ISTVS/ISU Symposium on Terramechanics in Agricultural Soil-Vehicle Systems

May 21, 2025 | Iowa State University (ISU), Ames, Iowa, USA

ISTVS/ISU Symposium Chair: Professor Mehari Z. Tekeste, Director of Soil Machine Dynamic Laboratory (SMDL), Associate Professor of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA. 
E-mail: mtekeste@iastate.edu

ISTVS/ISU Symposium Co-Chair: Dr. Thomas R. Way, Agricultural Engineer, USDA-ARS National Soil Dynamics Laboratory, Auburn, AL, USA.
E-mail: tom.way@usda.gov

A I M

The ISTVS/ISU Symposium On Terramechanics in Agricultural Soil - Vehicle Systems at ISU, Ames, Iowa aims to enhance the awareness of the ISTVS as an international society in the field of vehicle-terrain systems. Conducting the mini-symposium is expected to engage undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in off-road vehicle systems, engineers in the private industry in agriculture and construction equipment manufacturers, tire and track manufacturers for agriculture and construction machines, digital technology developers for these industries and farmers on Agricultural Soil-Vehicle Systems.

T H E M E S

During the one-day ISTVS/ISU program after the introductory opening by the President of the ISTVS, Dr. Lutz Richter and invited guest speaker talk on the state-of-the art in the technologies and applications of the terramechanics on Agricultural Soil of Vehicle Systems related to manned and unmanned Vehicle Systems, we will organize technical sessions and student-poster competitions on the following broader terramechanics agricultural soil-vehicle systems topics:

• Terrain characterization and measurement methods of terramechanics properties on agricultural soils for vehicle design and performance analysis

• Innovative testing and modeling of mobility systems-soil interactions from various vehicle chassis configurations (tires, two and four tracks) and precision tire inflation pressure technologies

• Terramechanics soil models and tire/track modeling for advancing physics-based computational modeling techniques

• Advances in traction and soil compaction studies from high-deflection (low-ground pressure) tire and track technologies and their effects on soil health and crop productivity

• Collaboration and networking of students, researchers and industry community with interest on educational programs and knowledge of terramechanics agricultural soil-vehicle systems and the ISTVS international association

E V E N T L O C A T I O N

Sukup Hall and Atrium,
Iowa State University (ISU),
Ames, Iowa
Address:
609 Bissell Rd, Ames, Iowa 50011
Latitude: 42.02759
Longitude: -93.65315

E V E N T S C H E D U L E

Morning Session: (In-person and Virtual) (7:30 am to 12:00 pm CDT): Room Sukup Elings Classroom/Auditorium

Time	Event Description
7:30 AM	Onsite Registration and Morning Refreshment
8:00 AM	Welcome and Opening Remarks Mehari Tekeste, Chair of 2025 ISTVS/ISU Symposium Lutz Richter, President of the ISTVS, SoftServe, Inc., Frankfurt, Germany
8:20 AM	Invited Speaker talk: The Bevameter Technique - Its Present and Future Jo Y. Wong, Professor Emeritus, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario
9:00 AM	A History of Soil Dynamics at Iowa State University Robert L Schafer, Schafer Farms, Agricultural Engineer, USDA-ARS-NSDL (Retired), Loachapoka, AL
9:30 AM	Wear Testing and Modeling of Tools Interacting with Icy Granular Soil Zamir Syed, Singularity Solutions, Goleta, CA
10:00 AM	History and Vision of Soil Dynamics at Auburn University Brock Birdsong, Acting Director, Applied Research Center, Auburn University Research and Innovation Campus, Huntsville, AL
10:30 AM	The Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory Roger Hoy, Director, Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
11:00 AM	Improving Soil Compaction Assessment Through Cultivator Shank Vibration Data: A Comparison with Penetrometer Readings Shaghayegh Janbazialamdari, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
11:30 AM	"Central Tire Inflation/Deflation System" (CTIS) for Reducing Soil Compaction Jake Kraayenbrink, AgriBrink Inc., Ames, IA
12:00 PM	Lunch: Sukup Elings/Atrium

Afternoon Session: (In-person and Virtual) (1:00 pm to 4:00 pm CDT): Room Sukup Elings Classroom/Auditorium

Time	Event Description
1:00 PM	Technical Discussion (In-person and Virtual) Terramechanics Standards Discussion - Soil Measurement Devices (Bevameter, Cone Penetrometer, and Plate Sinkage) - Soil Property Measurement Methods (Soil Compaction, Shear, and Dilation) Location: Sukup Elings Classroom/Auditorium
2:00 PM	Students’ Poster Presentations (In-person) Student Competition with Best Student Poster Award Announced at the End Location: Sukup Elings / Atrium
3:00 PM	Tour to Soil Machine Dynamics Laboratory at ISU Location: 1308 U Ave, Boone, IA 50036 Latitude: 42.021000, Longitude: -93.772848

Soil Machine Dynamics Laboratory (SMDL). Visit https://www.abe.iastate.edu/tekeste/ for more information

R E G I S T R A T I O N I N F O R M A T I O N

• Early registration (Before April 30, 11:59 pm CST): $185

• Registration (May 1 - May 21): $225

• Students: Free Registration (Registration required)

Payment type: Credit card

Change in Plans:
Cancellations on or before May 7, 2025, can receive a full refund minus a $25 processing fee.   No refunds are provided for cancellations after May 7; attendees may send a substitute in their place.   Please email cancellation or substitution requests to registrations@iastate.edu.

P L A N N I N G & O R G A N I Z I N G C O M M I T T E E

Chair: Dr. Mehari Z. Tekeste,
Co-Chair: Dr. Thomas R. Way
Digital Operation: Varsha Swamy
ISU-SMDL graduate students: 
Mohamed A. A. Abdeldayem
John Sheriff
Satya Kosaraju
Nana Amma M Kusi Fordjour
Shadrack Gyamfi Boadi