‘A Meaningful Impact’

Amid rising interest in the rapidly expanding field of artificial intelligence, promising undergraduate and graduate students at NC State University are gaining experience in applying AI and data analytics in agriculture.

The students are part of a five-year, $18.1 million U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded partnership called SAPLINGS. Led by North Carolina A&T State University, the project is designed to grow the number of underrepresented students studying food, agricultural, natural resources and human sciences.

NC State’s portion offers selected students the chance to learn about AI and data science and apply that knowledge for precision agriculture.

Launched this fall, SAPLINGS has already yielded results at NC State and N.C. A&T:

• Doctoral students Leticia Santos and Sina Jamalzadegan have grown their skills in mentoring and leadership.
• Sophomore Keller Virgilio has gained skills in programming and computer mapping and applying them to real-world challenges. 
• Senior Evelynn Wilcox has delved into the research process in ways that augment her classroom learning.
• Junior Brennen Farrell has learned more about machine learning and statistics, which could be key to landing a job in data science or software engineering.
• Second-year honors student Sharath Rameshbabu has combined computer science skills with newly gained knowledge of plant sciences to open new pathways toward his career goal of working on robotics in agriculture.
• Rosie Craven, a junior in mechanical engineering, has gained experience with 3D modeling, coding and more as an intern with the N.C. PSI Makerspace.
• And N.C. A&T junior Jarrod Mason has not only learned to use new computer programs for agriculture-related 3D modeling but also gained experience using online environments to work remotely.

Preparing a Data- and AI-Savvy Workforce

The SAPLINGS project involves eight universities, the USDA, other national organizations and private companies. It is part of the new USDA initiative From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agricultural Professionals.

NC State’s portion of the project involves providing students with the knowledge and skills in data analytics and AI, and Cranos Williams, N.C. PSI’s Platform Director for Data Analytics, leads the effort.

SAPLINGS creates opportunities that provide students at all levels with the knowledge, skill and technical know-how to develop data analytics and AI-based solutions.

Williams, the Goodnight Distinguished Professor of Agricultural Analytics in the departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Plant and Microbial Biology, says that growing an AI-enabled and analytics-aware workforce in agriculture is critical to accelerating the development of solutions to complex agricultural problems — from novel pest and pathogen mitigation strategies to prescriptive decision support systems for producers and growers.

“SAPLINGS creates opportunities that provide students at all levels with the knowledge, skill and technical know-how to develop data analytics and AI-based solutions to address future farming, food, and environmental challenges,” he says.

About Student Award Winners and Interns

Through the USDA award, students receive funding toward stipends, tuition or paid internships to enhance their success and workforce readiness. Williams says that SAPLINGS expects to provide future awards in the grant project’s third, fourth and fifth years.

This year, Santos, who is pursuing a  Ph.D. in biological and agricultural engineering, and Jamalzadegan, a Ph.D. student in chemical and molecular engineering, were awarded $34,000 each to cover stipend and additional funds for tuition.

They are both mentoring undergraduates in their research projects. Rameshbabu, a second-year honors student in computer science, has a 16-week paid internship with Jamalzadegan, who’s developing plant disease-detecting sensors for agriculture.

Virgilio, a transfer student in biological engineering, and Santos are collaborating on a Python-based initiative to estimate crop residue cover across the Delmarva Peninsula using machine learning. Virgilio is responsible for acquiring and processing open-source satellite imagery from various years and satellite products. He’ll apply machine learning techniques to these preprocessed images to achieve accurate analysis results.

Four other NC State undergraduate interns are working with faculty and staff members affiliated with the N.C. PSI.

I chose to get involved with SAPLINGS because I am passionate about the advancement of precision agriculture and deployable robotics.

Wilcox is in the same degree program as Virgilio, and she’s been learning about machine learning while gaining insights into dataset collection, model calibration and the limitations of models for disease detection. Her mentor is Lirong Xiang, an assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering.

Farrell is working with Chris Jones, a senior research staff member in the Center for Geospatial Engineering. A computer science student, Farrell is also learning about machine learning as well as statistics while working with a dataset related to tree species.

In addition, Craven is interning with Makerspace Director Andrea Monteza, where she’s gaining skills she’ll use when she launches an industry career in research and development.

And Mason, an N.C. A&T State computer science major, is working remotely in an undergraduate research experience with Professor Edgar Lobaton in NC State’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He hopes to have a career in data analytics and technology.

Students Reap Multiple Benefits

On top of the financial support from SAPLINGS, both the graduate students and the undergraduates say the program has made a meaningful difference in their NC State experience, especially as they prepare to launch their careers. They cited the chance to gain both “hard” skills that have added to their disciplinary knowledge, as well as ‘soft” skills such as leadership, communication and teamwork.

Santos, for example, says the experience has improved her ability to communicate complex ideas more clearly, manage her time, project next steps and set achievable goals – all skills she believes will serve her in future roles.

On the other hand, Wilcox says, “I chose to get involved with SAPLINGS because I am passionate about the advancement of precision agriculture and deployable robotics.”

Another plus, she says, has been “the opportunity to contribute to a cutting-edge field with the potential to make a meaningful impact for researchers and for growers.”