Wednesday, January 31, 2018

2018 Water Institute Symposium Preview: Water Technology Session

2018 UF Water Institute Symposium Feb 6-7 
Session: Use of Technology to Shape our Water Future

The UF Water Institute Symposium is always filled with great information and opportunities to meet others in the profession. On February 6th - one of the sessions will focus on using technology in water decision making.

This will be an exciting session composed of Agricultural and Biological Engineering expertise and Electrical and Computer Engineering expertise. To give you a taste of what's to come, one of the presenters - Thiago Onofre (ABE graduate student) - created this video:


Other speakers include Drs. Eisenstadt (Wireless Weather Stations and Maintenance Training for Haitian Agricultureand Zare (Synthetic Aperture SONAR Soft Segmentation using Possibilistic Fuzzy Local Information C-Means) from ECE and Drs. McLamore (Mobile phone-based nanosensor diagnostics for planetary health) and Migliaccio (Using smartphone apps to make water management decisions) from ABE. 

Sponsored by Tampa Bay Water, the session takes place at 3:30 pm in Reitz Union 2365. If you are interested in the latest in technology and its application to water - don't miss it!


Wednesday, January 17, 2018

In the Lab and On the Board: A Michael Dukes Interview


UF ABE Professor Michael Dukes was recently elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Irrigation Association (IA). Those of us who work in outdoor water-use know IA as an advocacy organization, a certifying body and a resource for young people interested in green industry careers. IrriGator interviewed Dr. Dukes about what it means to be part of the IA Board and his outlook on irrigation for 2018.

Dr. Michael Dukes presents at Irrigation Show & Education Conference 2017
What does it mean to you to be elected to the Irrigation Association’s(IA) Board of Directors?
MD: It’s a great honor to be elected to the board. I’m only the second academic to be elected to the board. Very few are elected I believe because there aren’t many of us academics that work closely with industry. I enjoy learning about the industry and helping promote efficient Irrigation.


You’ve been involved with IA a number of years now. What do you hope to contribute in this role?
MD: I’ve been involved with IA in volunteer committee and leadership roles for 15 years or so and this role on the board is really exciting since the board sets policy for the organization. I look forward to participating in that role. I think I’ll learn much about the organization and its individual members in this role. I look forward to it!
Why is IA good for the industry?
MD: The IA promotes efficient Irrigation, in fact that is the organization’s mission! Thus the IA works as a bridge between the industry and government organizations to help promote the responsible and efficient use of water for irrigation. The efficient use of water results in the maintenance of landscapes to consumers’ desire as well as the food crops we require with the least amount of water possible. As a result, we’ll be able to sustain a growing population.


The new year is just getting started, can you give us any insight on what you’re focused on this year? Any trends you’re excited about in irrigation in 2018?
MD: Though water conservation hasn’t gotten as much attention in recent years, the Florida Water 2070 report estimates an additional 15 million people in Florida by that year. Development related water demand will increase 100% and the report goes on to say that reducing landscape irrigation is the single most effective strategy to reduce water demand in Florida.
Water 2070 Report


In 2018 we are still working closely with utilities on evaluation of Irrigation water conservation. They need to quantify whether things like rain sensors (Long Term Expanding-Disk Rain Sensor Accuracy) and sprinkler nozzles save enough water to warrant rebates. We are also working with developers to encourage implementation of Florida-Friendly Landscaping that we’ve shown reduces Irrigation by half compared to traditional landscapes and Irrigation (Irrigation Conservation of Florida-Friendly Landscaping Based on Water Billing Data.).


In addition, water quality impacts on the Floridan Aquifer have resulted in our project funded by the USDA. We are researching agricultural Best Management Practices such as nutrient management and irrigation management with soil moisture sensors to reduce the loss of nitrogen to the aquifer.