{"id":65536,"date":"2021-09-06T22:33:39","date_gmt":"2021-09-07T02:33:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/?p=65536"},"modified":"2021-09-06T23:44:43","modified_gmt":"2021-09-07T03:44:43","slug":"digging-deep-into-interdisciplinary-agricultural-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/news\/digging-deep-into-interdisciplinary-agricultural-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Digging Deep into Interdisciplinary Agricultural Research"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new cohort of Ph.D. candidates will begin their work on an interdisciplinary agricultural data science research endeavor this fall. The Sweet Fellows, aptly named for the sweet potato Analytics for Produce Provenance and Scanning (Sweet-APPS) project, will use a combination of operations research techniques, geospatial analytics and sensing technologies to develop machine learning algorithms that aim to reduce agricultural waste and increase the yield of U.S. sweet potatoes.<\/p>\n

Designed by Biological and Agricultural Engineering research assistant professor Daniela Jones and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Needs Fellows program, Sweet Fellows brings together a group of talented researchers with varied knowledge and experience. \u201cWe usually put together people with similar backgrounds to solve a problem, but when you bring in people from diverse experiences and disciplines, they come up with different ideas to solve the same problem,\u201d she says. \u201cThe broader research question that the Sweet Fellows will be trying to answer is yield, defined as quantity and quality, and to figure out the drivers that make sweet potatoes a certain shape and size.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project is important to North Carolina\u2019s agricultural economy as the state leads the nation in sweet potato production, growing over 60% of the nation\u2019s supply at an estimated value over $324 million.\u00a0Sweet potatoes vary in shape and size more than any other fresh produce item. Overly small, large or misshapen potatoes can be reduced in price by as much as 80-90% of the value for U.S. sweet potatoes.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgriculture will see significant opportunities for adopting even greater technology in the next few years,\u201d says Garey Fox, professor and head of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. \u201cOur department trains a diverse cohort of biological and agricultural engineers that can take that innovative technology to develop decision support tools through a systems analysis to help growers make informed decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sweet Fellow: Shana McDowell<\/strong> \"\"
\nMeet Shana McDowell, a mathematician and North Carolina native, who will be working on a Ph.D. in biological and agricultural engineering.<\/p>\n

Mathematics came naturally for Shana early in her education. She recalls friendly competition with her peers in a high school math class made learning fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cUndergrad exposed me to more,\u201d she says. \u201cThat was where the understanding of how to solve a problem, then adding a real-world scenario to better understand concepts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shana pursued a bachelor of science in pure mathematics from Fayetteville State University, and a master of science in applied mathematics from N.C. Central University.<\/p>\n

While in graduate school, she prepared students for college mathematics in Hoke County Schools and the Wake STEM Early College \u2014 a joint program between NC State University and Wake County Public School System. Following a quantitative internship at Duke University, she became a senior data tech at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, where she created an image classification program for the HIV spike protein.<\/p>\n

\u201cScientists take pictures using an electron microscope that results in thousands of images,\u201d she explains. \u201cThey try to get different orientations of the spike to build a 3D reconstruction so they are able to better study the spike structure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using a convolutional neural network (CNN), the images are used as input and fed into the CNN layer by layer as the algorithm identifies patterns that are used to classify the images into different categories.<\/p>\n

In her SweetAPPS research, Shana will look at the sweet potato supply chain.\u00a0Jones, who will also be Shana\u2019s Ph.D. advisor, says Shana will examine the supply chain \u201dfrom the field all the way to the packing facility, and hopefully beyond and into sweet potato national and international markets. Her experience will help us understand how all of the information gathered at each of those locations works together so that we can build an algorithm to make predictions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to do work that hits so close to home,\u201d Shana says. \u201cWhenever you\u2019re going into research you hope that what you\u2019re doing will have an impact on society, and this is an opportunity for me to contribute in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Sweet Fellow: Enrique Pena Martinez<\/strong>
\nMeet Enrique Pena Martinez, an NC State alumnus in biological and agricultural engineering, who will be working on a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering.<\/p>\n

From a young age, Enrique knew he wanted to study agriculture. His grandfather, Manuel Arturo Pena, would plant vegetables in raised beds on the roof of his home where Enrique would spend hours watching the vegetables grow. He also credits his grandmother, Consuelo Ascanio Rodriguez, for encouraging him to pursue a career in\u00a0 agricultural engineering.<\/p>\n

Enrique began his college education at home in the Dominican Republic, where he studied at the Santo Domingo Institute of Technology. From there, he entered a 2+2 partner program with Penn State, where he completed his undergraduate degree in biological engineering with the agricultural engineering option. Following his passion and desire to continue his education in agriculture technologies, he found and completed the master of science in biological and agricultural engineering at NC State.<\/p>\n

