If you picture a career in agriculture, physics probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But as computers and technology rapidly change how we farm, a research team at The University of Winnipeg has found an unexpected niche in the growing industry of digital agriculture.
“It’s just so non-obvious to people that a physicist would have any business working in this field,” said UWinnipeg Physics Professor, Dr. Christopher Bidinosti, “but they are, and they’re doing really well.”
Studying physics at UWinnipeg and working at TerraByte taught me to solve real-world problems with technology.
Junyao Pu
Digital agriculture – using computers, technology, and algorithms in the ag industry – is common. Farmers already use tools like GPS and smart technology to enhance their operations. But using drones to spray fields, satellites to identify weeds, and even using AI or machine learning could soon be a regular part of a farmer’s day.
Although many big companies are working in this evolving industry, Dr. Bidinosti said UWinnipeg’s TerraByte project is unique because it’s research supporting research.
TerraByte, led by Dr. Bidinosti and Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Computer Science, Dr. Michael Beck, combines physics research and computer science research to provide innovative solutions for plant scientists and plant breeders, who Dr. Bidinosti said are “desperate for new techniques.”
Many of the scientists TerraByte works with are looking for ways to automate data collection and increase the accuracy of their results. They typically collect data by making visual assessments of each plant.
“They don’t want to be doing it by eye anymore and estimating,” Dr. Bidinosti said.
With the help of TerraByte, plant scientists will regularly use robotic systems to collect data and machine learning to analyze what they find.
In the long run, this means farmers could more accurately manage pests and disease on their fields, and scientists could breed more resilient plants more quickly. It also means a new career path in digital agriculture is emerging.
“Every one of these things has a computational part to it that never existed before,” said Dr. Bidinosti. “That’s because of shrinking sensors, better sensors, better computing, and machine learning.”
This is where physics and computer science are key.
Real-world applications
When Alex Krosney (BSc[Hons] 2021) started studying physics at UWinnipeg, he never thought he would end up working in agriculture. Working on TerraByte changed that.
“Initially I planned to continue onto higher degrees in physics, and thought I would likely end up teaching or doing research,” Krosney said.
Now Krosney is working at JCA Technologies, an agriculture tech company, helping develop and implement algorithms for obstacle detection.
Alex Krosney (left) and Junyao Pu (right) are UWinnipeg physics grads now working in digital agriculture. Photos: supplied
“The greatest benefit to my career that a physics degree has provided me is the ability to understand complex math, but also to see math as a tool that I can use to solve real problems,” said Krosney.
Krosney isn’t the only UWinnipeg alumnus and former TerraByte researcher to be hired by JCA Technologies. Junyao Pu (BSc[HONS] 2019) currently analyzes farm data and creates artificial intelligence models for off-road vehicles at the ag tech company.
“Studying physics at UWinnipeg and working at TerraByte taught me to solve real-world problems with technology,” Pu said. “My physics background helped me think analytically, and now I use those skills in my career, using machine learning to find solutions to practical challenges.”
Pu says the research happening through TerraByte could help “revolutionize farming.”
“We might see smarter farms using technology to grow more food efficiently, adapt to environmental changes, and ensure a stable food supply for everyone,” he said.
With a changing climate and more aggressive invasive species, Dr. Bidinosti said improving plant research is integral to the future of agriculture. For TerraByte, that can’t happen without physics students.
“This coming digital ag space, and agriculture in general, is going to need a lot of people,” said Dr. Bidinosti. “What we need most are students with comfort in math, comfort in programming, and solid problem-solving skills, and those just naturally come out of the physics department.”
“If you’re thinking about a physics degree, go for it,” Pu said. “It’s a journey into understanding how things work. You’ll develop great problem-solving skills and open doors to cool jobs. Stay curious and enjoy the ride!”
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
