - Predicting Crop Yield Losses Due to Soil- Water Alinity: Comparison of Traditional and Alternative Approaches. Ansley Brown. Third Place$500 cash - Sustainability of Safe Foods: An Integrated Life Cycle Assessment of Antimicrobial Systems during U.S. Beef Processing in the Food-Energy-Water Nexus. Shaobin Li. People’s Choice $300 cash - Soil Structure and Soil Texture Effects on Soil Water Content Measurement by a Capacitance-Based Electromagnetic Sensor. Jasreman Singh. Metrics (attendees, etc.) Photo

WATER FOR A HUNGRY WORLD: Innovation in Water and Food Security: Proceedings of the 2019 Water for Food Global Conference. Lincoln.

Welcome and Opening Remarks : Mike Boehm, Vice President and Vice Chancellor of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska ; Peter G. McCornick, Executive Director, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska How the Irrigation Industry is Driving the Future through Efficient Technologies. Speaker: Deborah Hamlin, CEO, Irrigation Association Sustainable Solutions for Water and Food Security — Business Perspectives. Speaker: Mark Edge, Director of Collaborations for Developing Countries, Bayer Value of Water. Speakers: Dustin Garrick, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford ; Tom Iseman, Director of Water Scarcity and Markets Strategy, The Nature Conservancy, Global Program ; Richael Young, Co-Founder and CEO, Mammoth Trading Supporting Profitable & Sustainable, Farmer-led Agriculture — Moderator: Montaha Hassan, Associate Operations Officer, International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group ; Speakers/Panelists: Jennie Barron, Professor of Water Management in Agricultural Landscapes, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Rob Bertram, Chief Scientist, Bureau for Food Security, USAID Ariana Constant, Director of Programs, Clinton Development Initiative, Clinton Foundation Selamawit Damtew, World Bank, Africa Fellow Regassa Ensermu Namara, Senior Water Economist, World Bank Water Global Practice Petra Schmitter, Research Group Leader, Agricultural Water Management, International Water Management Institute Innovations in Irrigation — Moderator: Sally Rockey, Executive Director, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research; Presenters: Panelists: Jay Ham, Colorado State University Cathie Lavis, Kansas State University Christopher Neale, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute David Zoldoske, Fresno State University George Burba, Science & Strategy Fellow, LI-COR Biosciences Deborah Hamlin, CEO, Irrigation Association John Kastl, Sr. Director of Innovation and Intellectual Property, Valley Irrigation Val Kovalskky, Lead Remote Sensing Scientist, Geospatial Team of The Climate Corporation Albert Maurin, Sales & Tactical Marketing Manager, FieldNET & FieldNET Advisor, Lindsay Corporation Aric Olson, President, Jain Irrigation “It’s Irrigation, Jim, But Not as We Know It” : Insights From a Synthesis Report, DFID-ESRC Growth Research Programme. Speaker: Bruce Lankford, Professor of Water and Irrigation Policy, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom Harnessing Innovation for Sustainable Water Management - Speaker: Sally Rockey, Executive Director, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research Developing Strategic Framework for Drought Risk Management and Improving Drought Monitoring Tools for Africa - Speaker: Tsegaye Tadesse, Research Associate Professor, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Climatologist and Remote Sensing Expert, National Drought Mitigation Center Close-range and Remote Sensing Technologies and their Role in Mitigating Drought Stress — Moderator: Archie Clutter, Dean, Agricultural Research Division, University of Nebraska–Lincoln ; Speakers: Tala Awada, Associate Dean, School of Natural Resources; Physiological Plant Ecologist; University of Nebraska–Lincoln Sruti Das Choudhury, Image Analysis Specialist, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska–Lincoln John Gamon, Quantitative Remote Sensing Scientist, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Yufeng Ge, Assistant Professor, Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Ayse Kilic, Professor and Remote Sensing Expert, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Harkamal