SOY PROTEIN-BASED INJECTABLE HYDROGEL FOR DRUG DELIVERY AND CANCER TREATMENT

• Long Jiang NDSU professor, Mechanical Engineering

This project is funded through the Great Plains I-Corps Hub Minimum Viable Product EDRF Program, which empowers innovators with funding towards building a minimum viable product in order to validate product ideas during initial stages of development. This team has developed soy protein-based hydrogels that are desirable for biomedical applications due to their injectability, non-toxicity, and high stability, and they have promising implications for controlled delivery of cancer drugs. The aim of this project is to further test and optimize the hydrogels through testing in mice.

DEVELOPING A MOBILE APP PROTOTYPE
To calibrate buildings for their affordability in promoting healthy activities

• Ganapathy Mahalingam NDSU professor of Architecture

This project is funded through the Great Plains I-Corps Hub Minimum Viable Product EDRF Program, which empowers innovators with funding towards building a minimum viable product in order to validate product ideas during initial stages of development. This project developed a prototype of the Caloribrate Android app, which is used to calibrate buildings for their affordability in promoting healthy activities in a building. Caloribrate@ is a term that can be used in connection with the system and methods, which in some embodiments involves calibrating a building by measuring the physical activity of its inhabitants using biosensing equipment such as commercial activity monitors to map movements in a physical zone (e.g., building), and the calories consumed / heartbeats expended in making those movements can be calculated to arrive at a physical zone (e.g., building) rating based on this concept and process. This can be used as a predictive tool that indicates the potential for physical activity in a building, thereby indicating its viability to make subjects healthier.

AUTOMATED CYBERSECURITY PENETRATION TESTING SYSTEM

• Jeremy Straub NDSU associate professor of Computer Science

This project is funded through the Great Plains I-Corps Hub Minimum Viable Product EDRF Program, which empowers innovators with funding towards building a minimum viable product in order to validate product ideas during initial stages of development. This project aims to develop an automated cybersecurity penetration testing system to find and correct vulnerabilities before adversaries can exploit them. This effort will utilize artificial intelligence and machine learning to enable the system. 

DEVELOPING SMART SENSORS TO IMPROVE SAFETY IN WORK ZONES USING IOT TECHNOLOGY
The proposed system aims to reduce work zone-related accidents by detecting speeding vehicles in critical work zone environments

• Armstrong Aboah NDSU assistant professor of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering
• Umamaheswara Rao Tida NDSU assistant professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

This project focuses on deploying solar-powered, ruggedized IoT sensor units with multiple sensing capabilities to enhance work zone safety. Using low-cost embedded systems for edge processing and object detection, the system triggers visual and audible alerts when risk conditions are detected. With the alarming number of injuries and fatalities in work zones, and an annual $1 billion expenditure on traffic control and safety in the U.S., the market need is significant. 

The project has made significant progress, completing tasks such as data collection, development of crash predictors, vehicle detection framework, and speed algorithms, and triggering the alert system. Six students have been trained through this grant, including four graduate students and two undergraduate students.

DEVELOPING AN ELECTROCHEMICAL REACTOR TO TREAT PFAS IN LANDFILL WASTEWATER
In partnership with Clarkson University

• Syeed Md Iskander NDSU assistant professor of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering

This project proposes using membrane electrochemical reactor (MER) technology to treat PFAS (forever chemicals) in landfill leachate. The MER effectively separates PFAS from leachate and recovers ammonia, offering a promising solution to address PFAS contamination. With increasing regulations on PFAS, there is a high market demand for efficient, user-friendly treatment technologies. The business model includes collaborating with waste management companies to implement the system at the pilot scale. The team has established industry connections, including a partnership with Waste Management Inc., the largest solid waste management company.

WIRELESS COMMUNICATION TEST BED TO SUPPORT IOT APPLICATIONS IN AGRICULTURE
In partnership with Dakota Carrier Network and Grand Farm

• Aaron Reinholz NDSU program manager of Agriculture Technology
• Frank Casey NDSU associate director of ND Agricultural Experiment Station
• Ana Heilman-Morales NDSU director of Agricultural Data Analytics
• Pete Lambertz NDSU director of Enterprise Networks
• Ben Braaten NDSU professor and chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering

The proposed system aims to provide reliable, secure, and cost-effective internet connectivity for Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices in agriculture. It will offer wireless coverage for agriculture field plots and livestock facilities, with scalability to broader agricultural markets. The system will include a radio tower with antennas for coverage, a 5G Cellular Radio Access Network (RAN) for high-bandwidth services, and LoRaWAN technology for longer-range, lower-data-rate solutions. With over 25,900 farms in North Dakota, the agriculture market presents a significant opportunity. The 5G/LoRaWAN wireless system will be commercialized by DCN and scaled for deployment, while NDSU researchers will develop new sensors and applications for commercialization through the test bed.

ACCELERATING THE DEPLOYMENT OF AUTONOMOUS TRUCKS IN RURAL AREAS
In partnership with Maryland Transportation Institute

• Denver Tolliver NDSU director of the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute

This project aims to accelerate the adoption of autonomous trucking in North Dakota to address challenges such as driver shortages and vehicle crashes. By deploying autonomous trucks, the project seeks to enhance service reliability, increase asset utilization, and reduce labor costs and downtime. The technology integrates sensors, internal mapping, localization capabilities, communication systems, and autonomous driving features. With a statewide market, the potential benefits include improved safety, labor productivity, and fuel efficiency. The project will explore several business models for trucking companies and shippers to determine the most effective deployment strategies.

SOLAR POWERED FRESH VEGETABLE PRODUCTION
In partnership with Prairie Rose Farm, LLC and PRAIRIE 

• Mijia Yang NDSU professor of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering

This project aims to develop and test a solar-powered snow fence that provides energy for a greenhouse, protects it from wind and snow, and creates an optimal environment for vegetable growth. In collaboration with Prairie Rose Farm, LLC, and PRAIRIE, the project seeks to address the need for sustainable greenhouse energy solutions and local vegetable production.

The greenhouse at PRAIRIE Farms has been retrofitted, and the solar snow fence has been constructed. 4 of the full 6 solar fence modules are operational as of December. The project has also led to the development of a new off-grid solar greenhouse technology. Three students, including two Ph.D. students and one undergraduate, have been hired for training and research. The initiative has generated publications and presentations on solar fencing, salt reduction, and off-grid sustainable plant growth.

DEVELOPMENT OF A SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) NSF GRANT
In partnership with WorkOdyssey

• Jeremy Straub NDSU associate professor of Computer Science

EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPING A COLD-CLIMATE SOLAR INDUSTRY

• Mijia Yang NDSU professor of Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering

This project is funded through the Great Plains I-Corps Hub Minimum Viable Product EDRF Program, which empowers innovators with funding towards building a minimum viable product in order to validate product ideas during initial stages of development. This research team is developing a technology that addresses three critical areas: efficient energy storage batteries for extreme low temperatures, dual-faced solar panels for enhanced energy capture, and a faster charging system for broad applications. The primary goals are to verify the concept and advance the product for market readiness, while building collaborations with Dakota Lithium, Fargo Glass and Paint, and scaling up the production of the Solar Snow Fence and Solar Greenhouse systems.