BEE Faculty - Lou Albright

Alumni

BEE Faculty

	Lou Albright, Ph.D. Professor Profile and CV	304 Riley Robb lda1@cornell.edu Web site
Hydroponics, environmental control, energy management, green houses, CEA

Biography

After receiving his Ph.D., Albright was an assistant professor of agricultural engineering at the University of California at Davis for two years before coming to Cornell. He is a member of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE); the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE); the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS); and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). In 1979 he received the Young Researcher of the Year Award, and in 1994 the Henry Giese Structures and Environment Award, given by ASAE. He is a fellow of ASAE and has been awarded several prizes from the ASAE for his research papers, as well as several teaching awards from the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Engineering.

Research Interests

Our research is concerned with biological engineering related to Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). The scope of the current research program ranges from controlled systems for future NASA colonies in space, to plant growth rooms and chambers, to commercial greenhouses. Central features of the research are energy management, microclimate control, and interactions of the enclosed biological system with its enclosing physical system.

A primary application, in close collaboration with a faculty member in horticulture, has been the development of hydroponics technologies suitable for local, year-round, commercial production of fresh vegetables. A demonstration greenhouse was completed in June, 1999, to integrate the many technologies for floating hydroponic lettuce production that have been developed during the past decade. The demonstration greenhouse produces 1000 heads of butterhead lettuce every day of the year. Production technologies and environmental control are such that lettuce is harvested 35 days after seeding in a continuous growing mode, and production intensity is 58 heads per square foot, per year (approximately 400 tons per acre per year). The vision is that comparable greenhouses, using our technologies, will be owned and operated by two owner-operators, reinforcing the family farm concept. Future work will expand the crops to other fresh vegetables and perhaps some fruits. Close cooperation with a large agricultural cooperative is central to the project to ensure transfer of the technologies to the commercial agriculture sector and provide an innovative and profitable option for the agricultural industry in New York State, and beyond, to expand.

Another current effort is to develop fault detection methods for hydroponic greenhouse production systems. This work, in collaboration with a colleague in Israel, seeks to develop neural network and fuzzy logic fault detection methods that can alert the greenhouse operator to the onset of problems of plant growth - possibly days prior to when the problems would become obvious to the eye - and permit the greenhouse operator to take immediate remedial actions to save the crop.

Current Research Projects

Developing commercial hydroponic integrated systems for vegetable production in greenhouses
Fault detection methods for hydroponic plant production
Characterizing water-jacketed lamps for applications in space, lunar and Mars colonies (NASA)
Modeling nutrient uptake dynamics in hydroponic systems for plant production

Professional CV

Academic Training

BSAE, Cornell University, Agricultural Engineering, 1963
MS, Cornell University, Food Science, 1965
PhD, Cornell University, Agricultural Engineering, 1972

Specialization

Thermal environment of plant and animal buildings. Energy use and management. Teaching of environmental control.

Experience

Professor, Cornell University, 1986 - present
Associate Professor, Cornell University, 1978 - 1985
Assistant Professor, Cornell University, 1974 - 1978
Assistant Professor, University of California, Davis, 1972 - 1973

Effort Distribution (Current)

% Research, 40
% Instruction, 60

Courses Taught (Cornell)

ABEN 150, 1 credit, Engineering Applications of Spread Sheets, 1991,1993
ABEN 151, 4 credits, Introduction to Computing, 1988 - 1993
ABEN 200, 1 credit, Undergraduate Seminar, 1991 - 1993
ABEN 301, 3 credits, Introduction to Energy Technology, 1988, 1989, 1998
ABEN 482, 3 credits, Bioenvironmental Engineering, 1978 - present
AgSat, 3 credits, Animal and Plant Environment (AgSat), 1992 - 1993
ABEN 494, 4 credits, Integrated Hydroponics and Aquaculture, 1997
ABEN 496, 3 credits, Mentor for student design teams, 1994, 1995
ABEN 497, 1 credit, Introduction to Lotus 123, 1990
ABEN 497, 2 credits, Introduction to C, 1993
ABEN 497, Various, Independent Study, (many times)
ABEN 498, Various, Undergraduate Teaching, (many times)
ABEN 499, Various, Undergraduate Research, (many times)
ABEN 551/2, Various, M. Engr Design Projects, (supervised), (numerous times)
Hort 410, 3 credits, Controlled Environment Agriculture, 1992 - present, (team taught)

