Latest news with #CollegeofAgricultureandLifeSciences
India.com
21-07-2025
- Science
- India.com
IND vs ENG 2025 4th Test: Shubman Gill's team aim to create history at Old Trafford, end 89 year old curse...
Fozzie and Scott Hurst of Salem, Virginia, search a park bench for evidence of the invasive spotted lanternfly – credit Clark DeHart for Virginia Tech. A real-world trial at Virginia Tech has shown that ordinary dogs and their owners can help combat a major invasive insect species from taking hold in their communities. The spotted lanternfly, native to Asia, was first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014. Since then, it's spread rapidly to 18 states, laying its eggs on trees, stone, lumber, and even cars and trailers, where it can hitch a ride to a new home. Catching the bug early is key—but finding its egg masses is no easy task. That's where your dog comes in. With a sense of smell that's tens of thousands of times more acute than a human's, dogs can be trained to sniff out spotted lanternfly egg masses without disturbing the environment. 'They often resemble mud smears or lichens and are tucked into bark crevices, cracks, or hidden undersides,' said Mizuho Nita, a plant pathologist at Virginia Tech who co-authored the results of the field study. 'Finding them is like searching for a needle in a haystack.' Previous research has shown that professional conservation detection dogs can find them quite often. But professional dogs are expensive, and there aren't nearly enough of them to cover the growing threat. That's where Sally Dickinson, the lead author on the study who recently obtained her Ph.D. from Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, thought that they might be able to enlist the help of citizen scientists. (Left) A spotted lanternfly egg mass hides in plain sight – credit, courtesy of Sally Dickinson (Right) A mature spotted lanternfly – credit, Theresa Dellinger for Virginia Tech 'With proper training, dog owners can turn their pets into powerful partners for conservation,' Dickinson said. Many dog owners participate in sporting scent games—teaching their dogs to track different scents and having sort of scavenger hunts to enrich their companions' lives. Even if the breed isn't bred specifically for following scent trails, most dogs can do it. 182 human-dog teams from across the US were selected and given devitalized, that is, non-hatching lanternfly egg masses, as training aids. Participants trained their dogs at home or in small groups, with oversight from a designated local trainer. After several months of training, the dogs were put to the test in two environments—one indoor and one outdoor. In the controlled indoor environment, dogs had to complete an odor recognition test, identifying the box with the spotted lanternfly egg mass from among multiple boxes with other items and scents. GREAT STUDIES FROM VA TECH: Plastic Waste Can Now be Turned into Soap Thanks to Eureka Moment from Virginia Tech Those that passed the odor recognition test advanced to a field test, where they had to find the scent in an outdoor environment with competing smells. The participant dogs correctly identified the egg masses 82% of the time in the controlled test and 61% in the real-world test. This was still better than rates of success for human-only searches. Of the dogs that passed both tests, 92% were successful in finding live egg masses with minimal extra training. MORE NEWS LIKE THIS: High School Student Invents an A.I. Powered Trap That Zaps Invasive Lanternflies 'These teams demonstrated that citizen scientists and their dogs can play a meaningful role in protecting agriculture and the environment from invasive species,' said Sally Dickinson, the study's lead author. In vineyards, orchard—arable acreage of all sorts—the lanternfly is devastating crops and yields. Any resistance is better than no resistance, and if that means keeping your dog alert and ready to sniff out the invader on a walk through the park or forest, it could make the difference between your local farmer making a profit or making a loss this harvest season. SHARE This Brilliant Citizen Science Initiative To Help Defend Our Farms…
Korea Herald
16-06-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Zyx Technology, Seoul National University sign MOU to support landscape design education
Zyx Technology, a Korean AI digital design platform company, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional System Engineering at Seoul National University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences on June 10. The signing ceremony was held at the university's Seoul campus, with Vice Dean Heo Jin-hoe of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Zyx Technology Chairman Choi Jong-bok, and other key officials. As part of the agreement, Zyx Technology will donate 150 educational licenses per year of its flagship computer-aided design software, ZyxCAD, for three years. The software will be used to support coursework and research in landscape design, with the goal of enhancing practical design training for students. ZyxCAD is a general-purpose CAD program developed in Korea and listed in the national e-procurement system. It offers high compatibility with AutoCAD — supporting similar commands, shortcuts, file formats and LISP scripts — and features an intuitive interface with multi-CPU-based high-speed processing. The software also includes 'Works,' a utility suite with around 450 tools that streamline repetitive tasks and support complex design workflows. 'This collaboration with Seoul National University will be remembered as a meaningful case where Korea's top educational institution and domestic design software come together beyond the level of a single department,' said Zyx Technology Chairman Choi Jong-bok. 'We hope ZyxCAD will provide practical benefits to the department's advanced design education environment.' Vice Dean Heo Jin-hoe said ZyxCAD will enhance hands-on learning and serve as a model for industrial-academic collaboration.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Researchers make incredible discovery about chickens that could help keep grocery prices down: 'We need to differentiate'
