1. Innovation at the Nexus of the Food/Energy/ Water Systems
Mary Rezac

2. World Population (Billion) Arable Land per capita (m2)9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000

4. Thankfully, Agriculture has become more efficient

7. Renewable Water Resources, 2011 (m3/capita/year)

9. Water challenges

11. National Opportunities
NSF to spend ~$45 M in FY17
USDA AFRI ~$5M
DoE proposed $38M for energy-water nexus research in FY17

12. NSF’s investment in INFEWS will:
Support integrated experimental research towards creating a comprehensive food-energy-water sociotechnical systems model
Advance knowledge/technologies that foster safer, more secure, and more efficient use of resources within the food-energy-water nexus, and
Support an integrated approach to build the next-generation INFEWS workforce.

13. NSF’s INFEWS 2017 NSF 17-530 $40M total budget ($35M NSF, $5M USDA)
$2.5M max budget, projects funded
March 6, 2017
3 tracks of research: (1) FEW System Modeling; (2) Visualization and Decision support for Cyber-Human-Physical Systems at the FEW Nexus; and (3) Research to Enable Innovative Solutions.

14. NSF INFEWS 2017 NSF
A proposal may be submitted to ONLY ONE track per competition.
Limits on Faculty:
2 proposals total
1 proposal per track
Lead PI on only 1 proposal
Applies to proposals submitted by K-State and as a sub-award from another institution.
Team must include researchers from three or more of the participating NSF directorates (CISE, ENG, GEO, MPS, SBE) or two (or more) directorates and USDA/NIFA (only if there’s an element that’s unique to USDA and not covered by the other two NSF directorates)

15. Track 1: FEW System Modeling
Track 1 aims to significantly advance understanding of FEW systems with advanced modeling that investigates the functioning of coupled biotic, abiotic, engineered and social systems. The goal is to define and understand the couplings/linkages, feedback mechanisms and processes among the FEW systems components and to elucidate the factors that influence resilience, thresholds and criticalities. Track 1 projects should articulate clear hypotheses and/or describe what anticipated theoretical advancements will likely emerge from the modeling efforts. 

16. Track 1: 2016 Funded Projects $10.9 M
$2M Increasing regional to global-scale resilience in Food-Energy- Water systems through coordinated management, technology and institutions Jennifer Adam, Washington State
$1.9M Monitoring and managing food, energy, and water systems under stress: California Steve Davis, UC Irvine
$1.2M A Modeling Framework to Understand the coupling of Food, Energy, and Water in the Teleconnected Corn and Cotton Belts Xin- Zhong Liang, Maryland
$3M Mesoscale Data Fusion to Map and Model the U.S. Food, Energy, and Water (FEW) System Benjamin Ruddell, Northern Arizona
$2.8M Understanding multi-scale resilience options for vulnerable regions Benjamin Zaitchik, Johns Hopkins

17. Track 2: Visualization and Decision Support for Cyber-Human-Physical Systems at the FEW Nexus
Cyber-human-physical systems (CHPS) integrate decision making at different spatial and temporal scales with sensing, computation, and networking measurements of the social, natural, physical and built worlds. Each FEW system is a large CHPS with human interaction influencing system outcomes.
Track 2 seeks to develop the core system science needed to understand the interactions between these diverse but closely coupled components that operate at multiple temporal and spatial scales.

18. Track 2: 2016 Funded Projects $6M
$3M The sustainability-productivity tradeoff: Water supply vulnerabilities and adaptation opportunities in California’s coupled agricultural and energy sectors Gregory Characklis, UNC at Chapel Hill
$3M Flexible Model Compositions and Visual Representations for Planning and Policy Decisions at the Sub-regional level of the food-energy-water nexus Ross Maciejewski, Arizona State

19. Track 3: Research to Enable Innovative System Solutions
Track 3 projects will develop and examine innovative solutions that address specific FEW system challenges and aim to enhance FEW systems’ resilience and sustainability. Track 3 research might explore sustainable management solutions, examine the drivers of resource consumption, and study the means of extending resources via methods such as reducing, recycling, recovery, and reuse, among other topics.
Track 3 projects must take a systems approach when researching potential solutions. A project that addresses the three components (food, energy, and water) separately is not appropriate for the INFEWS solicitation.

20. Track 3: 2016 Funded Projects $11.6M
$2.6M Social-ecological-technological solutions to waste reuse in food, energy, and water systems Lilian Alessa, U Idaho
$1M Managing Energy, Water, and Information Flows for Sustainability across the Advanced Food Ecosystem Callie Babbitt, Rochester Institute of Technology
$2.7M Advancing Technologies and Improving Communication of Urine-Derived Fertilizers for Food Production within a Risk-Based Framework Nancy Love, Michigan
$1.1M Rethinking Dams: Innovative hydropower solutions to achieve sustainable food and energy production, and sustainable communities Emilio Moran, Michigan State
$2.7M Solar-Powered Integrated Greenhouse (SPRING) Systems Using Wavelength Selective Photovoltaics for Complete Solar Utilization Brendan O’Connor, NC State
$1.5M Reducing Household Food, Energy and Water Consumption: A Quantitative Analysis of Interventions and Impacts of Conservation David Watkins, Michigan Tech

21. Finding Opportunities
Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) nsf
Summer 17 $4M / 5-yr award
DE-FOA : INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENT IN ENERGY-RELATED APPLIED SCIENCE (IDEAS)
September $500K / award

22. Breakout Break into groups around potential proposal ideas
Introduce yourself and identify your specific interest in F, E, or W
Discuss your interest in proposed idea
Modify topic to fit the interests of the group
Identify major societal problem to be address
Identify potential research objectives
Identify research skills needed to solve this problem
Who’s missing from the table?

23. Breakout topics
Drought/ Changing Aquifer/ Changing Rural Communities/ Wind Power
Ag Run-off (N/P), city water, energy for water clean up
Fertilizer for developing world
CAFOs, manure, fertilizer, CO2 from power plant to produce algae for animal food (?)
Right time, right place agriculture / transportation cost/ storage / food waste / consumer behavior
UAS/Data for Precision Ag to reduce water and fertilizer use