Other Teaching Related Activities

Evaluator, Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), for Agricultural Engineering and Biological Engineering, 1992 - 1998

Campus Activities

University:

Calendar Committee, 1976 - 1978
Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid (Graduate), 1981 - 1982
Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid (Undergraduate), 1981 - 1982
Faculty Council of Representatives, 1989 - 1992
Faculty Committee on Athletics and Physical Education, 1991 - 1994 (Chair, 1992 - 1993)
P2000 Student Job and Wage Classification Committee
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences:
Scholarship, 1975 - 1978, 1990 - 1993
Mann Library, 1978 - 1981
Committee on Computers and Extension, 1978 - 1979
Greenhouse Industries Program Committee, 1979 - present
MPS Policy and Procedures Review Committee, 1981
CALS Policy Committee, 1981 - 1984
Plant Science Growth Facilities Study Committee, 1985 - present
MPS Redefinition Committee, 1987 - 1988
Controlled Environment Agriculture Task Group, 1988 - present
Curriculum Committee, 1996 - present
Academic Human Diversity and Resources, 1996 - present

College of Engineering:

Graduate Professional Programs Committee, 1977 - 1983
Policy Committee, 1988 - 1991
Associate Directors Committee, 1990 - 1993

Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering:

Livestock Engineering Program Advisory Committee, 1974 - 1977
Computer Committee, 1974 - 1978
Committee on Undergraduate Teaching, 1975 - 1979, 1988 - 1990
Coordinator of Instruction, 1990 - 1993
Placement Activities Committee, 1977 - 1980
Graduate Coordinating Committee, 1977 - 1988
Graduate Faculty Representative, 1983 - 1988
Ad Hoc Space Committee, 1987 - 1990
Planning and Utilization of Physical Resources Committee, 1990 - 1993
Committee on Academic Programs, 1990 - 1997 (Chair, 1990 - 1993)
Numerous Others

Research Projects

Principal Investigator of the following currently active CRIS projects:

H479, Controlled Environment and Facilities Engineering for Greenhouses

Memberships in Professional Societies:

American Society for Engineering Education
ASAE, The Society for Engineering in Agricultural, Food and Biological Systems

Committees:

SE302, Environment of Animal Structures, (Chair, 1981 - 1982)
SE08, ASHRAE Liaison, (Chair, 1982 - 1983)
SE303, Environment of Plant Structures, (Chair, 1982 - 1983)
SE308, Solar Energy, (Chair, 1982 - 1983)
P514, Textbook Committee, (Chair, 1992 - 1993)
SE05; A120; A512; A203; P204; M115; M131; etc.

Structures and Environmental Division, ASAE Transactions
(Associate Editor, 1982 - 1983, 1987 - 1990)
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers

Committee:

TC2.2, 1981 - Present

International Society for Horticultural Sciences
American Solar Energy Society
- Board of Directors, Agriculture Division, 1982 - 1984
International Solar Energy Society

Honors and Awards

Fellow, American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE), 1994
Henry Giese Structures and Environment Award, 1994, ASAE
- Awarded for teaching and research related to agricultural structures
Honorary Professorship in the National Bioenvironmental Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, People's Republic of China, 1996
- Research-Specific:
- Phi Kappa Phi
- Sigma Xi
- Gamma Sigma Delta
- ASAE FIEI Young Researcher Award, 1979
- ASAE Paper Award, 1977, 1980, 1990, 1992
- ASAE Paper Honorable Mention, 1979, 1981, 1989
- CALS Dean's Traveling Fellowship, 1980, 1983

