Our Work and Priorities

The University of Georgia created the Stripling Irrigation Research Park (SIRP) to be an innovative irrigation research and education center. The park is an easily accessible facility to offer assistance for farmers in irrigation management as well as to provide general information to the public regarding the role of water in the regional economy.

Scientists, engineers, and extension specialists collaborate with the staff and administration of the park to define crop water needs and improve food, feed, and fiber production using efficient irrigation methods. Industry partners are able to test equipment and water conservation strategies for Georgia under the objective eye of the college’s researchers. SIRP provides educational opportunities and demonstrations for farmers, irrigation companies, as well as students in local technical colleges and universities. Additionally, we often collaborate with the local Mitchell County Extension Office staff. 

Agricultural water conservation is at the forefront of topics in southwest Georgia with the increasing frequency of drought periods and increasing water demands throughout the Apalachicola – Chattahoochee – Flint (ACF) River Basin. Thus, the mission of the Stripling Park has included conservation ideals since its inception. With the ongoing “water wars” over water flow and demand in the ACF River Basin, maximizing efficiency and conservation efforts in this region has become a priority.

About us


We investigate the latest production and technological practices, striving for producer profitability and sustainability.
Research and Education Centers (RECs) are hubs for innovation and discovery that address the most critical issues facing agricultural production throughout the state. Ultimately, our findings are shared with stakeholders through the extension and outreach efforts of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Liang Dong (Photo courtesy of Iowa State University) CAES News
Liang Dong joins UGA as Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar
Liang Dong, professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the Microelectronics Research Center at Iowa State University, is set to become the University of Georgia’s newest Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar, effective Aug. 1. At UGA, Dong will be the GRA Eminent Scholar in Precision Agriculture, with a joint appointment in the colleges of Engineering and Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He will also serve as associate director for research at the Institute for Integrative Precision Agriculture.
Steven Stice, the director of UGA’s Regenerative Bioscience Center, was elected to the 2025 class of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering College of Fellows. Stice has made enormous contributions to groundbreaking treatments for neurological disorders. (Photo by Chamberlain Smith) CAES News
Innovative neural stem cell therapy for stroke enters new trial phase
The University of Georgia Regenerative Bioscience Center is researching how a novel stem cell therapy can rebuild the brain by enhancing the body’s self-repair system to treat a range of neurodegenerative disorders. “Our goal is to find solutions that can help people immediately. For stroke patients, with our cell therapy advancing through clinical trials, we're trying to make a difference sooner rather than later,” said Steven Stice, director and co-founder of the UGA Regenerative Bioscience Center.