ARA Project Scope Broadens Its Scope

What if AI-powered robots could relieve workforce burdens on the nation’s fresh berry farmers? Can you imagine using sustainable packaging created from rice hulls, or enjoying a dramatic increase in battery life? How can medical implants see significant efficacy just by reducing biofilm formation? And what is biofilm formation anyway?

Arkansas Research Alliance (ARA) endeavors to answer these questions and more in the newly reformatted ARA Project Scope – for the first time shifting focus on ARA Impact Grant winners and the research that promises to enhance the quality of life for all of us.

Project Scope Provides a Closer Look at Research

ARA Project Scopes brings groundbreaking science closer to everyday people. It’s a one-hour, online discussion featuring a presentation from a researcher from an Arkansas research institution: UAMS – University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Arkansas State University (A-State), University of Arkansas (UA), University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture (UASDA), University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), University of Arkansas at Little Rock (@UALR ) and the FDA‘s National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR).

All Scope Sessions are free to the public, but registration is required. You may view past ARA Project Scope Sessions by visiting ARA’s digital repository.

Discovery Economics Continues the Story

Every Scope Session is followed by a column published by Arkansas Money & Politics called “Discovery Economics,” which examines in-depth the economic impact of the researcher’s work.

You may view past Discovery Economics columns here.

Scope Sessions Begin November 19

ARA Project Scope begins Wednesday, November 19 at 11AM CST with a presentation from Dr. Anthony Gunderman from the University of Arkansas. Dr. Gunderman’s research involves AI powered robotics deployed to pick wild berries at optimum ripeness, relieving farmers caught in a national farm labor shortage.

You may register for Dr. Gunderman’s ARA Scope Session by clicking here.

November 19, 2025 / December AMP, Dr. Anthony Gunderman [UA] – Arkansas Blackberry Growers Assoc., Developing a robotic system (P.I.C. M.E.) for automated ripeness detection of blackberries, reducing labor costs and enhancing harvest efficiency.

December 17, 2025 / January AMP, Dr. Gyan Sahukhal [UAMS] – MedTech Inc., Developing advanced coatings to reduce biofilm formation on medical implants and devices.

February 21, 2025 / March AMP, Dr. Noureen Siraj [UALR] – US Vanadium, Developing a Nano V2O5-PNDC composite cathode for improving energy density and cycle life in batteries.

March 18, 2025 / April AMP, Dr. Ali Ubeyitogullari, [UA Division of Ag] – Riceland Foods, Developing nanoporous aerogels from rice hulls using supercritical carbon dioxide, creating sustainable alternatives to plastic packaging with potential commercialization opportunities.

Arkansas Research Alliance was founded in 2008 on the simple premise that Research Matters. ARA invests in strategic research talent recruitment, retention, and recognition to generate scientific and engineering breakthroughs that support statewide economic development.