Division: ASA Section: Climatology & Modeling

Title: Innovative Biophysical Instrumentation Design: An Original Instrumentation Show-and-Tell with Student Competition

Lead Community Sponsor: Biophysical Measurements and Sensors Community
Cosponsor: S01 Soil Physics
Community Cosponsor: Sensor-Based Water Management Community
Format: Poster Topical Session
Keywords: InstrumentationMeasurementSensors

Session Description: The measurement of the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum has made considerable progress since the days when researchers were forced to remain on site to collect data by hand with a few crude instruments. In general, improvements were made by necessity where scientists designed instruments to satisfy their unique set of measurement requirements. Indeed, most scientific observation and subsequent discovery in the natural sciences depends on the use of uncommon instrumentation and sensors, and the introduction of new and better methods often leads to quantum jumps in scientific understanding. As such, instrumentation development is the lifeblood of scientific discovery. This session will showcase innovative instrumentation and sensor development. The presentations in the session will focus on the development of and results obtained by novel instrumentation that have been developed, modified, or refined by the presenter. Presenters are strongly encouraged to bring an example of their unique instrument with them for live demonstration to attendees if at all possible. Instrumentation in any facet of soil, crop, agronomic, or other environmental science is acceptable. The session will include a student competition with cash awards for the most creative and functional examples of original instrumentation. Contact Doug Cobos (doug@decagon.com) to discuss constraints on the demonstration (size limits, power requirements, safety concerns).

Reviewer's Comments: Note to organizers: I already cleared this concept through HQ. There will be some details regarding instrumentation size constraints and electrical outlets that we'll need to work through, so please keep in contact as the process moves forward. Thanks, Doug Cobos