Runck Lab

Real-time GeoInformation Systems
potato

The Runck Lab is an interdisciplinary lab of scientists and engineers located in the GEMS Informatics Center. Work focuses on real-time geospatial data systems (hardware and software) applied to agricultural systems. Research and development primarily supports the GEMS Sensing and GEMS Learning Service Organizations. Our mandate within the GEMS Informatics Center is both to advance the state-of-the-art in science and engineering, and support service offerings for other researchers.

Lab Research Objectives

Real-time geospatial systems, artificial intelligence, and machine learning in the context of agriculture. 

Research objectives are to advance the state-of-the-art in geographic information science in order to:

  • Identify applied solutions for more efficient and effective integration of real-time spatial data and models to advance agricultural research, management, and policy.
  • Identify and test generalizable principles underlying the spatial and temporal dynamics of agent interactions (e.g. human-human, human-environment, environment-plant, etc)

How Runck Lab applies GEMS Services

gems sensing
Hardware, firmware, software
Exchange
Evapotranspiration modeling

Electronic Research and Outreach Center Initiative

Learning
GEMS Learning
Grey left / Yellow border right

Current Runck Lab Projects

See GitHub for More Details

  1. GEMS Sensing CO2 Sensing
  2. Winter Kill: what makes plants die?
  3. GEMS Sensing Fleet Management
  4. Agent-based modeling of plant-plant interactions
  5. Irrigation Water Management

Active Partnerships and Collaboration

  • Ewing Lab - United States Department of Agriculture, Brookings, SD
  • Sharma Lab - University of Minnesota, Dept. of Soil, Water and Climate
  • Watkins Lab - University of Minnesota, Dept. of Horticultural Science
  • Kantar Lab - University of Hawaii, Dept. of Tropical Plants and Soils
  • Wang Lab - Purdue University, Dept. of Agronomy
  • Networked Systems Lab (Barath Raghavan) - University of Southern California, Dept. of Computer Science
  • Joglekar Lab - University of Minnesota, GEMS Informatics Center

Runck Lab Members

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Runck Lab Members

Current Runck Lab members

  • Bryan Runck, PhD, Principal Investigator (Lead of GEMS Sensing)
  • Zach Radlicz, Research Electrical Engineer (Hardware Lead of GEMS Sensing)
  • Ann Piotrowski, Digital Agriculture Scientist & Lab Manager (Field Operations Manager of GEMS Sensing)
  • Samikshya Subedi, PhD Student, Land and Atmospheric Science, University of Minnesota
  • Ben Landers, MGIS Student, University of Minnesota
  • Alec Olson, Computer Science Undergraduate Student, University of Minnesota
  • Aleksei Rozanov, MGIS Student, University of Minnesota
  • Tom Glancy, MGIS, Research Consultant
  • Timothy Johnson, MGIS Student, University of Minnesota
  • Matthew Hockert, PhD Student, Applied Economics, University of Minnesota

Past Runck Lab members

  • Bryan Chantigian, BS, MS, Electrical Engineering, University of Minnesota - placement: Lockheed Martin; NASA
  • Gianna Turturillo, BS, Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota - placement: AECOM
  • Mohana Krishna Vutukuru, MS, Computer Science, University of Minnesota - placement: Amazon
  • Benjamin Salazar, BS, Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University - placement: Zenblen
  • Galen Sjostrom, MGIS, University of Minnesota - placement: Minnesota Department of Transportation
  • Thor Solberg, BS, Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, University of Minnesota - placement: GHD
  • Michael Dunst, BS, Urban Studies, BED, Landscape Architecture, University of Minnesota - placement: Continental Properties; University of Pennsylvania
  • Jeffrey Bishop, MS, Digital Agriculture Scientist & Field Manager (Operations Lead of GEMS Sensing) – next position: Raven Technologies
  • Andrea Smith, BS, Electrical Engineering, University of Minnesota - placement: Donaldson
  • Evan Tang, MS Computer Science, Firmware Engineer - next position: CodeWeavers
  • Megan Marsolek, MGIS, University of Minnesota - placement: National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
  • Lucas Rosen, MGIS, USDA-ARS Brookings funded Geospatial Scientist - placements: Toro, USDA, MN DNR
  • Michael Felzan, MGIS - placement: RESPEC Inc
  • Xiao Fu, PhD Student, Computer Science, University of Southern California, Summer Research Fellow
  • Ethan Bott, MGIS, University of Minnesota
  • Jakeisha Lewis, NSF SOAR REEU Student, Berea College
  • Luke Zaruba, MGIS, University of Minnesota - placement: Travelers Insurance
  • Laure Briol, MGIS Student, University of Minnesota
  • Deepika M.Tamilselvan, MGIS, University of Minnesota
  • Mattie Gisselbeck, MGIS, University of Minnesota - placement: ESRI
  • Jacob Pacheco, Computer Science Undergraduate Student, University of Minnesota
  • River Norris, NSF SOAR REEU Student, Volunteer State Community College
  • Tzu-Yu Ma, MGIS, University of Minnesota
  • Bobby Schulz, MS, Research Electrical Engineer & Lab Manager (Hardware Lead of GEMS Sensing) - next position: Resideo
  • Logan Gall, MGIS Student, University of Minnesota
  • Kyle Olson, MGIS Student, University of Minnesota
  • Eric Gibson, MGIS, University of Minnesota

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