Schedule

October 17, 2024

Optional Pre-Conference Activities
Time Activity
2 – 6:30 p.m. Registration/Check-in
2 – 5 p.m.

2pm – 3:15pm

3:15pm – 4pm

ISU Sustainability Showcase

Open house of posters and exhibits highlighting sustainability work across ISU

Student voices in sustainability panel discussion of student leaders driving change

4 – 5 p.m. Walking tour of Fell Arboretum
5 – 6:30 p.m. Reception and networking
6:30 p.m. Dinner on your own

Day 2 schedule

October 18, 2024

Time Activity
8 – 9 a.m. Registration/Check-in

Breakfast – buffet of scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon strips, vegan sausage, fresh fruit, breakfast potatoes, fresh pastries, orange juice, water, coffee and tea

9 – 9:20 a.m. Welcome
9:20 – 10 a.m. Morning keynote: What is use-inspired research and why should we be excited about it? – Sarah O’Brien, Program Director, Office of the Director/Office of Integrative Activities & Mary Crowe, ITE Innovation and Technology Ecosystem/TIP Director for Tech, Innovation and Partnerships, both from the National Science Foundation
10 – 11 a.m. Panel session 1: Food & Agriculture – moderated by Nicholas Heller, Assistant Professor of Crop Sciences, Department of Agriculture, Illinois State University

  • Squash Hunger in Eastern Illinois through Partners in Produce: An initiative to improve food access and decrease food insecurity among low-income residents – Krystal Hodge, Assistant Professor, Food Science & Human Nutrition, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  • Mapping and Spatial Analysis of Rural Broadband Access and Quality to Develop a Roadmap for Smart Farming in Illinois – John Kostelnick, Professor of Geography, Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment/Director, Stevenson Center for Community & Economic Development, Illinois State University
  • Sustainable Farming in Illinois: Developing Deep Learning Algorithms for Classifying the Growth Stages of Weed in Soybean Field – Khaled Ahmed, Associate Professor/Graduate Program Director School of Computing, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Student poster presentations:

  1. Isaiah Adegoke, Eastern Illinois University, Enhancing Corporate Sustainability with Artificial Intelligence: Challenges and Successes, A Case Study of Belvedere Trading in the USA
  2. Ali Ahmad, Illinois State University, Living with Water: Climate Adaptation Tactics in Lowland Communities During the Seasonal and Flash Floods
  3. Madhu Goutham Reddy Ambati, Northern Illinois University, Advanced Building Classification Using Satellite Imagery
  4. Anthony Amotoe-Bondzie, Eastern Illinois University, Characterization of Soy Curd Residue and Full-Fat Soy Flour as Protein-Based Food Ingredients
  5. Barsha Bhattarai, Northern Illinois University, Mapping Antibiotic Resistant Genes (ARGs) and Bacteria (ARBs) in Diverse Environmental Niches
  6. Kylie Bresley, Northern Illinois University, Detection of Resistant Bacteria from Freshwater Environments in Dekalb County and Normal Illinois
  7. Abbie Gorsage, Illinois State University, Bloomington-Normal Community Air Quality Research and Education (BN-CARE)
  8. Md Mahadi Hasan, Illinois State University, Impact of Selected Cover Crops on Soil Porewater N and P Content
  9. Taminul Islam, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, WeedVision: Multi-Stage Growth and Classification of Weeds using Detection Transformer for Precision Agriculture
  10. Ian Janusz, Northern Illinois University, Mechanical Characterization of Compression Molded UHMWPE/Hemp Composites
  11. Sruthi Jnanesan, Eastern Illinois University, Utilizing Hempseed Oil for Sustainable Flooring
  12. Mani Sai Lakshmi Karasani, Northern Illinois University, Municipal Solid Waste Forecasting Analysis
  13. Saqlain Khurshid, Illinois State University, Sustainable Approaches to Psilocybin Legalization in Illinois: Insights from Cannabis Legalization and Other States
  14. Sri Ganesh Koyyalamudi, Illinois State University, Municipal Solid Waste Forecasting Analysis
  15. Divya Krishnakumar, University of Illinois Chicago, Wait, I can do THAT in public? Imagining Public Bathrooms designed for Use of Reusable Menstrual Products
  16. Tuba Yasmin Lubna, Illinois State University, Converting Cover Crop Biomass to Biogas and Volatile Fatty Acids
  17. Sierra Mack Erb, Illinois State University, Assessing the Value & Utility of Design Through the Lens of Rural Community Members
  18. Ryan Mueller, Northern Illinois University, 3D Printing for a Sustainable World: Adapting 3D Printing Methods to Reduce Plastic Waste Using Hemp Fibers
  19. Alex Schwarz, Illinois State University, Modeling Chlorophyll-a Concentrations Using Machine Learning Algorithms and the Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 Constellation: A Case Study of Lake Erie
  20. Shelby Stoner, Illinois State University, Nutrient Transport and Cycling in Anaerobic Co-digestion of Cover Crop Biomass and Swine Manure
  21. Whitney Vanman, Northern Illinois University, Mapping Antibiotic Resistant Genes (ARGs) and Bacteria (ARBs) in Diverse Environmental Niches

Speed networking

12 – 1 p.m.

 

Lunch – Fajita buffet

 

1 – 2 p.m. Panel session 2: Computing & Data – moderated by Vijay Devabhaktuni, Founding Chair of Electrical Engineering, Illinois State University

  • The Design, Development, and Deployment of a Mobile-based Child Vaccination Program for Underserved Communities in Illinois Using Novel Digital Analytics and AI Tools – Scott Barrows, OSF Innovation Design Lab Lead
  • The Impacts of Dollar General Stores in Rural Illinois – Chris Merrett, Dean of Innovation and Economic Development/Director of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs, Western Illinois University
  • A County-Level Index of ‘Readiness for AI’ in Healthcare – Adee Athiyaman, Professor of Marketing, Western Illinois University
2 – 3 p.m. Panel session 3: Environment & Water – moderated by Joan Brehm, Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology/Co-Chair of the Center for Sustainable Water Future & Erik Peterson, Chair of the Department of Geography, Geology, & the Environment, Illinois State University

  • Sustaining Illinois through Collaborative Governance: A Pilot Study of Water Systems Governance in Northeast and North Central Illinois – Tom Skuzinski, Director, Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability, and Energy/Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration, Northern Illinois University
  • Geopolymer Concrete for Sustainable Construction and Beyond – Guang Jin, Professor, Environmental Health, Department of Health Sciences, Illinois State University
  • Integrating Hydrology and Social Science for Community Resiliency against Flooding Hazards – Ajay Kalra, Associate Professor of Water Resources Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
3 – 3:50 p.m. Afternoon plenary: Research funding and partnerships roundtable discussions

Participants will have an opportunity to participate in three fifteen-minute conversations on various topics related to research funding and partnerships.

  • Finding Grants (student session)
  • Foundation Relations
  • Great Lakes ReNEW/Current
  • Illinois Innovation Network’s Social Innovation and Impact Grant
  • Illinois Innovation Network’s Sustaining Illinois Seed Grant
  • Illinois Soybean Association
  • Industry Partnerships
  • United States Department of Agriculture
  • Writing a Grant (student session)
 

3:50 – 4 p.m.

 

Concluding remarks and announcement of student poster presentation winners