Impact Report 2025

“It’s important to understand the effect restoration efforts have on the microbes, soil properties and composition of the wetland environment,” McMillan says. “We’re working to maintain Iowa’s naturally occurring wetlands and create more, but first, we have to gather the data.”

Gannon collected data at four sites across Ames and Story County. Each day in the field brought new challenges and discoveries, as he waded into the wetlands to gather sediment and water samples or measure greenhouse gas emission fluxes.

“Going to sites, getting my hands dirty while collecting samples that can inform a project for the future of ecosystems in Story County and their restoration. To me, it exemplifies the ‘why’ of my program,” Gannon says. “Supporting the work to address challenges that affect my community and beyond.”

Advancing fluid power education and innovation at Iowa State

Fluid power has long been a cornerstone of the agricultural and biosystems engineering department, equipping students with hydraulic and mechanical skills. When Professor Brian Steward joined the faculty in the 1999 to lead the engineering students in fluid power, the department was still housed in Davidson Hall. Since then, support for fluid power has grown alongside the department, expanding further after the move to Sukup and Elings Hall.

Steward partnered with engineering company Danfoss to build a fully customized lab outfitted with hydraulic trainers, giving students a controlled space to practice hands-on skills. Alongside graduate students and campus collaborators, Steward has published numerous papers and innovations in fluid power processes and systems. He now leads, with ABE collaborators Professor Stuart Birrell and engineer Ario Kordestani, the Off-Highway Vehicle Chassis Dynamometer Lab, a state-of-the-art facility at the Iowa State’s BioCentury Research Farm.

The dynamometer enables controlled, dynamic testing of complete off-highway vehicles. It can test vehicles up to 450 kW (600 hp) per corner at speeds of up to 80 km/h (50 mph), with independent monitoring and loading of the traction system at each corner. It is one of the few public facilities capable of testing large off-highway vehicles, including agricultural and construction platforms.

“From my time teaching to leading the Dyno lab, it has been such a rewarding journey with collaboration at its core,” Steward says. “Our work with students, industry partners, and other Iowa State research groups has increased the speed and accuracy of troubleshooting challenges and removed barriers to developing new technology.”

One recent innovation, developed with industry partners, is a sensor system that detects, and measures entrained air in hydraulics using SONAR technology.

“It is uncommon for a four-year university program to include fluid power within its core curriculum,” Steward says. “With the addition of the Sukup lab and the Dyno lab, we have what we need to be a leader in this space while preparing students with differentiable skills as they enter industry.”

Associate Teaching Professor Saxon Ryan teaches the fluid power course for students majoring in Industrial Technology and Agricultural Systems Technology, giving them a foundation in hydraulics and fluid power systems. For those interested in going deeper, Ryan also advises the fluid power club, where students test their skills in the annual NFPA Fluid Power Vehicle competition and network with fluid power industry professionals. Ryan began in fluid power the same way current students do, as an undergraduate in the introductory fluid power course, giving him a unique perspective to evolve the program.

In recent years, the course has been updated to include simulated real-world problems with circuits, electrohydraulics, transmissions and enhanced learning tools that provide instant feedback to solidify learning. “We are creating an introductory experience, and students will leave with enough of a foundation in fluid power principles, actuators, transmissions and circuits to solve modern problems with fluid power,” Ryan says.

Ryan also teaches advanced automated manufacturing systems where he draws the connection with fluid power to modern manufacturing processes and tools. “I enjoy connecting the two fields whether it is with manufacturing tools or research projects to give students real world examples of how to solve problems with fluid power,” Ryan says.

A recent research project Ryan shared with students was the development of a flow cell for a portable fluorescence and chemiluminescence detector in high performance liquid chromatography.

“Projects, like the flow cell, serve as an example to students on how problems are solved and innovations are made by drawing on knowledge from fluid power, manufacturing, chemistry, and the other disciplines they study,” Ryan says.

For Stuart Satterwhite (pictured above), a junior in industrial technology, faculty support, coursework and team competition opened the door to an independent project: designing and fabricating a custom pneumatic clutch system.

“Through lots of trial and error, meetings with Saxon, and learning how to use the tools and machinery available to me, I finally narrowed down the design of my clutch system,” Satterwhite says. “I’m happy with the result and have new skills and a working clutch for the fluid power club competition this April.”

Developing egg-sorting solutions for small production systems

Graduate student Lakshmi Jitta grew up immersed in agriculture, raising and feeding animals in her farming community. That early experience sparked a passion for improving agricultural processes, and at Iowa State University, she’s turning that passion into innovation.

Jitta has developed a technology-driven solution to help small and medium-sized poultry farms sort good eggs from bad. Her system uses imaging to analyze each egg’s color, intensity and brightness, also known as hue, saturation and value (HSV) color analysis. It also runs eggs through a size estimator algorithm to detect any shape irregularities. The process automatically categorizes eggs as good, bad or unsure. Eggs flagged as “unsure” are sent to workers for further review.