Walia, Associate Professor, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Water: A War Game Scenario — Facilitators: National Strategic Research Institute and Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute Water Quality, Nutrition and Climate Change — Moderator: Claudia Ringler, Deputy Director of Environment and Production Technology Division, International Food Policy Research Institute ; Speakers: Panelists: Jesse Bell, Claire M. Hubbard Professor of Health and Environment, University of Nebraska Medical Center Martha Mamo, Department Head, John E. Weaver Professor of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Martha Rhoades, Research Manager, Xenobiotics Laboratory, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Claudia Ringler, Director of Environment and Production Technology Division, International Food Policy Research Institute Graham Christensen, President, GC Resolve, LLC Mik Schulte, Operations Analysit, Water in Agriculture Global Water Solutions, World Bank of Environment and Production Technology Division, International Food Policy Research Institute Water Reuse, an Untapped Resource for Food Production - Moderator: Yulie Meneses, Research Assistant Professor, Food Science and Technology Department, University of Nebraska–Lincoln; Water for Food Processing Specialist, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute ; Speakers: Wei Liao, Director of the Anaerobic Digestion Research Education Center, Michigan State University ; Bahman Sheikh, Independent Water Reuse Consultant ; Kurt Schwabe, Professor of Environmental Economics and Policy, University of California Riverside ; Kristan VandenHeuvel, Research Manager, Water Research Foundation Entrepreneurship Marketplace - Participants: John Gates, Chief Science Officer, CropMetrics Ramsay Huntley, Vice President and Clean Technology and Innovation Philanthropy Program Officer, Wells Fargo Neil Johnson, President and CEO, SmallData Tech Oren Kind, Chief Commercial Officer and U.S. General Manager, Phytech Vishal Singh, CEO and Founder, QuantifiedAg Monty Teeter, CEO, Dragon Line Steve Tippery, President and CEO, RealmFive Agriculture Welcome and Opening Remarks -- Speakers: Ronnie Green, Chancellor, University of Nebraska ; Mike Boehm, Vice President and Vice Chancellor of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska A Water Secure World For All: Sustaining Water Resources, Delivering Services, Building Resilience - Speaker: Jennifer Sara, Senior Director, Water Global Practice, World Bank Group Water and Food Security in the State of Bahía, Brazil - Speaker: Leonardo Góes Silva, Secretary of Water Infrastructure and Sanitation, State of Bahía, Brazil Flash Talk Presentations : Technology and Resilience in Irrigated Row Crop Systems - Speaker: Hannah E. Birgé, Water and Agriculture Program Manager,The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska ; Nebraska Strong: Rebuilding After Historic Flood - Speaker: Steve Nelson, President, Nebraska Farm Bureau ; Malawi — USA via The Netherlands: How My Career Path Changed My Perspective - Speaker: Mavuto Banda, double masters degree graduate, University of Nebraska–Lincoln and IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (The Netherlands) Policy Strategies for Agriculture Supply Chain Management - Presenters: S. Sajeesh, Assistant Professor, Marketing Department, College of Business, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Shivam Gupta, Assistant Professor, Supply Chain Management and Analytics Department, College of Business, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Marco Ugarte, Sustainability Consultant, Antea Group J. Kalu Osiri, Director of International Business, College of Business, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Kelechi Chibuikem, Graduate student, Community and Regional Planning, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Azariah Lawal, Graduate student, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Jacob Monti, Mechanical Engineering, University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Alum) Theo Udeigwe, Director of Research, Institute for the Advancement of Developing Economies Water Footprint: How Light Are We Treading - Moderator: Christopher Neale, Director of Research, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute ; Speakers: Galen Erickson, Animal Science Professor, University of Nebraska–Lincoln ; Landon Marston, Assistant Professor, Kansas State University ; Mesfin Mekonnen, Post-doctoral Research Associate, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute ; Christopher Neale, Director of Research, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute ; Pasquale Steduto, Regional Strategic Program Coordinator, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Drought Early Warning and Risk Management: Provision of Tools and Services for Informed Decision and Policy Making - Moderator: Mike Hayes, Professor, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Speakers: Jesse Bell, Claire M Hubbard Professor of Health and Environment, University of Nebraska Medical Center Ravinder Kaur, Principal Scientist, Indian Agricultural Research Institute Eduardo Martins, President, FUNCEME, Brazil Rachael McDonnell, Principal Researcher, International Water Management Institute Mark Svoboda, Director, Associate Research Professor, National Drought Mitigation Center, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Business Models for Smallholder Irrigation - Presenters: Samuel Adewole, Co-Founder, Volta Irrigatio William Shyaka Bakunda, Entreprenuer and Farmer, Rwanda Charles Kwarteng, CEO and Co-Founder, Volta Irrigation Grace Mukarusagara, Irrigation Consultant, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute Fabien Ngoga, Rwanda Project Coordinator and Country Representative, European Cooperative for Rural Development Petra Schmitter, Research Group Leader, Agricultural Water Management, International Water Management Institute Keeping It Fresh: Protecting Fresh Water Quality and Mitigating Pollution - Moderator: Mike Hayes, Professor, School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska–Lincoln ; Panelists: Richard B. Ferguson, Vice Chancellor, Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture Matthew Helmers, Director, Iowa Nutrient Research Center, Iowa State University Brian Krienke, Assistant Extension Educator, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Martha Kauffman, Managing Director, Northern Great Plains, World Wildlife Fund View From the Field - Moderator: Leticia Obeng, International Advisory Panel member, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute ; Panelists: William Shyaka Bakunda, Entreprenuer and Farmer, Rwanda Dean Eisenhauer, Professor Emeritus, University of Nebraska–Lincoln; Farmer, Nebraska Grace Mukarusagara, Irrigation Consultant, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute Jerry Stahr, Farmer, Nebraska Elisa Zancanaro Zanella, Farmer, Brazil Closing Remarks - Peter G. McCornick, Executive Director, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute Managing Water and Agriculture for Sustainable Food Security - Heuermann Lecture - Mark Rosegrant, Research Fellow Emeritus, International Food Policy Research Institute WOMEN FOR WATER : A Side Event of the Water for Food Global Conference Peter Rogers Memorial Student Poster Competition — Online Competition Winners : First Place $1,000 cash + conference registration - Ear Formation Issues in Corn: a Field Survey. Osler Ortez; Second Place$750 cash + conference registration - Pesticide Application Practices And Knowledge Among Small-Scale Local Rice Growers And Communities in Rwanda. Ben Ndayambaje ; Third Place $500 cash + conference registration - Effect of Chlorination on Treatment of Meat Processing Wastewater Using Immobilized Co-culture of Microalgae and Activated Sludge. Xinjuan Hu. On-site Competition Winners: First Place$1,000 cash - Improving Aquifer Characterization through Integration of Airborne Electromagnetics (AEM) and Well Hydrographs. Jacqueline Polashek. Second Place $750 cash - Predicting Crop Yield Losses Due to Soil- Water Alinity: Comparison of Traditional and Alternative Approaches. Ansley Brown. Third Place$500 cash - Sustainability of Safe Foods: An Integrated Life Cycle Assessment of Antimicrobial Systems during U.S. Beef Processing in the Food-Energy-Water Nexus. Shaobin Li. People’s Choice $300 cash - Soil Structure and Soil Texture Effects on Soil Water Content Measurement by a Capacitance-Based Electromagnetic Sensor. Jasreman Singh. Metrics (attendees, etc.) Photo

