Grace Subteams
GRACE
Research projects in CEA
Growing smarter, growing greener — across six research areas.
Plant biology
Michigan State University
Photosynthesis efficiency & heat-resilient tomatoes
Dr. Yongsig Kim's team measures photosynthesis efficiency under different temperatures, identifying resilient genes and using genetic editing to develop improved tomato plants for controlled and real greenhouse environments.
Read more →
University of Florida
Heat-resistant lettuce varieties
Dr. Germán Sandoya develops lettuce varieties that withstand bolting and tipburn, crossing the most heat-tolerant lines to create even more resilient cultivars for greenhouse production.
Read more →
Auburn University
Beneficial microorganisms for plant resilience
Dr. Neha Potnis tests microorganisms that enhance tomato and lettuce growth and resilience to temperature fluctuations, with larger greenhouse experiments planned for the most promising candidates.
Read more →Greenhouse production
Auburn University
Seasonal crop rotation & targeted climate control
Dr. Wells evaluates polyculture and seasonal rotation to reduce energy use, and investigates inflatable duct systems for localized heating and cooling at plant meristems in lettuce and tomatoes.
Read more →
Tuskegee University
Light management for yield & energy efficiency
Dr. Mortley studies summer shade cloth and winter supplemental lighting strategies to optimize crop production, energy use, and carbon emissions.
Read more →Economics
Tuskegee University
Consumer behavior & enterprise budgets for CEA
Drs. Chen and Diabate assess consumer willingness to pay for low-carbon CEA produce and develop enterprise budgets to help small farmers understand the financial implications of different growing practices.
Read more →Education & extension
Auburn University
Hands-on CEA education for high schools
Dr. Cline engages regional high schools in CEA education, while the GRACE team develops educational modules and a virtual greenhouse game with Auburn Online and XReality LLC.
Read more →
University of Florida & Auburn University
Disseminating best practices to specialty crop producers
Faculty from AU, TU, and UF lead extension activities across Alabama and Florida, with UF's Small Farms Academy enhancing greenhouse workshops with the latest CEA research outcomes.
Read more →Systems modeling
University of Florida
CFD models & dynamic crop yield prediction
Dr. Zhang develops computational fluid dynamics models for greenhouse shading control. Dr. Shelia builds dynamic crop models for lettuce and tomatoes using mathematical methods and machine learning.
Read more →
Auburn University
Life cycle assessment & sustainability modeling
Dr. Higgins conducts life cycle assessments and sustainability modeling to improve climate control strategies and reduce environmental impacts in CEA systems.
Read more →Energy & wastewater
Auburn University
Crop residue gasification for greenhouse energy
Drs. Adhikari and Jahromi convert crop residues into greenhouse energy via gasification, targeting over 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to coal-based technology.
Read more →
Auburn University
Advanced wastewater treatment for CEA irrigation
Dr. Higgins develops an algal-bacterial nitrifying reactor with UV disinfection to treat and reuse irrigation water, reducing freshwater usage, fertilizer consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Read more →
Auburn University
Periphyton systems for nutrient recovery
Dr. Blersch designs algae-based periphyton systems to absorb excess nitrogen and phosphorus in hydroponics, repurposing them as soil amendments or bioproducts to improve resource efficiency.
Read more →