Food, Energy and Water

UC Davis to Lead New Artificial Intelligence Institute for Next-Generation Food Systems

The University of California, Davis, has been awarded $20 million as part of a multi-institutional collaboration to establish an institute focused on enabling the next-generation food system through the integration of artificial intelligence, or AI, technologies. The award is part of a larger investment announced today (Aug. 26) by the National Science Foundation, or NSF, in partnership with several federal agencies — distributing a total of $140 million to fund seven complementary AI research institutes across the nation.

Research

The power of nighttime solar

When you think of solar power one of the first images that comes to your mind is most likely a bright sun shining down on a group of black cells on your neighbors’ rooftops. You think of the power of the sun saving you money during the day, but probably not saving you much once it sets. What if there was a way to run your house on solar power all day long, even at night? Electrical and computer engineering professor, Jeremy Munday, and his team are working to develop photovoltaic cells that can do just that.

Research

Solving agricultural challenges with engineering and robotics

From creating fragile crop harvest-aiding mobile robots (FRAIL-bots) for strawberry harvesting to developing an automated robotic orchard platform designed to optimize fruit pickers’ performance, Stavros Vougioukas is addressing agricultural challenges and making an impact on California agriculture.

Research

Some of the most important challenges facing humanity today surround the environmental impact we are having on the earth. The problem is complicated and multi-faceted. Our researchers focus on finding economically and environmentally sustainable solutions to many of the most important global issues of our time: the safety, security and abundance of our food, detection of pathogens, development of bioenergy and other sustainable energy systems, control of insect-borne disease and damage and the preservation of our land, air and water resources.

UC Davis engineering students place second in IDEA Campus Energy video contest

UC Davis electrical engineering students Veronica Contreras and Michelle Acoba placed second in the International District Energy Association’s (IDEA) Campus Energy Student Video Contest.

Students

Can science save citrus?

California produces 80 percent of the nation’s fresh oranges, tangerines and lemons, most of it in small Central California communities like these. “This may be the last place in the world where you can still grow citrus,” says farmer Richard Bennett. “Citrus is so important to our health and economy, and it’s threatened by a devastating disease.”

Research

UC Davis engineers help students find free food while reducing waste

College campus events often result in leftover food—and unnecessary waste. For students looking to quiet a rumbling tummy with a stray slice of pizza or an extra pastry, UC Davis College of Engineering students Kim Quach, Jacob Scott Bevilacqua, Thomas George Chen and Lynn Miyashita have developed an app called Freebites that streamlines the process of connecting hungry students with leftover food from UC Davis campus events.

Students

Alumni Spotlight: Rich Terrazas, '93

Following the Flow of Water

Rich Terrazas (’93) graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. Though he had a background in structural engineering, he soon found himself working in the water industry. As Director of the Project Management Office at the environmental engineering firm Brown and Caldwell, Rich uses his engineering design expertise and water industry experience to evaluate the firm’s current and proposed projects to ensure they are commercially viable and successful.

Alumni

UC Davis Heads USDA Food Safety Project

A collaborative food-safety project headed by UC Davis has been selected for funding by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The proposal, titled “An Integrated Approach to Eliminate Cross-Contamination During Washing, Conveying, Handling and Packaging of Fresh Produce,” will receive $4.751 million over the course of five years.

Research

UC Davis biodigester turns campus waste into campus energy

More than a decade ago, Ruihong Zhang, a professor of biological and agricultural engineering at the University of California, Davis, started working on a problem: How to turn as much organic waste as possible into as much renewable energy as possible.

Research