Arkansas Research Alliance Grants Support Agricultural Innovation
Projects include upcycling byproducts, robotics, AI/Machine Learning, probiotics
By John Lovett – Apr. 9, 2025
RESEARCH ALLIANCE — Jin-Woo Kim, professor of biological and agricultural engineering, and three other Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station faculty members were awarded Arkansas Research Alliance Impact Grants. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — What if you could use a plentiful rice byproduct to make biodegradable packaging materials? Or use nanotechnology to improve a probiotic’s performance in animals?
These and other cutting-edge agricultural-focused projects by faculty with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station are among the latest Arkansas Research Alliance Impact Grants. The alliance, also known as ARA, is a public-private partnership founded in 2008 to invest in research that stimulates innovation, encourages collaboration and strengthens economic opportunity.
“We are very thankful for the investment ARA is making into projects that will propel food and agriculture forward,” said Jean-François Meullenet, director of the experiment station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “Several of these projects have strong industry support, and we look forward to the impact this work will have on food and agriculture in Arkansas and beyond.”
The Arkansas Research Alliance awarded 25 Impact Grants to researchers across the state totaling $1.86 million. The grants provide funding of up to $75,000 for 12-month scientific and engineering research projects that involve universities and industries in Arkansas and that support one or more of seven growth opportunity areas profiled in ARA’s report, “Enabling an Innovation-Led Future for Arkansas: University Research Competencies Aligned with Innovation Growth Opportunities.”
The grants are reinforced with matching contributions and other support from the state’s private sector. Companies large and small, including Walmart, Lexicon, J.B. Hunt, Hytrol, Riceland Foods, NuShores Biosciences, and CelluDot, are partnering in the projects.
Other research campuses that received grants include the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas State University, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
“Among ARA mandates is to bring deeper collaboration between the state’s research community and industry,” explained Bryan J. Barnhouse, ARA president and CEO. “The demand for the Impact Grant program is proof of concept that when applied research is paired with the vested interest of industry across targeted sectors, it fuels innovation that leads to the development of new technologies and economic advancement of our state.”
Researchers and faculty with the experiment station received ARA Impact Grants for the following projects:
Advanced Probiotic Delivery Systems for Animal Health
Jin-Woo Kim, a professor of biological and agricultural engineering, and his team are designing cellulose nanocrystal-based probiotic encapsulation systems to improve animal health by efficiently delivering probiotics in animal feed, reducing the need for antibiotics. This approach can prevent antibiotic resistance, improve livestock health, and lower farming costs, Kim said. The project is in collaboration with industry partner CelluDot LLC to benefit Arkansas’s livestock producers and enhance food safety for Arkansas consumers.
AI to Protect Arkansas’s Poultry Industry
Aranyak Goswami, an assistant professor in bioinformatics and computational biology, is partnering with Cobb-Vantress to use advanced genomics and artificial intelligence to combat bacterial infections in Arkansas’s poultry industry. Identifying genetic markers for disease resistance could significantly reduce losses for farmers, promote healthier poultry products and potentially lower consumer costs, benefiting both producers and families throughout the state, Goswami said.
Smart Cameras for Healthier Arkansas Swine Farms
Dongyi Wang, an assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering, is developing a smart camera system that automatically monitors the health of pregnant pigs. Wang said Arkansas swine farmers can use this information to optimize feeding practices, improving sow health, reducing farm waste, and cutting costs — directly enhancing farm productivity and profitability.
Upcycling Arkansas Rice Waste into Sustainable Packaging
Ali Ubeyitogullari, an assistant professor of food engineering, is partnering with Riceland Foods, for a project that converts rice hulls — usually discarded waste — into biodegradable packaging materials using environmentally friendly processes. Ubeyitogullari said the research supports sustainability efforts to reduce plastic waste and create new revenue opportunities for Arkansas rice producers, while providing consumers with greener, locally produced packaging solutions.
More about the researchers
Kim is a professor and researcher in the biological and agricultural engineering department for the Division of Agriculture and the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas.
Goswami is part of the animal science and poultry science departments for the experiment station and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. Goswami is also a member of the experiment station’s Center for Agricultural Data Analytics.
Wang is an assistant professor and researcher in the biological and agricultural engineering department for the experiment station and the College of Engineering. Wang also has an appointment with the food science department.
Ubeyitogullari is an assistant professor and researcher in the food science department with the experiment station and Bumpers College, and also holds an appointment with the biological and agricultural engineering department.
To learn more about the Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website. Follow us on 𝕏 at @ArkAgResearch, subscribe to the Food, Farms and Forests podcast and sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Arkansas Agricultural Research Report. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on 𝕏 at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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