A portion of Enrique\u2019s research focused on refining cotton replanting recommendations using unoccupied aerial systems (UAS) and assessing the accuracy of manual versus UAS counts. The results from his research are being reviewed for publication in The Journal of Cotton Science and Transactions of the ASABE.<\/p>\n

Enrique\u2019s research for the SweetApps project will focus on applying machine learning and imaging tools towards measuring the size and shape of sweet potatoes at high-speed and at high-throughput in field conditions.<\/p>\n

“Enrique’s experience applying technology solutions, such as drone imaging for improving cotton management, has given him a background in both engineering and working with stakeholders,\u201d says Michael Kudenov, Electrical and Computer Engineering associate professor and Enrique\u2019s Ph.D. advisor. \u201cThis will be invaluable as we develop methods that can enable size and shape phenotyping data that can be located to specific areas within a given field. This will support many facets of the project.”<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be able to connect all of the different applications that are being developed,\u201d Enrique says.\u201cThe research that I will be developing will actually bring money to many sweet potato farmers because there is a direct translation with added value on size and shape of sweet potatoes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Sweet Fellow: Randi Butler<\/strong>
\nMeet Randi Butler, an environmental scientist from Atlanta, Georgia, who will be working on a Ph.D. in geospatial analytics.<\/p>\n

Naturally curious, Randi recalls an interest in science that led her to seek out explorer books when she went on shopping trips with her mother, Venneta Montgomery, who Randi also credits as her biggest cheerleader.<\/p>\n

Randi began playing the violin in middle school and had to choose between her love of music and science as a college freshman. \u201cI always knew I liked nature.\u201d she recalls. \u201c[Columbus State University] had a bachelor\u2019s in geology \u2026 that was the stepping stone to get into environmental science.\u201d<\/p>\n

Randi graduated from Columbus State University with a bachelor of science in geology, then earned a master of natural resources in hydrology from the University of Georgia.<\/p>\n

During her graduate studies, Randi interned at the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She worked directly with landowners to improve irrigation systems and prevent soil erosion throughout Georgia and Alabama.<\/p>\n

Shortly after graduation she was hired by the EPA to work with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems division, eventually overseeing development of a model tracking data across eight states on industrial stormwater discharge. She also worked with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation while at the EPA, overseeing the state\u2019s water monitoring program. In her last position, she evaluated international data on water quality with the Army Corps of Engineers at the Army Geospatial Center in Alexandria, Virginia.<\/p>\n

Randi\u2019s research for the SweetAPPS project will be analyzing satellite remote sensing data to better understand sweet potato production trends. \u201cRandi has excellent experience working directly with farmers,\u201d says Natalie Nelson, Biological and Agricultural Engineering assistant professor and Randi\u2019s Ph.D. advisor. \u201cIn addition to data analysis, she\u2019ll be able to bring in a rich perspective of what are on the ground challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n

Randi says she\u2019s dreamed of getting a Ph.D. since she was a kid. \u201cI enjoy the aspect of learning and seeing things from different perspectives \u2026 and with a Ph.D, for me, it can bring me more information to provide to others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bridging Gaps in Diversity
\nThe process of recruiting underrepresented students was particularly relevant for the SweetAPPS project. \u201cAs agricultural jobs shift beyond the farm, without intervention, the growing agricultural data science workforce will most likely lack diversity, similar to other high-paying, family-flexible and secure jobs,\u201d says Jones.<\/p>\n

