NEWS RELEASE:  For Immediate Release
Contact: Megan Hill
Idaho Commerce
208.334.2470
megan.hill@commerce.idaho.gov
Idaho Commerce Announces Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission (IGEM) Grant Recipient
BOISE, Idaho—Wednesday, May 3, 2017 —Idaho Commerce is pleased to announce the latest recipient of the Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission (IGEM) grant. IGEM funds are awarded to Idaho research universities to partner with industry leaders on research projects geared toward commercialization.

The IGEM Council approved $413,681 in funding for its first collaborative research project between Idaho State University and Boise State University. The project focuses research efforts toward the development of an integrated miniaturized air scrubber and wireless distributed sensor network to monitor and control the environment for stored potatoes. While each component has unique capabilities, their integration provides an important advancement in agricultural technologies.

Idaho State University (ISU) will work with industry partner, Isaacs Hydropermutation Technologies, Inc. (IHT), on the development of a miniaturized Humigator prototype. The Humigator humidifies the air, preventing potato shrinkage, while also scrubbing the storage environment of air borne pathogens.

Boise State University will work with ISU in monitoring potato storage environments with the use of flexible sensors. These sensors can identify “hot spots” within the storage environment, specifically detecting certain elements, such as ammonia, that is caused by the presence of pathogens. The wireless sensor network will push this information to a user interface, enabling the environment to be scrubbed. Boise State will work with Emerson Electronics, an industry leader in cargo solutions, in the development of this closed-loop integrated system.

The IGEM Council oversees the Idaho Commerce IGEM fund distribution, which includes $950,000 in annually appropriated funds by the Idaho State Legislature. This fiscal year, in total, the IGEM Council has awarded $868,119 to commercialization research projects benefitting the State of Idaho.

For IGEM program and application information, visit: http://igem.idaho.gov.

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