Congratulations to Jalissa Pirro (Geography, M.A. student) and Mainul Islam (Geography Ph.D.) for being finalists in the 2025 People's Choice Award!
Mainul Islam | Tracking Bur Oak Blight
Bur Oak Blight is a fungal disease in Bur Oak leaves. Leaves are the primary way to check the existence of blight. In this picture, I am using a Spectrometer setup to collect leaf spectral signatures. Blighted leaves have specific signals compared to healthy leaves. I am tracking the signals in the nature of Iowa!
Acknowledgements: Dr. Susan Meerdink, Dr. Mary Skopec, Nora Gibson, Alex Arens
Jalissa Pirro | Hawkeyes in the Skies
In an age where advancing technology brings forth new and exciting opportunities in research, Unpiloted Aerial Systems (UAS) enable scientists to take to the skies and study the environment in new ways. In collaboration with Iowa State University’s Agronomy Department, I use UAS-mounted Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to study Miscanthus × giganteus (MxG), a perennial tall grass that grows up to twelve feet and is converted into biomass fuel. Taken during a late-May flight campaign, my photo shows a DJI Matrice 300 RTK capturing LiDAR imagery that will be used to map MxG height and distribution across the adjacent field. Since MxG is not replanted every year, understanding plant survival and identifying areas of low productivity in the field are essential for guiding management strategies. Through my research, I aim to advance the use of UAS for understanding long-term crop productivity and to provide data that supports management strategies for maintaining high and sustainable yields.
Acknowledgements: Susan Meerdink and Samuel Taylor