Source: UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA submitted to
TAPAC, THE TRANSATLANTIC PRECISION AGRICULTURE CONSORTIUM
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
EXTENDED
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0222294
Grant No.
2010-51160-21050
Project No.
GEO-2010-01758
Proposal No.
2010-01758
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
AA-N
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2010
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2015
Grant Year
2014
Project Director
Vellidis, G.
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
200 D.W. BROOKS DR
ATHENS,GA 30602-5016
Performing Department
Biological & Agricultural Engineering
Non Technical Summary
The TransAtlantic Precision Agriculture Consortium (TAPAC) consists of agricultural scientists and engineers from three American and three European universities who have been working together for the past 5 years. TAPAC members participating in this proposal are: University of Georgia, Auburn University, Panepistimio Thessalias (Greece), Universita degli Studi di Padova (Italy), Technische Universitat Munchen (Germany). TAPAC's long-term goal is to establish a common M.S. degree between partner universities. Students who enroll in this future program will be awarded dual M.S. degrees from an American and an European partner university and will spend about half of their graduate program at an overseas partner university - a compelling measure of global competence. TAPAC's short-term goal is to use this ISE project as a pilot study to validate concepts already developed for the common degree and to overcome institutional and funding constraints which stand in the way. To meet this goal, we will implement a framework within which American and European students conduct their M.S. thesis research on precision agriculture at an overseas partner university while receiving a degree from their home institution. A minimum of 6 M.S. students will participate in the program. We will also use this project to further internationalize research and extension programs at TAPAC universities by promoting the adoption of precision agriculture by American and European producers through a series of 6 precision agriculture workshops. The workshops will be held in Alabama (2), Georgia, Greece, Italy, and Germany and will target extension specialists and county agents in the US and government agronomists in Europe. Thus, we will be educating the educators and ensuring that the information becomes disseminated to a broader audience. In summary, the project will implement a framework for developing global competence in graduate students at TAPAC universities as well as having a long and lasting effect on the global competence of TAPAC faculty and staff.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
90360993020100%
Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
The TransAtlantic Precision Agriculture Consortium (TAPAC) consists of agricultural scientists and engineers from three American and three European universities who have been working together for the past 5 years. TAPAC members participating in this proposal are: University of Georgia, Auburn University, Panepistimio Thessalias (Greece), Universita degli Studi di Padova (Italy), Technische Universitat Munchen (Germany). TAPAC's long-term goal is to establish a common M.S. degree between partner universities. Students who enroll in this future program will be awarded dual M.S. degrees from an American and an European partner university and will spend about half of their graduate program at an overseas partner university - a compelling measure of global competence. TAPAC's short-term goal is to use this ISE project as a pilot study to validate concepts already developed for the common degree and to overcome institutional and funding constraints which stand in the way. The project will train young professionals in both precision agriculture and global competence. Our experience shows that an extended, productive international immersion experience not only strengthens the global competence of students but also integrates them professionally into the international community. We will use this project to establish a long-term pattern of international cooperation in research and education between TAPAC members through graduate education. We will implement a framework within which American and European students conduct their M.S. thesis research on precision agriculture at an overseas partner university while receiving a degree from their home institution. A minimum of 6 M.S. students will participate in the program. Our faculty will also train extension specialists and agronomists in both the US and EU through a series of workshops. And finally, the faculty and staff of the TAPAC universities will improve their knowledge and global competence by managing this project.
Project Methods
Objective 1 - Graduate Research Projects Abroad We will use ISE funding to establish graduate research assistantships for American graduate students to pursue M.S. degrees at the University of Georgia and Auburn University while conducting their M.S. thesis research at one of our European Union (EU) partner universities. Our EU partners are: Panepistimio Thessalias (Greece), Universita degli Studi di Padova (Italy), Technische Universitat Munchen (Germany). Students will be recruited for the specific purpose of participating in this program and will be able to pursue degrees in agricultural engineering, crop & soil science, and agricultural economics. Recruited students will complete all their course work at their home institution including 2 semesters of language preparation. Upon completion of their course work, they will depart for their host institution in Europe where they will conduct the research for their thesis. Their thesis work will be a component of an existing precision ag-related project at the host university. ISE funds will not be used to support stipends of EU students. Instead, the American partners will commit to funding EU students from existing grant funds. Objective 2 - Precision Agriculture Workshops We will use funding from this project to establish a long-term pattern of international cooperation in research and extension by developing a series of workshops which we will use to convey the precision ag lessons learned in Europe to American producers and the lessons learned in the USA to European producers. The US workshops will be organized by US faculty but conducted jointly by EU and US faculty. Likewise, the EU workshops will be organized by EU faculty but conducted jointly by EU and US faculty. The workshops will be held in Alabama (2), Georgia, Greece, Italy, and Germany and will target extension specialists and county agents in the US and government agronomists in Europe. Thus, we will be educating the educators and ensuring that the information becomes disseminated to a broader audience.

Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The two University of Georgia graduate students and one Auburn University graduate student who will be particpating in the exchange program were selected. One of the University Georgia students began his graduate program in January 2012 and will be conducting his M.S. thesis research at the University of Padova, Italy, during 2013. The second University of Georgia student will begin his program in January 2013 and will conduct hs M.S. thesis research at the University of Thessaly, Greece during 2014. The Auburn student began his progarm in August 2012 and will be conducting his research at the Technical University of Munich, Germany, during 2013. Students from the University of Thessaly (2), University of Padova (1), and Technical University of Munich (1) conducted their exchange programs at the University of Georgia during 2012. A series of three workshops titled "Precision Agriculture: A Management Plan for Improving Efficiency and Profitability" were scheduled for Karditsa, Greece on 15 March 2013, Padova, Italy, on 18 March 2013, and Potsdam, Germany, on 21 March 2013. The workshops will focus on farmers, extension specialists, and regional policy makers and will be conducted by project faculty and students. PARTICIPANTS: Faculty Members who either identified and recruited exchange students at their home univeristy or mentored exchange students at their host university: Dr. George Vellidis, University of Georgia; Dr. John Fulton and Dr. Brenda Ortiz, Auburn University; Prof. Theofanis Gemtos, University of Thessaly, Greece; Prof. Francesco Morari, Univeristy of Padova, Italy; Dr. Markus Gandorfer, Technical Univeristy of Munich, Germany. Exchange Students: Jay Bevington, University of Georgia to Univeristy of Padova (December 2012 - August 2013); Camilla Borgato, Univeristy of Padova to University of Georgia (October 2012 - April 2013); Vasilis Liakos, University of Thessaly to University of Georgia (April - December 2012); Martina Weiss, Technical Univeristy of Munich to University of Georgia (August - November, 2012); Aliki Zacho, University of Thessaly to University of Georgia (April - August, 2012) TARGET AUDIENCES: For the exchange progarm, graduate students at the participating American and European Universities. For the workshops, farmers, extension specialists, and regional policy makers. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: None

Impacts
Up through the current evaluaton period, only European students have spent time at their host institutions. The students have been generally very satisfied with their exchange programs (see excerpt from Evaluation Report below.) The first M.S. thesis resulting from an exchange was published by Mr. Emanuelle Borghetti who received his M.S. from the University of Padova and conducted his research at the Univeristy of Georgia. The project and its outcomes is being evaluated by an external evaluator (Cassandra Drennon & Associates). This firm specializes in research and program evaluation and measuring the development of intercultural competence. Below is a summary of the evaluation for 2011-2012. To evaluate the project, Cassandra Drennon & Associates, Inc. interviewed faculty partners at the five participating universities and surveyed three European exchange students who completed their research during 2010-2012. Survey development was based on the goals of the project and input from faculty partners. Key findings 1. Students were highly satisfied with their learning and research experiences in the host country. 2. Students became more culturally aware as a result of the exchange. 3. The project benefits from a strong partnership among faculty members. 4. Student recruitment is successful in the EU but has been challenging for U.S. universities.

Publications

  • Borghetti, E. 2012. Evaluating nitrogen variable rate technology on cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in Georgia (USA). M.S. Thesis, Universita degli Studi di Padova, Legnaro, Padova, Italy, 65p.


Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The TransAtlantic Precision Agriculture Consortium (TAPAC) consists of agricultural scientists and engineers from three American and three European universities who have been working together for the past 5 years. TAPAC members participating in this proposal are the University of Georgia (lead), Auburn University, Panepistimio Thessalias (Greece), Universita degli Studi di Padova (Italy), and Technische Universitat Munchen (Germany). During Year 1 we developed agreements on how visiting graduate students will conduct their work at each of the institutions, the University of Georgia hosted two European students, and we recruited 3 American students to participate in the program. PARTICIPANTS: Dr. George Vellidis (Project and TAPAC Director - project management, recruiting American students, hosting European students), Biological & Agricultural Engineering, University of Georgia; Dr. John Fulton (project planning, recruiting American students), Biosystems Engineering, Auburn University; Professor Theofanis Gemtos (project planning, recruiting Greek students), Laboratory of Farm Mechanisation, PanepistimioThessalias (Greece); Professor Francesco Morari (project planning, recruited Italian student), Departimento di Agronomia Ambientale e Produzioni Vegetali, Universita degli Studi di Padova (Italy); Dr. Markus Gandorfer (project planning, recruited German student), Institute of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management, Technische Universitat Munchen (Germany); Ms. Maria Seidl (M.S. student hosted by University of Georgia), Institute of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management, Technische Universitat Munchen (Germany); Mr. Emanuele Borghetti (M.S. student hosted by University of Georgia), Departimento di Agronomia Ambientale e Produzioni Vegetali, Universita degli Studi di Padova (Italy); Ms. Tracey Vellidis (TAPAC Web page design and implementation), National Environmentally Sound Production Agriculture Laboratory, University of Georgia TARGET AUDIENCES: Graduate students at American and European universities. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
TAPAC's long-term goal is to establish a common M.S. degree between partner universities. Students who enroll in this future program will be awarded dual M.S. degrees from an American and an European partner university and will spend about half of their graduate program at an overseas partner university - a compelling measure of global competence. TAPAC's short-term goal is to use this ISE project as a pilot study to validate concepts already developed for the common degree and to overcome institutional and funding constraints which stand in the way. To meet this goal, we will implement a framework within which American and European students conduct their M.S. thesis research on precision agriculture at an overseas partner university while receiving a degree from their home institution. During Year 1 we developed the framework for the graduate student exchanges. One European student from the Technische Universitat Munchen (Germany) completed a 6-month exchange during Year 1 of the project while a student from the Universita degli Studi di Padova (Italy) began his exchange during Year 1. Two Univeristy of Georgia students, one from Environmental Engineering and one from Crop & Soil Sciences were recruited to participate in the project. An Auburn University student in Biosystems Engineering was also recruited. They will be going to the Universita degli Studi di Padova (Italy) and the Technische Universitat Munchen (Germany) as soon as they complete their M.S. coursework.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period