Teaching-Specific:

Cornell ASAE Student Branch Outstanding Faculty Award, 1981, 1986
Tau Beta Pi Teaching Award for Field of Agricultural Engineering, 1984
Gamma Sigma Delta Award for Teaching Excellence, 1992
- College of Engineering, Cowie Excellence in Teaching Award, 1995
College of Engineering, Barger Excellence in Teaching Award, 1999

Extension:

ASAE Educational Aids Blue Ribbon Award, 1983

Consulting

Bronx Zoo: Environmental control for zoo animal housing
Marshall's Research Animals: Environmental control for research animals
EPA: Guidelines for ventilating containment greenhouses used for biotech research
FAO: Solar greenhouses in the Antalya region of Turkey
SH&G, Detroit: Design of biotech greenhouses for University of Illinois
Ontario Council on Graduate Studies: Evaluation of Ag. Engr. Program, Univ. Guelph
American Arbitration Association: Controlled environment chambers, Occidental College
DMJM. Washington, DC: Natural ventilation of US Botanic Garden Conservatories
Yanmar Agricultural Equipment Company, Ltd., Kyoto, Japan: Greenhouse equipment
Omnus Incorporated, St. Louis: Animal house ventilation and its control

Publications

Scientific Articles

Choi, H.L. and L.D. Albright. 1989. Modeling the effects of obstructions in slot-ventilated enclosures. Proceedings, Symposium on Building Systems: Room Air and A Contaminant Distribution. Am. Soc. Htg., Refrig. and Air Cond. Engrs., Atlanta, GA. pp. 127-130.
Saunders, D.D. and L.D. Albright. 1989. A quantitative air-mixing visualization technique for two-dimensional flow using aerosol tracers and digital imaging analysis. Proceedings, Symposium on Building Systems: Room Air and Air Contaminant Distribution. Am. Soc. Htg., Refrig. and Air Cond. Engrs., Atlanta, GA. pp. 84-87.
Albright, L.D. 1989. A summary of research needs. Proceedings, Symposium on Building Systems: Room Air and Air Contaminant Distribution. Am. Soc. Htg., Refrig. and Air Cond. Engrs., Atlanta, GA. pp. 8-9.
Wolfe, D.W., L.D. Albright and J. Wyland. 1989. Modeling row cover effects on microclimate and yield: I. Growth response of tomato and cucumber. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 114(4):562-568.
Albright, L.D., D.W. Wolfe and S. Novak. 1989. Modeling row cover effect on microclimate and yield: II. Thermal model and simulations. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 114(4):569-578.
Albright, L.D. 1989. Slotted inlet baffle control based on inlet jet momentum numbers. Trans. of the ASAE 32(5):1764-1768.
Choi, H.L., L.D. Albright and M.B. Timmons. 1990. An application of the k-epsilon turbulence method to predict how a rectangular obstacle in a slot-ventilated enclosure affects air flow. Trans. of the ASAE 33(1):274-281.
Marsh, L.S. and L.D. Albright. 1991. Economically optimum day temperatures for greenhouse hydroponic lettuce production, Part I: A computer model. Trans. of the ASAE 34(2):550-556.
Marsh, L.S. and L.D. Albright. 1991. Economically optimum day temperatures for greenhouse hydroponic lettuce production, Part II: Results and simulations. Trans. of the ASAE 34(2):557-562.
Seginer, I., G. Shina, L.D. Albright and L.S. Marsh. 1991. Optimal temperature setpoints for greenhouse lettuce. J. Agr. Engr. Res. 49:209-226.
Adre, N. and L.D. Albright. 1994. Criterion for establishing similar two-dimensional wall jet air flow patterns in confined spaces. ASHRAE Trans. 100(1):1170-1181.
Adre, N. and L.D. Albright. 1994. Criterion for establishing similar air flow patterns (isothermal) in slotted-inlet ventilated enclosures. Trans. of the ASAE 37(1):235-250.
