The 2021 Overijssel PhD Award goes to UT researcher Sugandh Chauhan of the Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) for her research on lodged crops and how they can be tracked down using satellite imagery. The award will be presented at the DIES Natalis (Foundation Day) in May 2022, which marks the University of Twente’s 60th anniversary.
The lodging of crops (the permanent buckling of stems and displacement of roots) can considerably reduce the yield of cereals, such as wheat. The existing methods used to assess the extent of lodged crops are mainly based on field inspection and mathematical models, and these are time consuming and difficult to deploy when vast areas are involved.
Satellite imagery is a useful addition to, or even a replacement for, these traditional methods. The data it generates give spatial information for the assessment of lodged crops on a synoptic scale. However, this technique is still very much in its infancy. The scientific literature to date has provided no real concept of how satellite data might be used to detect, characterise and analyse the propensity of crops to lodge. Sugandh Chauhan used a range of methods to tackle the problem of crop lodging, including remote sensing (RS) satellite imagery.
Assessment committee: “This is the start of a very promising career.”
“The quality and efficiency of Chauhan’s work and her independent approach to, and exploration of, the topic are beautifully demonstrated in her PhD publications. Her research achievements include five first author Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) articles in leading journals: three in Remote Sensing of Environment (considered the top journal in the field of remote sensing) and two in the ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (considered the top journal in physical geography and the third in remote sensing). A fact of which we are immensely proud.”
Sugandh Chauhan successfully defended her doctoral thesis, entitled Remote Sensing of Crop Lodging. A Multi-Sensor Approach, on 11 November 2020 and graduated cum laude.
OVERIJSSEL PHD AWARD
The OVERIJSSEL PHD AWARD is presented annually for a doctoral thesis of outstanding academic quality. Any UT faculty or research institute can nominate a single doctoral thesis. The award is sponsored by the Province of Overijssel and consists of €5,000 and a certificate.
DIES NATALIS 2021 HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO MAY 2022
The University of Twente’s 60th Anniversary Dies Natalis was due to take place in 2021 but has now been postponed until 20 May 2022. People’s stories and their inspiring, moving and often surprising connections will be at the heart of this special edition of Dies Natalis. Register online to experience the power of 60 years of personal commitment. You will experience the connections between everything at the University of Twente and beyond. And, even more importantly, discover that every connection has a story. Let’s celebrate 60 years of sharing inspiring stories.
