Discovering Breakthroughs

Discovering breakthroughs is not just a goal, but a reality within the labs of the Applied Research division. Each day, the staff focus on projects driven strictly by the needs of industry in order to help foster economic transformation. While our Analytical Chemistry group offers elite testing services, our Advanced Materials team provides cutting-edge characterization and processing capabilities. The groundbreaking agricultural enrichment efforts of our Life Sciences & Biotechnology group and the Precision Agriculture team add to our pride in enhancing human life and presenting commercialization prospects.

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Director of Applied Research

Scott Lowman, PhD

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Office: 434.766.6628
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Meet The Team

Advanced Materials

IALR’s advanced materials research is committed to the development and application of cutting-edge materials and assisting the region’s organizations in re-energizing the economy.

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Analytical Chemistry

Analytical methodology development and chemical testing services help expedite decision-making processes, quantify the efficacy of products under development and offer access to state-of-the-art equipment.

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Life Sciences & Biotechnology

IALR’s life sciences work supports a broad range of industries from tobacco and food products to wood and biostimulants. Biotechnology research includes the characterization of more than 1,500 beneficial plant bacteria endophytes, which show promise for commercialization as natural biostimulants.

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Precision Agriculture

Precision agriculture improves the efficiency of farmers by using technology to pinpoint crop areas needing attention. IALR’s SMART tables, which are precision imaging platforms, record and track plant growth and responses to environmental stimuli. Drones provide crop images and expedite identification of problem areas.

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Success Stories

"“The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research has proven to be invaluable to the Town of Altavista by helping to bring about a possible closure to the problem of PCB contamination in our communities’ waste water treatment pond. They are truly an asset to our region.”"
Unique Workshop Promotes Collaboration Needed to Move Science Forward
Scientists from across the country attended a workshop facilitated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR).
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"“The word “opportunity” epitomizes the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research. IALR is a place where students, faculty, researchers, and entrepreneurs are actively working together to reach their full potential. IALR provides the ecosystem where discovery, innovation and commercialization is nurtured and celebrated. The leadership of IALR are invested in…"
VA Tech Students at IALR
Graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in the Mechanical Engineering program at Virginia Tech recently visited the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) as part of an ongoing collaboration with IALR. Senior Scientist Scott Lowman is also an adjunct professor at Virginia Tech.
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"I am beyond amazed with the staff and impressed with the technology the research facility has to offer."
Patrick Henry Community College Visits IALR
Students in John Ayers’ Introduction to Plant Science class toured the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research. The course is one of several agribusiness courses offered at Patrick Henry Community College.
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Experimental Water Treatment Project
Members of the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research's (IALR) Applied Research team met with Altavista's town council in October to go over a proposal that would remediate contaminants in the town's overflow pond. The proposal was approved on November 11 for the amount of $36,000...
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High-Tech Farming
Scientists are halfway through the first year of a two-year Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission (TRRC) grant helping regional growers make farming more profitable by reducing inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, and water) and increasing overall crop health and yields.
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Natural Products & Chemistry
The Institute works to develop analytical methods for analyzing small molecules as well as natural health and nutraceutical products. This is accomplished by using a variety of analytical techniques including UPLCMS and GCMS.
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Institute Receives Tobacco Commission Grant to Assist Growers
Scientists at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research will continue assisting growers in the counties of Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenberg, Patrick, and Pittsylvania by introducing precision agriculture technologies to current growers of strawberries, vegetables, grapes, grains, tobacco, and legumes.
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Impressive Research Results for Growers
The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) has concluded one year of research with impressive results for participating Asian pear growers. The research is funded by a two-year Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) grant to study tree pruning methodology and fruit bagging techniques in Virginia Asian pear orchards to improve Asian pear yield and quality, and to develop a standard Asian pear training, pruning, and bagging system for Virginia farmers.
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Polymers: Processing and Analytical Support
Our polymer research is committed to the development and application of cutting-edge materials and assisting the region’s organizations in re-energizing the economy. IALR has invested in two distinct laboratories focused on the characterization and processing of polymer materials.
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Expanding Virginia’s Vineyards

Through a cost-share program, IALR works with the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission and the Virginia Vineyards Association to increase vineyard acreage and address the shortage of Virginia-grown grapes.

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Advancing the Plant
Biostimulant Industry

IALR recently licensed a collection of agriculturally important, beneficial plant bacteria (called endophytes) to Indigo Ag, Inc. (Boston, Massachusetts). The bacteria, isolated and characterized by IALR scientists, show promise for commercialization as natural plant biostimulants, which will aid farming diversification and productivity.

"“The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research has proven to be invaluable to the Town of Altavista by helping to bring about a possible closure to the problem of PCB contamination in our communities’ waste water treatment pond. They are truly an asset to our region.”"
Mike Mattox / Mayor of Altavista
"“The word “opportunity” epitomizes the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research. IALR is a place where students, faculty, researchers, and entrepreneurs are actively working together to reach their full potential. IALR provides the ecosystem where discovery, innovation and commercialization is nurtured and celebrated. The leadership of IALR are invested in…"
Dr. Guru Ghosh / Virginia Tech
"I am beyond amazed with the staff and impressed with the technology the research facility has to offer."
Emily Barbour / PHCC
"This is a worldwide problem. If this project is successful, it would not only benefit the town of Altavista but many other localities as well. It also represents IALR's commitment to the health and prosperity of the region."
Scott Lowman, Ph.D. / Scientist, The Institute
"To support our RemRX™ Environmental Solutions’ needs, we have been working with the IALR. IALR’s excellent facilities, equipment, and people are extremely easy to work with extending our value proposition to our current and future customers."
Charles Gause / AxNano & Triad Growth Partners
"The fruit that came out was beautiful and so we’re very interested in this. We do have a lot of customers asking for pesticide-free fruit. This may be a practice we can adopt and do well with."
Bennett Saunders / Saunders Brothers Farm
"IALR is excited to partner with the Tobacco Commission. This grant will allow IALR to solidify its commitment to improve agricultural production in our area."
Mark Gignac / IALR
"AxNano has been working with the Institute since April 2017 on a National Science Foundation-funded program to evaluate the efficacy of AxNano’s groundwater remediation technologies. Yimeng He performed advanced analytical chemistry work, analyzing samples and processing data that was critical to the success of our program. Yimeng was very professional,…"
Dr. Alexis Wells Carpenter / AxNano
"When Tyton needs additional assistance with analytical work across our many areas of tech development, we turn to Yimeng He at the Institute. Our team at Tyton has been impressed with the quality of the work and reports and we will continue to rely on his capabilities as we expand…"
Conor Hartman / Tyton BioSciences
"With the information gained from the technology offered by the Institute, it will improve our yields, improve our profit, and make it worthwhile we are staying on the farm."
Jesse Williams / Homeplace Vineyard

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