Short Programs
Agriculture, Innovation, and the Environment
Date: June 13-17, 2016 | Tuition: $4,500 | Continuing Education Units (CEUs): 3.1
*This course has limited enrollment. Apply early to guarantee your spot.
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Course Summary | Learning Objectives | Who Should Attend | Program Outline | Schedule | Directors | Location |
Course Summary
By 2050 the population of the earth will likely reach 9.5 billion people, requiring an 80% increase in agricultural production. Given a current lack of surplus arable land (especially in Asia), a global shortage of fresh water, a lack of appropriate infrastructure in developing economies, growing urbanization, and the over use of traditional agricultural chemicals, a need exists for innovative technologies to make agriculture more efficient and to optimize existing inputs. This Short Programs course focuses on three fundamental areas that underpin agricultural innovation; a) macro / micro aspects of environmental impacts including climate, weather, and microbiological, b) the application of advanced technologies, such as new materials, in agricultural processes, and c) the use of data and modeling to improve yield by enhanced precision and predictive power.
Traditionally, research in agricultural science and engineering has focused on a) the discovery of the mechanism for phenomena, and b) the application of existing scientific principles and technology to a specific problem. There is little in the way of interdisciplinary research to create engineering innovation that is typical in other industries. In this regard, the role of advanced materials now in use with great effectiveness for biomedical engineering and drug delivery offers many unexplored potential opportunities for agriculture. Further, the understanding of the optimal mix of inputs (seed, fertilizer, pesticides, etc.) over space to achieve the maximum output stands to benefit from innovations in mathematical modeling and data infrastructure. As a final consideration, the future of agricultural technology depends on an expanding role for interdisciplinary research. Relating to this area, the introduction of computation as a tool to guide thinking in agricultural research and operations represents the future.
The program offers a unique perspective in that it combines the emerging area of advanced materials for use in agriculture as a means of increasing field control for such things as fertilizer along with other precision agricultural concepts associated with mathematical modeling, data, and the optimization of inputs such as chemicals, pesticides, as well as microbial considerations.
The course will cover a variety of aspects ranging from the big picture and motivation, fundamental scientific aspects, as well as environmental considerations (e.g. macro-micro climate, air quality), macro-micro water issues, and specific topics such as water-soil interactions, biomaterials in agriculture and environment, and foliar disease. Techniques covered include computing and big data, analytics, sensing and data assimilation, risk modeling, microbial dynamics, genomics, and synthetic biology.
Fundamentals: Core concepts, understandings, and tools (30%)
Latest Developments: Recent advances and future trends (40%)
Industry Applications: Linking theory and real-world (30%)
Lecture: Delivery of material in a lecture format (70%)
Discussion or Groupwork: Participatory learning (10%)
Labwork: Demonstrations, experiments, simulations (20%)
Introductory: Appropriate for a general audience (40%)
Specialized: Assumes experience in practice area or field (20%)
Advanced: In-depth explorations at the graduate level (40%)
Learning Objectives
- An introduction to the current (and potential) role of biomaterials in agriculture
- Basic understanding of nano-scale relevant to agriculture
- The role of computation in materials design for agricultural applications
- Highlight the essentials of advanced technology such as drones, robotics, and remote sensing technology
- Understanding the principles of spatial design of experiments and the use of data
- Detailed exploration of infrastructure, mathematical models, and software in laboratory setting
- An appreciation of the important role of climate, weather, and microbiology and ways to mitigate negative consequences
- The critical role of interdisciplinary innovation in creating the agricultural technologies of the future for the next round of productivity gains
Who Should Attend
This course is designed for people in roles/titles such as VP, director, or manager of R&D; general management with technical background; research scientist or engineer; government administrators (U.S. or overseas); as well as people in academia such as university professors or graduate students.
Industries that would benefit from this course include chemical, machinery, environmental, commodity production (agricultural), seed manufacturing, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, venture capital, and agricultural non-profits including cooperative.
