Dr. Chong Xu
Full-Time Faculty, Fellow
University of St. Thomas
Dr. Chong Xu (Senior Member IEEE) has broad-spectrum research experiences and interests in various fields. She developed various heuristic optimization algorithms to solve NP-hard multi-user detection problems in all kinds of state-of-the-art wireless communication systems during her Ph.D. studies in University of Southampton. In 2010, she joined Information Technology Laboratory at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Department of Commerce, Gaithersburg, MD, USA as a research fellow. Her research at NIST includes developing scheduling/routing and detection algorithms for Smart Grid and MIMO wireless communication systems. Since September 2012, Dr. Xu has been employed as a faculty member of School of Engineering at University of St. Thomas (UST) in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. Her research work at UST includes developing novel algorithms for large-scale optimization problems in different application areas such as FPGA cell assignment problems, automatic bubble detection for fluid pressure measurement, etc. She has also been leading a research group to develop and implement novel localization and navigation algorithms for autonomous vehicles used for precision agriculture. Dr. Chong Xu is also interested in machine learning algorithms and internet-of-things (IoT). She has published more than 20 papers on peer reviewed IEEE and ASME journals and proceedings.
Peter Farley is an Embedded Software Engineer at Sensata Technologies, where he develops low-power cellular- and GNSS-based asset monitoring devices. While studying at the University of St. Thomas for a B.S. in Computer Engineering, he began working with Dr. Xu on research in the field of Precision Agriculture, where he developed the embedded guidance and control software for a proof-of-concept agriculture rover. Additional areas of interest include operating system design, communication protocols, and embedded systems security.
Peter Farley
Founder of the System
University of St. Thomas Alumnus
Sensata Technologies
Parker Revier
Sponsor
Owner of Revier Cattle Company & Farmer
Parker Revier is a 5th generation farmer and has a degree in sustainable energy technology from Creighton University. Parker’s family owns the Revier Cattle Company. Parker’s experience as a farmer and education brings a level of reality to the project’s requirements, metrics and test development. Parker’s connection to the land, local farmers and recognized farm experience greatly reduce the risk of not knowing what would prospective early adaptor farmers and agricultural bank managers want to hear.