Bioresource and agricultural engineering (BRAE) senior Jack Wells was named first-place winner of the
Strawberry Automation Research Award (STAR) 2019. The $1,000 award in the statewide competition is
given by the California Strawberry Commission (CSC).
Wells was recognized for the research he carried out as a 2017-2019 automation engineering intern at the
Cal Poly Strawberry Center Automation Laboratory. He was directed by his industry adviser, the center’s
automation manager, Dr. John Lin.
Wells’ project focused on improving the removal efficiency of a widely used “bug vacuum” to manage
organic Lygus spp. in California strawberries. This bug costs California strawberry growers an estimated
$200 million in damaged fruit each year. Wells’ early work involved creating a computer model to simulate
airflow through the vacuum to identify aerodynamic inefficiencies. He later validated his models with
entomologists at both the Cal Poly Strawberry Center and the University of California, Davis. This work led
to the CSC funding a BRAE senior design class to further develop improvements to the bug vacuum. During
2019, Wells advised the 20 students in the class. The final design would remove approximately twice as
much Lygus spp. than conventional bug vacuums. This design would later be field-tested by CSC staff on
farm fields and commercialized by C&N Tractors, a local equipment manufacturer.
The Cal Poly Strawberry Center offers students the opportunity to move beyond the classroom by working
with industry. The close partnership with the CSC allows the center access to more than 400 strawberry
growers, shippers and processors in the state. Wells first started working with the Cal Poly Strawberry
Center in 2015 at Cal Poly’s Swanton Pacific Ranch. There, he spent much of his time scouting for
strawberry pests. “Since coming to Cal Poly in 2015, I had hoped to get a foot in the door with a company
designing ag-tech equipment,” Wells said.
Looking back, he said, “I acted as a liaison between student groups and the Cal Poly Strawberry Center’s
automation program. I debuted the first prototype at the Cal Poly Strawberry Center’s second annual
field day in summer of 2018. I collaborated with (field researchers) to put our machine in a head-to-head
comparison with conventional vacuums. I worked with a commercial manufacturer [to] produce a full-scale
commercial prototype to be stress-tested.”
Wells believes that the “key to the success and speed of the project has been the constant cycle between
design, fabrication, testing and redesign. With all these processes taking place under the Cal Poly
umbrella, few setbacks were related to lack of resources or personnel. The integration of the automation
program with the CSC field research team resulted in unparalleled access to strawberry growers and their
properties, equipment and operators.”
After completing his bachelor’s degree, Wells accepted an automation engineering position at the CSC. He
also plans to publish his works on bug vacuum improvements in the International Journal of Fruit Science.
“Jack’s personal characteristics are maturity, intelligence, curiosity, creativity, hard work and a refusal to
allow any obstacle to prevent him from achieving his research aims,” Lin said. “There is no doubt that he
is deserving of the CSC’s STAR award.”