According to Pew Research, Black and Hispanic workers make up a smaller percentage of STEM workers compared to their share in the U.S. workforce as a whole.\u00a0\u201cIt is very rare for me to see me in my field,\u201d says Randi, \u201cIt\u2019s a welcoming thing to see that I\u2019m in a diverse group because I do see me, or I see a piece of me, and it makes me feel like we could get this done.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked how they felt their role would impact other historically underrepresented students who want to pursue advanced degrees, each of the Sweet Fellows expressed a sense of responsibility representing their respective communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve gotten comfortable with being uncomfortable. I\u2019ve gotten comfortable with being the only me in certain programs, but I\u2019ve been afforded the opportunity to be a part of the Sweet-APPs team,\u201d says Shana, \u201cso there\u2019s a reason why I am here.\u201d
\nJones says she and others with the SweetAPPS team\u2019s are \u201cextremely excited for the tremendous talent that Shana, Randi and Enrique bring to the team. Our greatest goal is that we provide them, and all of our students, with a welcoming and inclusive community of scholarship that nurtures their talent and lets them thrive to their fullest potential.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"A new cohort of Ph.D. candidates will begin their work on an interdisciplinary agricultural data science research endeavor this fall. The Sweet Fellows, aptly named for the sweet potato Analytics for Produce Provenance and Scanning (Sweet-APPS) project, will use a combination of operations research techniques, geospatial analytics and sensing technologies to develop machine learning algorithms that aim to reduce agricultural waste and increase the yield of U.S. sweet potatoes.\r\n\r\nDesigned by Biological and Agricultural Engineering research assistant professor Daniela Jones and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Needs Fellows program, Sweet Fellows brings together a group of talented researchers with varied knowledge and experience. \u201cWe usually put together people with similar backgrounds to solve a problem, but when you bring in people from diverse experiences and disciplines, they come up with different ideas to solve the same problem,\u201d she says. \u201cThe broader research question that the Sweet Fellows will be trying to answer is yield, defined as quantity and quality, and to figure out the drivers that make sweet potatoes a certain shape and size.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe project is important to North Carolina\u2019s agricultural economy as the state leads the nation in sweet potato production, growing over 60% of the nation\u2019s supply at an estimated value over $324 million.\u00a0Sweet potatoes vary in shape and size more than any other fresh produce item. Overly small, large or misshapen potatoes can be reduced in price by as much as 80-90% of the value for U.S. sweet potatoes.\r\n\r\n\u201cAgriculture will see significant opportunities for adopting even greater technology in the next few years,\u201d says Garey Fox, professor and head of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. \u201cOur department trains a diverse cohort of biological and agricultural engineers that can take that innovative technology to develop decision support tools through a systems analysis to help growers make informed decisions.\u201d\r\n\r\nSweet Fellow: Shana McDowell<\/strong> \"\"\r\nMeet Shana McDowell, a mathematician and North Carolina native, who will be working on a Ph.D. in biological and agricultural engineering.\r\n\r\nMathematics came naturally for Shana early in her education. She recalls friendly competition with her peers in a high school math class made learning fun.\r\n\r\n\u201cUndergrad exposed me to more,\u201d she says. \u201cThat was where the understanding of how to solve a problem, then adding a real-world scenario to better understand concepts.\u201d\r\n\r\nShana pursued a bachelor of science in pure mathematics from Fayetteville State University, and a master of science in applied mathematics from N.C. Central University.\r\n\r\nWhile in graduate school, she prepared students for college mathematics in Hoke County Schools and the Wake STEM Early College \u2014 a joint program between NC State University and Wake County Public School System. Following a quantitative internship at Duke University, she became a senior data tech at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, where she created an image classification program for the HIV spike protein.\r\n\r\n\u201cScientists take pictures using an electron microscope that results in thousands of images,\u201d she explains. \u201cThey try to get different orientations of the spike to build a 3D reconstruction so they are able to better study the spike structure.\u201d\r\n\r\nUsing a convolutional neural network (CNN), the images are used as input and fed into the CNN layer by layer as the algorithm identifies patterns that are used to classify the images into different categories.\r\n\r\nIn her SweetAPPS research, Shana will look at the sweet potato supply chain.\u00a0Jones, who will also be Shana\u2019s Ph.D. advisor, says Shana will examine the supply chain \u201dfrom the field all the way to the packing facility, and hopefully beyond and into sweet potato national and international markets. Her experience will help us understand how all of the information gathered at each of those locations works together so that we can build an algorithm to make predictions.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019m excited to do work that hits so close to home,\u201d Shana says. \u201cWhenever you\u2019re going into research you hope that what you\u2019re doing will have an impact on society, and this is an opportunity for me to contribute in that way.\u201d\r\n\r\n\"\"Sweet Fellow: Enrique Pena Martinez<\/strong>\r\nMeet Enrique Pena Martinez, an NC State alumnus in biological and agricultural engineering, who will be working on a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering.\r\n\r\nFrom a young age, Enrique knew he wanted to study agriculture. His grandfather, Manuel Arturo Pena, would plant vegetables in raised beds on the roof of his home where Enrique would spend hours watching the vegetables grow. He also credits his grandmother, Consuelo Ascanio Rodriguez, for encouraging him to pursue a career in\u00a0 agricultural engineering.