Albright, L.D. 1995. Controlling greenhouse ventilation inlets by pressure difference. HortTechnology 5(3):260-264.
Rousseau, A.N. and L.D. Albright. 1996. An alternative kinematic similarity criterion for slot-ventilated enclosures. Trans. of the ASAE 38(6):1887-1889.
Rousseau, A.N. and L.D. Albright. 1996. Computational fluid dynamics study of incomplete air mixing in a slot-ventilated enclosure, Part I: Flow field characteristics. Numerical Heat Transfer, Part A, 29:809-824.
Rousseau, A.N. and L.D. Albright. 1996. Computational fluid dynamics study of incomplete air mixing in a slot-ventilated enclosure, Part II: Mass transfer processes. Numerical Heat Transfer, Part A, 29:825-842.
Both, A.J., A.R. Leed, E. Goto, L.D. Albright and R.W. Langhans. 1996. Greenhouse spinach production in a NFT system. Acta Horticulturae No. 440:187-192.
Goto, E., A.J. Both, L.D. Albright, R.W. Langhans and A.R. Leed. 1996. Effect of dissolved oxygen concentration on lettuce growth in floating hydroponics. Acta Horticulturae No. 440:205-210.
Both, A.J., C.A. Chou, L.D. Albright and R.W. Langhans. 1997. A microwave powered light source for plant irradiation. Acta Horticulturae No. 418:189-194.
Both, A.J., L.D. Albright, R.W. Langhans, R.A. Reiser and B.G. Vinzant. 1997. Hydroponic lettuce production influenced by integrated supplemental light levels in a controlled environment agricultural facility: Experimental results. Acta Horticulturae No. 418:45-52.
Both, A.J., L.D. Albright, R.W. Langhans, B.G. Vinzant and P.N. Walker. 1997. Electric energy consumption and light output of nine 400 Watt high pressure sodium luminaires and a greenhouse application of the results. Acta Horticulturae No. 418:195-202.
Rousseau, A.N. and L.D. Albright. 1997. A short comparison of damping functions of standard low-Reynolds number k-? models. J. Fluid Engineering. 119(2):460-463.
Ciolkosz, D.E., L.D. Albright and A.J. Both. 1998. Characterizing evapotranspiration in a greenhouse lettuce crop. Acta Horticulturae No. 456:255-262.
Both, A.J., L.D. Albright and R.W. Langhans. 1998. Coordinated management of daily PAR integral and carbon dioxide for hydroponic lettuce production. Acta Horticulturae No. 456:45-52.
Spinu, V.C., L.D. Albright and R.W. Langhans. 1998. Electrochemical pH control in hydroponics systems. Acta Horticulturae No. 456:275-282.
Spinu, V.C. and L.D. Albright. 1998. Electrotechnology for water conditioning: a simulation model. Acta Horticulturae No. 456:283-290.
Thompson, H.C., R.W. Langhans, A.J. Both and L.D. Albright. 1998. Shoot and root temperature effects on lettuce growth in a floating hydroponic system. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 123(3):361-364.
Ciolkosz, D.E. and L.D. Albright. 1998. Microwave lamp characterization. (in press)
Both, A.J., L.D. Albright and R.W. Langhans. 1998. Controlling the greenhouse light environment: Part 1, Consistent light for plant production. Trans. of the ASAE (submitted)
Albright, L.D. and A.J. Both. 1998. Controlling the greenhouse light environment: Part 2, Supplemental lighting. Trans. of the ASAE (submitted)
Albright, L.D. and A.J. Both. 1998. Controlling the greenhouse light environment: Part 3, Movable shade systems. Trans. of the ASAE (submitted)
Albright, L.D. and A.J. Both. 1998. Controlling the greenhouse light environment: Part 4, Consequences and conclusions. Trans. of the ASAE (submitted)
Ciolkosz, D.C. and L.D., Albright. 1998. Use of small scale evaporation pans for evaluation of whole plant evapotranspiration. Trans. of the ASAE (submitted).