“Quality sorting is a tedious and slow-moving step in local or small-scale egg production systems,” Jitta says. “My solution reduces human error, increases grading speed and ensures safe, high-quality eggs move through the process.”

Manual sorting on small farms typically involves holding each egg up to a light source on a slow-moving conveyor belt. Workers rely on visual judgment to assess quality. Jitta’s system can sort up to 100 eggs per minute, significantly reducing the need for manual inspection.

A key strength of her solution is its accessibility. Jitta designed a graphical user interface, or GUI, that allows anyone to operate the system – no coding experience required.

“For solutions like mine to be implemented outside of a lab, they need to be easy to use,” she says. “We created a user-friendly layout for controls and data, so there’s no requirement for technical expertise to integrate it into smaller systems.”

Now in her second year of the agricultural and biosystems engineering master’s program, Jitta has taken courses such as ABE 5040: Instrumentation for Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering last fall, and has participated in a range of research projects. Exploring new machinery and technology uses in production systems, Jitta built an Eggshell Breaking Force Assessment System using advanced scales and programmed machinery to place the egg, measure the weight, size, and load capability, achieving results within 1% of the true value. Her work reinforces her commitment to automation and innovation in animal production systems and improves repeatability for research and small-scale processors.

She credits Teaching Professor Tim Shepherd and her advisor, Associate Professor Josh Peschel, with supporting her pursuit of those goals.

“There are so many new technologies and uses in production, processing, husbandry and more,” Jitta says. “I’m grateful for the support from my mentors and teachers, allowing me to ask questions, dig deeper and be curious.”

As she progresses in her master’s program, her interests in automation for agricultural systems, robotic livestock handling and precision agriculture continue to grow.

“Our department loves a challenge like this,” Amy Kaleita, Larry and Bunita Buss Department Chair in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, says. “With all the moving parts, alumni involvement, and student learning opportunities, I knew we’d be up for it.”

Hoa Chi and John Sheriff, teaching lab coordinators in ABE, are no strangers to unconventional projects. They’ve supported student teams in building everything from capstone projects each semester to a 1:5 scale replica of the campanile and a 27-bell carillon, now housed in the Sukup Atrium.

“We accepted this project because it gives our students the opportunity to challenge their innovative abilities and sharpen their engineering skills,” Chi says. “Utilizing the Student Concept Lab, we get to provide support and resources for our students. We are innovative at heart, and that ties us together in this great little eco-niche called ABE at Iowa State.”

The project officially launched in Teaching Professor Steve Bell’s course, TSM 4150: Applied Project Management in Technology. Student teams were tasked with designing a silo that was lightweight, portable, cost-effective, and appearing historically accurate to 1910.

“It’s always a joy to see different interpretations of the same prompt,” Bell says. “It showcases our students’ creativity while grounding them in real-world execution.”

The finished silo stands 20 feet tall – a striking homage to early 20th-century farm architecture. “The results are beyond my expectations,” Hughes says. ”It is exactly what Roy and I envisioned.”

Reiman, an avid lifelong supporter of Iowa State, passed away in September 2024, just as the silo project began. The funds for the Iowa State silo were raised in memory of Reiman by friends and colleagues.

A student’s discovery

Anthony Nguyen, a senior in industrial technology, served as project coordinator. He describes the unexpected artistry the team embraced to complete the project in time:

“Our deadline was approaching, and we were at a loss for how to reach our finish line,” Nguyen says. “After a long talk as a team, we realized perfection wasn’t the goal. Authenticity was. And we leaned into getting our hands dirty.”

They spray-painted each section rust red, adding texture, highlights, and shadows to each brick and a shiny silver dome by hand.

For Nguyen, the experience was transformative. “I didn’t know I’d enjoy the rush of coordination and management,” he says. “This project with Hoa showed me what I’m capable of.”

Programs for the future

Our undergraduate programs are growing and evolving to meet the changing needs of the agricultural, manufacturing, biotechnology and sustainability fields. From the communicated needs of direct industry feedback, a new specialty and major will be offered officially starting spring 2026.

For the future of farming: The digital and precision agriculture major

In the digital and precision agriculture (DPA) major, students will learn to apply technology and data analysis to crop and soil management. The hands-on emphasis to build foundational experience with tools like sensors, drones, and mapping software pairs with an understanding of agronomic science and sustainable practices to support decision-making in modern agriculture. This major is shared between the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department and the Department of Agronomy – a unique collaboration to support industry-ready graduates. The DPA major has five specialty tracks to choose from to build skills in different fields:

• Precision agronomy
• Applied data management
• Geospatial applications
• Precision conservation
• Agricultural technology

Contact advisors at abeadvising@iastate.edu for more information on transferring to the major, or to connect to our programs as an alumni/professional.