Fri, 09/10/2021
Welcome to ‘Tech Roundup,’ where we highlight some of the most significant tech news items from Nebraska and the surrounding area. If you have a news item you would like to see in the Roundup, please email neil.rutledge@unl.edu.
Small amounts of pesticides detected in groundwater 6 miles from AltEn site
Lincoln Journal Star
- Trace amounts of pesticides commonly used in seed treatments have been discovered in two groundwater wells near AltEn, including a private well 6 miles downstream. The biofuel plant south of Mead turned discarded, treated seeds into ethanol, producing wastewater and distiller's grains heavily laced with pesticides in the process.
- The byproducts were released into streams and spread in fields across Saunders County before the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy ordered the plant to shut down earlier this year.
Rural Broadband Grant Applications Open in Nebraska
Nebraska Public Media
- Applications opened Thursday for $20 million in grants through the Nebraska Broadband Bridge Program. The new program, funded by the Legislature, allows public entities and private companies to enter a partnership and expand internet access in Nebraska’s rural communities.
- The program requires internet speeds of 100 megabits or faster. Applicants are required to include project locations, a community’s previous internet speed, and the new consumer monthly rate. Nebraska’s Public Service Commission is overseeing the applications and will prioritize under-served communities. The deadline for the applications is October 1st of this year.
Nebraska Innovation Studio celebrating marked growth
Nebraska Today
- Since Nebraska Innovation Studio opened its doors in 2015, the makerspace has continued to retool and expand its offerings, becoming one of the best facilities of its kind in the nation.
- The metamorphosis of NIS will be celebrated with a grand reopening event from 3:30 to 7 p.m. Sept. 16 at the studio, 2021 Transformation Drive, Suite 1500, Entrance B, on Nebraska Innovation Campus. The celebration, which is free and open to the public, will include refreshments, tours of NIS, demonstrations and displays of finished art and products made at the studio. Registration is suggested but not required, and can be completed here.
Nebraska research aims to better inform hops producers
Nebraska Today
- Flavorful suds poured by Nebraska’s craft breweries are rooted in meticulous, demanding processes, including the drying and storing hops. Research from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is aimed at better understanding those hops-related processes and helping producers make the most of their flavorful harvests.
- Mabie’s research provides farmers with information such as the benefits and drawbacks of certain drying processes. For example, drying hops outdoors at 85 degrees would take three days, but it would result in high aromatic preservation. On the contrary, drying hops at 140 degrees would only take three and a half hours and save space, but producers would lose aromatics.
Ag-Tech Fund For The Midwest, By The Midwest | Ag-Venture Fund
Ag-Venture Fund
- Burlington Capital, along with partner Invest Nebraska, announced the launch of a new venture capital seed fund, Burlington Capital Ag-Venture (www.bcagventure.com), focused on Midwest AgTech innovation. Burlington Capital Ag-Venture intends to raise $11 million and expects to do so with a final close at the end of the year. This new fund is being built from a producer-first and industry-first approach, with its investors and advisors being comprised of some of the most innovative farmers/producers, ag families, agribusinesses, and ag trade associations.
Local Startup Spotlight
- “CoFound is a community-driven approach to launching local. CoFound Grand Island exists to develop a startup culture in Grand Island and the surrounding area. This is accomplished through developing a community of founders, innovators, tech-minded individuals, and community leaders operating within a strong support network of local businesses and organizations.
Tags: Tech Round-Up
.jpg)