2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Involving Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Students in the Design and Development of an Innovative Device for the Detection of Plant Nematodes

Presented at Engineering Technology Division (ETD) Technical Session 2

This work-in-progress paper presents the contributions of a group of multi-disciplinary undergraduate students in the different phases of designing and developing an innovative device for the non-destructive rapid detection of plant cyst nematodes. Working as a team, undergraduate students majoring in mechanical engineering technology (MET), electronics and computer engineering technology(ECET), and computer science(CS) have been working on the mechanical design and prototype development, electronics and control, and software design and development components of the project supported by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) since 2020.

Plant nematodes are parasites that attack plants through their roots and can negatively affect many crops of agricultural importance. Once established, plant nematodes can be widely dispersed by several factors, including machinery, handheld planting equipment, movement via shoes and clothing, movement of soil, and many other mechanisms as their eggs live and hatch in the soil. Since juvenile nematodes penetrate the host plant roots to develop into adult females with eggs presenting as a cyst attached to the plant roots, it is possible to detect the morphological differences between healthy and infected plants by examing their roots. A minirhizotron with a camera module mounted on a precise linear motion system driven by a stepper motor and controlled by a microcontroller is developed to image plant roots. By applying custom-designed image processing algorithms, suspected areas representing cysts of plant nematodes can be identified.

This paper shows the design, prototype development, and experimental tests of the first model that integrates the minirhizotron probe, the microcontroller, and a touchscreen with a graphic user interface (GUI), the second design that separates the minirhizotron probe and a hand-held controller with a GUI and cables for communications between the two parts, and the ongoing wireless network capable minirhizotron probe that can be accessed via a web-browser based GUI.

Authors

Dr. Junkun Ma http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8983-1999 Sam Houston State University [biography]

Dr. Junkun Ma is currently a Professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology at Sam Houston State University (SHSU). He teaches mechanics of materials, manufacturing processes, CAD, applied fluid mechanics, etc., courses. His research interests include net-shape fabrication of sintered ceramics, numerical simulation using FEM, and engineering and technology education
Dr. Faruk Yildiz Sam Houston State University [biography]

Faruk Yildiz is currently a Professor of
Engineering Technology at Sam Houston State University.
His primary teaching areas are in Electronics,
Computer Aided Design (CAD), and Alternative Energy Systems. Research interests include: low powe
Dr. Reg Recayi Pecen http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7145-0282 Sam Houston State University [biography]

Dr. Reg Pecen is currently a Quanta Endowed Professor of the Department of Engineering Technology at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. Dr. Pecen was formerly a professor and program chairs of Electrical Engineering Technology and Graduate (MS and Doctoral) Programs in the Department of Technology at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). Dr. Pecen served as 2nd President and Professor at North American University in Houston, TX from July 2012 through December 2016. He also served as a Chair of Energy Conservation and Conversion Division at American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE). Dr. Pecen holds a B.S in EE and an M.S. in Controls and Computer Engineering from the Istanbul Technical University, an M.S. in EE from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wyoming (UW, 1997). He served as a graduate assistant and faculty at UW, and South Dakota State University. He served on UNI Energy and Environment Council, College Diversity Committee, University Diversity Advisory Board, and Graduate College Diversity Task Force Committees. His research interests, grants, and more than 50 publications are in the areas of AC/DC Power System Interactions, distributed energy systems, power quality, and grid-connected renewable energy applications including solar and wind power systems. He is a senior member of IEEE, member of ASEE, Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society, and ATMAE. Dr. Pecen was recognized as an Honored Teacher/Researcher in “Who’s Who among America’s Teachers” in 2004-2009. Dr. Pecen is a recipient of 2010 Diversity Matters Award at the University of Northern Iowa for his efforts on promoting diversity and international education at UNI. He is also a recipient of 2011 UNI C.A.R.E Sustainability Award for the recognition of applied research and development of renewable energy applications at UNI and Iowa in general. Dr. Pecen established solar electric boat R & D center at UNI where dozens of students were given opportunities to design solar powered boats. UNI solar electric boat team with Dr. Pecen’s supervision won two times a third place overall in World Championship on solar electric boating, an international competition promoting clean transportation technologies in US waters. He was recognized as an Advisor of the Year Award nominee among 8 other UNI faculty members in 2010-2011 academic year Leadership Award Ceremony. Dr. Pecen received a Milestone Award for outstanding mentoring of graduate students at UNI, and recognition from UNI Graduate College for acknowledging the milestone that has been achieved in successfully chairing ten or more graduate student culminating projects, theses, or dissertations, in 2011 and 2005.

He was also nominated for 2004 UNI Book and Supply Outstanding Teaching Award, March 2004, and nominated for 2006, and 2007 Russ Nielson Service Awards, UNI. Dr. Pecen is an Engineering Technology Editor of American Journal of Undergraduate Research (AJUR). He has been serving as a reviewer on the IEEE Transactions on Electronics Packaging Manufacturing since 2001. Dr. Pecen has served on ASEE Engineering Technology Division (ETD) in Annual ASEE Conferences as a reviewer, session moderator, and co-moderator since 2002. He served as a Chair-Elect on ASEE ECC Division in 2011. He also served as a program chair on ASEE ECCD in 2010. He is also serving on advisory boards of International Sustainable World Project Olympiad (isweep.org) and International Hydrogen Energy Congress. Dr. Pecen received a certificate of appreciation from IEEE Power Electronics Society in recognition of valuable contributions to the Solar Splash as 2011 and 2012 Event Coordinator. Dr. Pecen was formerly a board member of Iowa Alliance for Wind Innovation and Novel Development (www.iawind.org/board.php) and also represented UNI at Iowa Wind Energy Association (IWEA). Dr. Pecen taught Building Operator Certificate (BOC) classes for the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) since 2007 at Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri as well as the SPEER in Texas and Oklahoma to promote energy efficiency in industrial and commercial environments.

Dr. Pecen was recognized by State of Iowa Senate on June 22, 2012 for his excellent service and contribution to state of Iowa for development of clean and renewable energy and promoting diversity and international education since 1998.
Mr. Marc Casper Association for Computing Machinery [biography]

I am a current undergraduate Computer Science student at Sam Houston State University. Graduation date is expected to be May 2023.
Austin Wayne Weirich

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