Program Outline
Subject to change
Day 1
8:30: Introduction to the course, formation of groups
Markus J. Buehler, Faculty Director
Department Head, Civil and Environmental Engineering; McAfee Professor of Engineering; Director - Laboratory for Atomistic and Molecular Mechanics
8:50: Exchange — Attendees provide informal introductions to colleagues
9:00: Big Picture — National and international perspective
Sally M. Schneider, Deputy Administrator, USDA ARS
9:50: Break
10:00: Big Picture — Food security and sustainable resource management
Dennis McLauglin H.M. King Bhumibol Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
11:00: Big Picture — Future microbial threats to agriculture and humans
Martin F. Polz, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Noon: Lunch
1:00: Technical — Global water Issues, soil moisture, sensing, data assimilation
Dara Entekhabi, Bacardi and Stockholm Water Foundations Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
3:00: Break
3:15: Technical — Climate, air quality, and agriculture
Colette L. Heald, Mitsui Career Development Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Studies
5:00: Adjourn
5:15: Reception
Day 2
8:30: Technical — Patterns of rainfall, micro-climate
Elfatih A.B. Eltahir, Associate Department Head and Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
10:30: Break
10:45: Technical — Water, soil, infrastructure
Ruben Juanes, Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Director, Henry L. Pierce Laboratory for Infrastructure Science and Engineering
Noon: Lunch
1:00: Technical — Disease transmission and fluid mechanics
Lydia Bourouiba, Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Career Development Assistant Professor; Associate Faculty, Institute for Medical Engineering and Science
3:00: Break
3:15: Technical — Disease transmission (continued)
4:00: Laboratory Demonstration – Civil and Environmental Engineering
5:00: Adjourn
Day 3
8:30: Technical — Bioengineering and biomaterials
Robert S. Langer, Institute Professor, Professor of Chemical Engineering, Professor of Biological Engineering,Professor of Mechanical Engineering
10:30: Break
10:45: Technical — RNAi and biological frontiers
Daniel Griffith Anderson, Samuel A. Goldblith Professor of Applied Biology, Chemical Engineering and Health Sciences & Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering
Noon: Lunch
1:00: Technical — Biomaterials in agriculture, silk-based materials, and food preservation
Benedetto Marelli, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
3:00: Break
3:15: Technical — Biomaterials in agriculture, silk-based materials, and food preservation (continued)
4:00: Laboratory Demonstration — Civil and Environmental Engineering
5:00: Adjourn
Optional informal dinner (Harvard Square)
Group meetings (scheduled by each group, about one hour, 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm)
Day 4
8:30: Technical — Advanced materials design
Markus J. Buehler, Faculty Director
10:30: Break
10:45: Related Laboratory - Molecular dynamics modeling and simulation
Noon: Lunch
1:00: Technical — Introduction to geo-spatial and cybersecurity
John R. Williams, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
3:00: Break
3:15: Technical — Precision agriculture, introduction to spatial design of experiments
Edmund W. Schuster, Langer Lab – Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research
4:30: Lab tour of Koch Institute
5:00: Adjourn
Group meetings to prepare for Friday discussion (scheduled by each group, about two hours, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm)
Day 5
8:30: Technical — Precision agriculture, root mapping
Cameron Dryden, General Manager, Northrup Grumman AOA Xinetics
Edmund W. Schuster, Langer Lab – Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research
9:15: Technical — Precision agriculture, demonstration for areal sensing
10:00: Technical — Precision agriculture, harvest risk
10:30: Break
10:45: Group discussion
11:45: Wrap-up
Noon: End of program
Course schedule and registration times
This course meets 8:30 am - 5:00 pm Monday through Thursday, and 8:30 am - Noon on Friday. There will be group work on Wednesday and Thursday evenings (see course outline).
About The Course Directors
Markus J. Buehler is the McAfee Professor of Engineering and Head of the MIT Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is an internationally renowned materials scientist and Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He directs the Laboratory for Atomistic and Molecular Mechanics (LAMM), leads the MIT-Germany program, and is Principal Investigator on numerous national and international research programs. Buehler’s primary research interest is to identify and apply innovative approaches to design better materials from less, using a combination of high-performance computing, new manufacturing techniques, and advanced experimental testing. He combines bio-inspired materials design with high-throughput approaches to create materials with architectural features from the nano- to the macro-scale, and applies them to various domains that range from composites for vehicles, coatings for energy technologies, to innovative and sustainable construction materials.
Edmund W. Schuster works in the Langer Lab of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT. He has been at the Institute since 2000, holding several research and administrative appointments in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and five labs. His current research involves the application of new materials to various industries, including agriculture. The focus is on innovation to re-invent industry based on advances in materials science. Previous to MIT, Schuster was a corporate manager at Welch's in Concord, MA, concentrating on operations. He has published many academic papers and a popular book on RFID. Besides MIT, Schuster is associated with two startups in the Industrial Internet and cloud computing areas. He has taken leadership positions in several professional societies.
Location
This course takes place on the MIT campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We can also offer this course for groups of employees at your location. Please contact the Short Programs office for further details.