Law in the present future : approaching the legal imaginary of smart cities with science (and) fiction

This doctoral research concerns smart cities, describing digital solutions and social issues related to their innovative technologies, adopted models, and major projects around the world. The many perspectives mentioned in it were identified by online tools used for the textual analysis of two databases that were built from relevant publications on the main subject by authors coming from media and academia. Expected legal elements emerged from the applied process, such as privacy, security, transparency, participation, accountability, and governance. A general review was produced on the information available about the public policies of Big Data in the two municipal cases of Rio de Janeiro and Montréal, and their regulation in the Brazilian and Canadian contexts. The combined approaches from science and literature were explored to reflect on the normative concerns represented by the global challenges and local risks brought by urban surveillance, climate change, and other neoliberal conditions. Cyberpunk Science Fiction reveals itself useful for engaging with the shared problems that need to be faced in the present time, all involving democracy. The results achieved reveal that this work was, in fact, about the complex network of practices and senses between (post)modern law and the imaginary of the future.Cette recherche doctorale centrée sur les villes intelligentes met en évidence les solutions numériques et les questionnements sociétaux qui ont trait aux technologies innovantes, ainsi qu’aux principaux modèles et projets développés autour d’elles à travers le monde. Des perspectives multiples en lien avec ces développements ont été identifiées à l’aide d’outils en ligne qui ont permis l’analyse textuelle de deux bases de données comprenant des publications scientifiques et des écrits médiatiques. De ce processus analytique ont émergé des éléments juridiques relatifs aux questions de vie privée, de sécurité, de transparence, de participation, d’imputabilité et de gouvernance. De plus, à partir de ces informations a été réalisée une revue des politiques publiques relatives aux mégadonnées dans les villes de Rio de Janeiro et de Montréal, ainsi que des réglementations nationales du Canada et du Brésil en lien avec ce sujet. Finalement, à travers l’exploration d’écrits scientifiques et fictionnels de la littérature, les principaux enjeux normatifs soulevés localement et mondialement par la surveillance urbaine, les changements climatiques et les politiques néolibérales ont pu être mis à jour. Le courant cyberpunk de la science-fiction s’est avéré particulièrement utile pour révéler les principaux problèmes politiques, en lien avec la préservation de la démocratie, auxquelles sont confrontées nos sociétés présentement. Les résultats de la recherche démontrent finalement la présence d’un réseau de pratiques et de significations entre le droit (post)moderne et les représentations imaginaires du futur

Exploratory literature review of blockchain in the construction industry

First academic publications on blockchain in construction instantiated in 2017, with three documents. Over the course of several years, new literature emerged at an average annual growth rate of 184%, surmounting to 121 documents at time of writing this article in early 2021. All 121 publications were reviewed to investigate the expansion and progression of the topic. A mixed methods approach was implemented to assess the existing environment through a literature review and scientometric analysis. Altogether, 33 application categories of blockchain in construction were identified and organised into seven subject areas, these include (1) procurement and supply chain, (2) design and construction, (3) operations and life cycle, (4) smart cities, (5) intelligent systems, (6) energy and carbon footprint, and (7) decentralised organisations. Limitations included using only one scientific database (Scopus), this was due to format inconsistencies when downloading and merging various bibliographic data sets for use in visual mapping software

Are you ready for change? Farsight for construction: Exploratory scenarios for Queensland’s construction industry to 2036

The future of work and employment is a global hot topic with interconnected and powerful forces shaping jobs, industries and entire economies. Farsight, prepared in partnership with Construction Skills Queensland, examines the future of construction work in the state. Specifically, the report discusses critical trends and alternative scenarios for the future of Queensland’s construction workforce. Eighty leading experts across the state contributed to this future through a range of thinking and participation in interviews and workshops – where they considered what the industry could look like in 2036, and how job profiles and skills requirements might change to align with that future. A comprehensive scan of trends impacting the industry was undertaken, 25 of which are discussed in this report. This industry input and trends scan culminated in the development of four scenarios (Figure 1) that capture key areas of uncertainty and impact for jobs and skills in the industry. Each scenario is possible and takes the reader down an evidence-based journey about a plausible future. Because the future is not exact, there are multiple paths leading to multiple scenarios. Our scenarios describe a range of futures – some we would like to happen or others we would like to avoid. The aim in scenario planning is to be objective and inform decision-makers to identify, select and implement optimal strategies to achieve a better future – for all involved. Farsight was designed to help the industry understand what could happen in the future, and to identify what future(s) the industry wants and what steps could be taken to move toward desired futures. The scenarios were defined using a strategic foresight process that involves the identification of two spectrums that capture a range of plausible outcomes. The end points are extreme possibilities, with each relatively independent of the other. The outcomes of Farsight rests upon a set of trends compiled and synthesised by the research team. Crossing the axes defines the scenario space and the four scenarios which detail the tools we will need to keep stay nimble, relevant and effective in a global marke