Once upon a time, the boundary between farmland and housing developments was very distinct, and farmers did not necessarily concern themselves with the odors that came from field operations. But as more people move to rural areas from urban sites, farmers and nonfarming residents have become next-door neighbors and nuisance odors have become a problem.

Penn State's Odor Assessment Lab in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering focuses on the gaseous emissions that come from agricultural sources. According to co-director Robin Brandt, the lab's researchers aim to calculate odor levels and establish baseline conditions so they can determine and share effective odor-reduction practices.

Watch the following video describing their work.