The primary goal of this VIPR team is to empower students by equipping them with practical skills and cutting-edge theoretical knowledge in the field of agricultural robotics. Through hands-on research, students will delve into concepts, algorithms, and technologies, which they will then apply to real-world agricultural problems. The concepts and technologies initiated by the students […]
August 19, 2026
Agrivoltaics: Land-Centered Solutions for a Sustainable Energy Transition
Rapid climate change associated with the burning of fossil fuels has stimulated a global transition towards renewable energy sources. However, the lower “energy density” of clean energy sources such as photovoltaics (solar power) means that large areas of land are needed to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Agrivoltaics provides a potential win-win for landowners […]
August 19, 2026
AI Agents for a Sustainable Food Supply
Interactive AI agents will be used to revolutionize how we develop, deploy and manage our food supply, and prepare students for a workforce prioritizing agentic AI literacy. UGA excels in developing new crop varieties and providing agronomic advice. AI agents can be used to aid key breeding decisions as well as provide advice on crop […]
August 14, 2026
Design of a Grading-Sorting System for Agriculture Post-Harvest Handling
Design and prototype an automated grading and sorting system for post-harvest agricultural products that improves efficiency, accuracy, and product quality. The system will integrate machine vision, sensing, and mechanical handling to classify produce by size, shape, color, and defects. Emphasis will be placed on gentle handling to minimize damage, modular design for different crops, and […]
August 14, 2026
Earth System Model Analysis for Industry Applications
Weather and climate events can have major impacts on society, via both extremes and persistent conditions. These events can impact society directly, such as damaging infrastructure and transportation systems, disrupting agricultural and industrial operations, and loss of lives, as well as indirectly by disturbing natural ecosystems. This project team will develop reliable climate data analysis […]
August 14, 2026
This team will offer students an experiential learning opportunity in plant genome editing to create resilient plants. Through active participation in research, students will engage in the full pipeline—from experimental design to data collection, and statistical analysis. The team will employ hands-on lab projects with cutting-edge theory, helping students build critical skills in plant biology, […]
August 14, 2026
Hydropolis: Urban Infrastructure and Hydrology Research
Hydropolis creates sustainable, resilient, and biodiverse communities by analyzing ecosystems and designing interventions like green spaces, waterway rehabilitations, and infrastructural innovations across urban and rural contexts. Our hybrid approach combines engineering, design, and communication science to reimagine infrastructure and how it is understood. We investigate an array of exciting topics that include water quality management […]
February 28, 2026
The UGA Athens campus provides many unique opportunities for learning. Our VIPR team will employ the notion of campus as a living lab to explore current issues in urban water resources and to develop a mechanistic understanding of streams traversed by decades of UGA students. The field of water resources science is intrinsically interdisciplinary and spans undergraduate […]
February 26, 2026
Our team engineers next-generation viral vectors by repurposing high-impact plant pathogens—such as Citrus Tristeza Virus (CTV), which shares replication strategies with SARS-CoV-2—into modular tools for crop protection. The students will focus on ‘Genome Refactoring’ to streamline complex architectures into stable ‘cargo-ready’ expression platforms. By leveraging their natural movement, we enable ‘Targeted Delivery’ of therapeutic molecules, […]
February 26, 2026
This team aims to develop a decision-support framework that integrates weather and seasonal-to-subseasonal (S2S) forecasts with crop yield and nutrient loss models to improve agricultural management in Georgia, and hopefully beyond. The team will explore how forecasts can be used to optimize fertilizer management prone to losses from rainfall events and where the forecast information […]
December 2, 2024
This VIPR team is an interdisciplinary group that examines the risks posed by severe and extreme weather to communities and vital systems. These risks include, but are not limited to, high winds, extreme heat, flooding, drought, and wildfires. The team investigates the interconnected effects of these events – particularly compound and cascading hazardous weather – […]
December 2, 2024
Project MACAW: Managing Avian Collisions At Windows
This team will identify hotspots and timing of lethal bird collisions with windows on the UGA campus. Students will: uncover the ecological and design drivers of collisions; assess knowledge and educate UGA students, staff, and faculty about the issue; develop monitoring protocols; and propose innovative solutions to prevent collisions by engaging with multiple stakeholders at […]