Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

New soil health sensors and waste-to-worth methods reduce waste and improve productivity.

Through interdisciplinary collaboration, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison create methods and tools that are practical for existing agricultural systems. With precise, data-informed resource use, farmers can cut costs while improving crop yields.

Featured People and Places

Bhuvana Krishnaswamy
Bhuvana Krishnaswamy

Bhuvana Krishnaswamy, an associate professor of electrical & computer Engineering and a winner of an Early Career Innovator Award, specializes in developing long-lasting battery-powered devices to monitor remote locations.
Joseph Andrews
Joseph Andrews

Joseph Andrews is an assistant professor of electrical & computer engineering and mechanical engineering. He leads the Laboratory for Printed Electronics and Sensors (LPES), an on-campus research group focused on developing nanomaterial-based printed electronic devices with interdisciplinary applications.
Song Jin
Song Jin

Song Jin, Francis J. DiSalvo Professor of Physical Science in the chemistry department, develops nanomaterials for sustainable energy conversion, storage and environmental applications.
Saturn Agrisense
Saturn Agrisense presentation

Saturn Agrisense, a company based on Andrews’ technology, offers a real-time electrochemical soil sensor to monitor nitrate levels throughout the growing season. It won third place in the advanced manufacturing category of the 2025 Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest.
Philip Barak
Philip Barak

Phillip Barak, a professor of soil sciences at the College of Agricultural & Life Sciences, researches sustainable processes to recover nutrients from wastewater and return them to agriculture.
Hancock Agricultural Research Station
Hancock Agricultural Research Station

Hancock Agricultural Research Station is a 412-acre vegetable research farm, where technologies undergo field trials at scale to identify areas for refinement.
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Featured Technologies

An efficient method to recover nutrients from waste products

Producing Phosphoric Acid and Ammonium Phosphates from Phosphate-Containing Minerals in Wastewater
Converts struvite and brushite into ammonium phosphates or phosphoric acid for use as fertilizers and fertilizer precursors.
Phillip Barak

Tools used to accurately monitor soil quality

Apparatus and Method for Direct Nitrate Sensing in Soil
A sensor designed to accurately measure nitrate levels in variable soil environments.
Joseph Andrews, Jingyi Huang, Aatresha Biswas

Soil Moisture Sensor
A sensor which uses active radios and a radiofrequency source to estimate soil moisture at various depths.
Bhuvana Krishnaswamy, Yoganand Biradavolu

Soil Gas-Flux Measurement System
Low-cost and accurate system to measure soil gas-flux.
Bhuvana Krishnaswamy, Jingyi Huang, Francisco Arriaga, Christian Martinez, Hendri Winanto, Adam Nygard

WARF