App State researcher develops AI-driven microscope to detect poultry parasites
Zachary Russell, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Appalachian State University (center), works with student researchers Ethan Humphries and Hunter Corman in the Ion Innovations Scientific Instrumentation Development Lab in Boone. Image courtesy of Appalachian State
Poultry and livestock are important drivers of North Carolina’s economy. A new technology from Appalachian State University will help keep the animals safe from parasites.
Researcher Zach Russell recently earned a grant from NCInnovation to develop his lab’s AI-driven robotic microscope.
The $2.3 million grant is the largest from the organization in this year’s round of funding. The group supports applied research at the state’s public universities.
Russell says fecal parasites can decrease farm animal stocks by about 20 percent. Finding them is a tedious process that requires a microbiologist or technician. The robotic version can speed up the process.
“Our charge from NCInnovation is to accelerate this technology out of the university setting and create a production facility here in the High Country, providing jobs and opportunities for our graduates and for the community,” he says.
Poultry makes up 40 percent of the state’s farming income, contributing more than $4 billion annually to the economy, according to researchers at North Carolina State University.
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