| ME graduate students (from left) Alexander Do, Thomas Cauley
III and Brian Sosnowchik, pictured here with Special Assistant to the
Chancellor for Science and Technology Tom Kalil, won the top prize
in the first annual white paper competition sponsored by the Center
for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS)
and Big Ideas@Berkeley. The paper, “Mitigation of Water Scarcity in California,” described their VinePod, a wireless network of sensors designed to help control frost in California’s
vineyards. Mounted on 12-foot poles in order to monitor air temperature,
humidity, and soil and leaf moisture, the sensor transmits data to
a central computer and signals which areas are most at risk for developing
frost when temperatures dip below freezing. The Berkeley team shared
first place with a UC Santa Cruz team, and both teams won $7,500. Kalil
organized the competition to showcase the creativity of UC student
research.
AARON WALBURG PHOTO |