Researchers at Cornell University found that feeding chickens grape waste made them less susceptible to diseases. According to the gut health of chickens can open them up to disease. The poultry industry relies on the mass production of chickens, but when chickens get sick and there are fewer chickens, the prices increase in stores. Corresponding author and department of food science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, associate professor Elad Tako, said, "Inflammation weakens the immune system and opens the birds to other pathogens such as avian flu." Grape pomace is believed to have anti-inflammatory properties, so the researchers set out to see just how true that was. Their findings were published in the Journal of Functional Foods. They injected the grape pomace into "amniotic fluid in chicken eggs to induce inflammation, and then a second one of a grape pomace extract to intervene," per Co-author and doctoral food science student, Melissa Huang, said the grape pomace did improve gut inflammation symptoms and intestinal health. In the U.S., the grape industry produces one million pounds of grape pomace waste yearly. What's left over from wine and juice production is stalks, seeds, and grape skins. While some of this is put into animal feeds or made into a fertilizer, much of it ends up in a landfill. According to "nearly three-quarters of production costs are bound up in what the birds eat." So, finding a way to utilize leftover grape pomace is not only a low-cost way for the birds' health, but also stops it from going into a landfill. When birds get sick, it doesn't just cause prices to go up on eggs. WGCU said it's also a threat to biodiversity. What is the biggest reason you don't grow food at home? Not enough time Not enough space It seems too hard I have a garden already Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. It said bird flu has been growing fast recently and "has infected more than 500 species, including 485 avian and at least 70 mammalian." Some animals that have contracted it are dolphins, seals, foxes, and skunks. Many end up dead or have neurological symptoms. While this is a significant win for keeping animals healthy, Huang said further investigation is needed to optimize the anti-inflammatory effects of grape pomace. She said, "Studies show that fiber and polyphenols, on their own, can affect inflammation. We need to differentiate which specific compounds in grape pomace are making this difference." Reducing reliance on poultry is another way to reduce the risk of the threat to biodiversity. You can do that by exploring plant-based food options. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Researchers develop revolutionary replacement for ubiquitous product packaging: 'This is just the beginning'
Researchers from Virginia Tech might have just revolutionized food packaging. The research team, from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Natural Resources and Environment, found a way to strengthen otherwise flimsy biodegradable packaging. This news couldn't come sooner. Plastic packaging (along with most plastic products) can spell bad news for your health. Though the long-term effects haven't yet been studied, the American Lung Association reports a correlation between microplastics and chronic lung disease. These tiny plastic particles come from anything made from the substance, from single-use water bottles to — you guessed it — plastic packaging. If plastic packaging is so bad for your health, then why is it so widespread? Haibo Huang, an associate professor at the university, told Virginia Tech News, "Biodegradable packaging materials are gaining interest as alternatives, but they often struggle to match the performance properties of petroleum-based plastic." The only leg up biodegradable packaging has historically had on its plastic counterpart is its environmental benefits. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, plastic waste can take up to 1,000 years to decompose. During that window of time, it sheds microplastics, which hurt animals' health, too. Now, though, biodegradable packaging might just become the new norm. Researchers used low-pressure cycles on cellulose, with resounding success. The packaging's transparency, durability, and gas barriers (which prevent oxygen from spoiling food) were all improved. The researchers are already looking to scale the project. And they're not the only ones interested in more eco-friendly packaging. U.K.-based Notpla is pushing seaweed-based edible packaging as the next big thing. And an Australian company, The Packaging People, sells sustainable packaging solutions to e-commerce businesses. Young Kim, Virginia Tech professor and project investigator, put it best. As he told Virginia Tech News, "This is just the beginning." When you think about a product's packaging, which of these factors is more important to you? The way it looks The information it provides The waste it produces I don't think about packaging at all Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Community-backed petition fails to save Insect Zoo from closure
AMES, Iowa — Despite the support from thousands, the Insect Zoo at Iowa State University will remain closed. Last month, the university's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences announced the closure of the Insect Zoo because of its budget deficit. The impact that the Insect Zoo had on Iowans in the last 30-years quickly came to the limelight after one Des Moines mom, Justine Bailey, started a petition to save the zoo. She made it because her kids grew up attending its programs, and those experiences directly influenced their decisions to now becoming engineers. 'My family is full of smart, nerdy kids,' said Bailey. 'Many other kids have sports and other activities to rely on, but for kids whose main interest is things in the STEM field, this is something that really got them excited.' She said the state of Iowa doesn't have anything quite like the Insect Zoo. In just the last 13-years, over 90 students at Iowa State University helped reach over 500,000 people through the zoo, according to the petition. The petition garnered over 3,300 signatures and around 130 comments and videos from current students, alumni, and visitors who shared the importance of the zoo. One video response came from an alumna who shared that her experience working at the zoo ten years ago is the reason she perused her masters and doctorate in her field. She ended her video statement with, 'We must protect the zoo.' Another video response came from a mother who said her 13-year-old son first visited the zoo when he was nine. Now, his bedroom is inspired by nature. She even showed his wallpaper that depicts a waterfall. She said he plans to attend Iowa State in the future to study entomology. She concluded her video statement with, 'Please save the zoo. It makes a difference.' Despite the community support, Iowa State University will follow through with the closure. In a statement sent to WHO 13 News, the university said: 'The decision to close the Insect Zoo is final and programming ended on April 27. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences continues to explore opportunities for insect education and outreach. While difficult, the college made the decision to close the Insect Zoo after a review determined its budget model was no longer viable.' It's not clear yet where the insects will go, but the university previously told WHO 13 News that they are working to find all of the insects a home. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