\r\n\r\nEnrique began his college education at home in the Dominican Republic, where he studied at the Santo Domingo Institute of Technology. From there, he entered a 2+2 partner program with Penn State, where he completed his undergraduate degree in biological engineering with the agricultural engineering option. Following his passion and desire to continue his education in agriculture technologies, he found and completed the master of science in biological and agricultural engineering at NC State.\r\n\r\nA portion of Enrique\u2019s research focused on refining cotton replanting recommendations using unoccupied aerial systems (UAS) and assessing the accuracy of manual versus UAS counts. The results from his research are being reviewed for publication in The Journal of Cotton Science and Transactions of the ASABE.\r\n\r\nEnrique\u2019s research for the SweetApps project will focus on applying machine learning and imaging tools towards measuring the size and shape of sweet potatoes at high-speed and at high-throughput in field conditions.\r\n\r\n\"Enrique's experience applying technology solutions, such as drone imaging for improving cotton management, has given him a background in both engineering and working with stakeholders,\u201d says Michael Kudenov, Electrical and Computer Engineering associate professor and Enrique\u2019s Ph.D. advisor. \u201cThis will be invaluable as we develop methods that can enable size and shape phenotyping data that can be located to specific areas within a given field. This will support many facets of the project.\"\r\n\r\n\u201cI want to be able to connect all of the different applications that are being developed,\u201d Enrique says.\u201cThe research that I will be developing will actually bring money to many sweet potato farmers because there is a direct translation with added value on size and shape of sweet potatoes.\u201d\r\n\r\n\"\"Sweet Fellow: Randi Butler<\/strong>\r\nMeet Randi Butler, an environmental scientist from Atlanta, Georgia, who will be working on a Ph.D. in geospatial analytics.\r\n\r\nNaturally curious, Randi recalls an interest in science that led her to seek out explorer books when she went on shopping trips with her mother, Venneta Montgomery, who Randi also credits as her biggest cheerleader.\r\n\r\nRandi began playing the violin in middle school and had to choose between her love of music and science as a college freshman. \u201cI always knew I liked nature.\u201d she recalls. \u201c[Columbus State University] had a bachelor\u2019s in geology \u2026 that was the stepping stone to get into environmental science.\u201d\r\n\r\nRandi graduated from Columbus State University with a bachelor of science in geology, then earned a master of natural resources in hydrology from the University of Georgia.\r\n\r\nDuring her graduate studies, Randi interned at the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She worked directly with landowners to improve irrigation systems and prevent soil erosion throughout Georgia and Alabama.\r\n\r\nShortly after graduation she was hired by the EPA to work with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems division, eventually overseeing development of a model tracking data across eight states on industrial stormwater discharge. She also worked with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation while at the EPA, overseeing the state\u2019s water monitoring program. In her last position, she evaluated international data on water quality with the Army Corps of Engineers at the Army Geospatial Center in Alexandria, Virginia.\r\n\r\nRandi\u2019s research for the SweetAPPS project will be analyzing satellite remote sensing data to better understand sweet potato production trends. \u201cRandi has excellent experience working directly with farmers,\u201d says Natalie Nelson, Biological and Agricultural Engineering assistant professor and Randi\u2019s Ph.D. advisor. \u201cIn addition to data analysis, she\u2019ll be able to bring in a rich perspective of what are on the ground challenges.\u201d\r\n\r\nRandi says she\u2019s dreamed of getting a Ph.D. since she was a kid. \u201cI enjoy the aspect of learning and seeing things from different perspectives \u2026 and with a Ph.D, for me, it can bring me more information to provide to others.\u201d\r\n\r\nBridging Gaps in Diversity\r\nThe process of recruiting underrepresented students was particularly relevant for the SweetAPPS project. \u201cAs agricultural jobs shift beyond the farm, without intervention, the growing agricultural data science workforce will most likely lack diversity, similar to other high-paying, family-flexible and secure jobs,\u201d says Jones.\r\n\r\nAccording to Pew Research, Black and Hispanic workers make up a smaller percentage of STEM workers compared to their share in the U.S. workforce as a whole.\u00a0\u201cIt is very rare for me to see me in my field,\u201d says Randi, \u201cIt\u2019s a welcoming thing to see that I\u2019m in a diverse group because I do see me, or I see a piece of me, and it makes me feel like we could get this done.\u201d\r\n\r\nWhen asked how they felt their role would impact other historically underrepresented students who want to pursue advanced degrees, each of the Sweet Fellows expressed a sense of responsibility representing their respective communities.\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve gotten comfortable with being uncomfortable. I\u2019ve gotten comfortable with being the only me in certain programs, but I\u2019ve been afforded the opportunity to be a part of the Sweet-APPs team,\u201d says Shana, \u201cso there\u2019s a reason why I am here.\u201d\r\nJones says she and others with the SweetAPPS team\u2019s are \u201cextremely excited for the tremendous talent that Shana, Randi and Enrique bring to the team. Our greatest goal is that we provide them, and all of our students, with a welcoming and inclusive community of scholarship that nurtures their talent and lets them thrive to their fullest potential.\u201d"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new cohort of Ph.D. candidates will begin their work on an interdisciplinary agricultural data science research endeavor this fall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3215,"featured_media":2865,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[8,234],"tags":[41,224],"class_list":["post-65536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-announcements","category-students","tag-academic-programs","tag-research"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3215"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65536"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66081,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65536\/revisions\/66081"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}