Regents Professor of Electrical Engineering Miguel Acevedo now has $2.5 million from the National Science Foundation over five years to dig deep into food-energy-water systems.

Specifically, Acevedo, who also is a scientist with the Advanced Environmental Research Institute, seeks to find solutions for the high amount of salt in agricultural soil and irrigation water in regions where water is limited or traditional fertilizer and irrigation management have altered water and soil quality. It's a problem that affects crops in those areas, leading to a decrease in food production and long-term degradation of soil and water. With 800 million undernourished people in the world, and increasing risks of global food insecurity and climate change, Acevedo's work is critical.