** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO LOOK AT HOW CURRENT PESTICIDE SPRAY TECHNIQUES ARE USED DURING CROP GROWING SEASON AND HOW THOSE TECHNIQUES AFFECT POLLUTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT. PESTICIDES IN GENERAL ARE USED TO INCREASE FOOD PRODUCTION FOR OUR GROWING POPULATION. THEY ARE USED TO DESTROY ANY WEEDS, INSECTS, OR FUNGI THAT COULD HARM OR DESTROY CROP PRODUCTION/YIELD. EVEN THOUGH PESTICIDES ASSIT WITH THE LONGEVITY OF CROP LIFE, THEY CAN HAVE DIRECT IMPACT TO ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION DUE TO OVERSPRAYING CROPS AND PESTICIDE DRIFITNG TO NEIGHBORING CROPS THAT MIGHT NOT BE RESISTANT TOWARDS A PARTICULAR PESTICIDE. FOR THIS PROJECT, WE FIRST WANT TO MONITOR CROP COVERAGE SPRAYING OF PESTICIDES TO MAKE SURE DIFFERENT SPRAY TECHNIQUES ARE ABLE TO UNIFORMLY SPRAY PESTICIDE AT ALL LEVELS OF THE GROWING CROPS. FROM THERE, THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE TO MONITOR SPRAY IN BETWEEN SPRAY CYCLES SO WE CAN DETERMINE WHEN TO REAPPLY SPRAY TO ROW CROPS. LASTLY, IN THE CASE OF PESTICIDES REACHING FIELD-TO-STREAM RUNOFFS, WE WANT TO TAKE SAMPLES OF AREAS WHERE WE BELIEVE PESTICIDE CONTAMINATION IS HIGH, AND MAP THOSE LEVELS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND PESTICIDE TRANSPORTATION AFTER SPRAYING.THIS PROJECT INTENDS TO DEVELOP BIOSENSORS TO MONITOR PESTICIDES BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER SPRAYING. BEFORE AND DURING SPRAYING OF A PARTICULAR PESTICIDE, WE WANT TO INSERT A PESTICIDE SPRAY SENSOR. THIS SENSOR WOULD MEASURE THE RESISATNCE ON THE SURFACE OF THE SENSOR WHEN LIQUID MAKES CONTACT WITH ITS SURFACE. WE CAN OBTAIN AN INTIAL READING BEFORE SPRAYING AND ONE AFTER SPRAYING. THE MEASUREMENT AFTER SPRAYING WILL GIVE A CHANGE IN THE INTIAL RESISTANCE MEASUREMENT AND DIFFERENT LEVELS OF THE CROPS. THIS ALLOWS US TO PROVE WHETHER A CERTAIN SPRAYING TECHNIQUE IS SUITABLE FOR UNIFORMLY SPRAYING PESTICIDES TO ROW CROPS. WHEN THE PESTICIDES ENTER RUNOFFS, WE WILL UTILIZED ELECTROCHEMICAL SENSORS THAT MEASURE THE CONCENTRATION OF PESTICIDES BASED ON A CURRENT READING. OVERALL, THE ULITMATE GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO ACTIVLY MONITOR PESTICIDE SPRAY FOR UNIFORM SPRAYING AND TO REDUCE PESTICIDE CONTAIMINATION FROM THE FIELD TO STREAMS.