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N.C. PSI News

Four professionals standing side-by-side

Feb 25, 2025

Cultiv8 Group, N.C. PSI Partner to Help AgTech Startups Deliver Solutions

The North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative at NC State University and Cultiv8 Group — comprising Spark Labs Cultiv8 and Cultiv8 Funds Management of Orange, Australia — have entered a new partnership… 

Sarah Cochran-Murray presents a research poster

Feb 20, 2025

The Heart of the N.C. PSI: Sarah Cochran-Murray

Editor’s Note: As we gear up for NC State’s 2025 Day of Giving on March 26, the N.C. PSI is highlighting passion-inspired, donor-fueled staff, students and others behind our plant sciences research, extension and… 

Jevon Smith and Joe Chiera look at a computer in a greenhouse.

Feb 13, 2025

The Heart of the N.C. PSI: Jevon Smith

Editor’s Note: As we gear up for NC State’s 2025 Day of Giving on March 26, the N.C. PSI is highlighting passion-inspired, donor-fueled staff, students and others behind our plant sciences… 

Apple tree in orchard

Feb 12, 2025

N.C. PSI Seeds Project to Improve Apple Production

An interdisciplinary North Carolina State University team has kicked off new research exploring whether imaging technologies paired with artificial intelligence might prove useful for apple farmers. Seed funding for the… 

Debjani Sihi, wearing a white lab coat, stands at a lab bench

Feb 6, 2025

Debjani Sihi Joins NC State to Advance Agriculture with AI and Big Data

Meet Debjani Sihi, CALS' first interdisciplinary AI cluster hire, who's using AI and big data to make farming smarter and more sustainable. 

Green rhododendron leave with green blotches

Jan 30, 2025

Moving Plant Disease Diagnosis from Lab to Field for Faster Results

North Carolina State University researchers continue to push the field of plant disease diagnosis forward, developing simple-to-run tests capable of delivering results in minutes, sometimes before plants show visible signs… 

Adrian Percy headshot

Jan 13, 2025

What’s Ahead for the N.C. PSI in 2025

As the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative enters its fourth year in the Plant Sciences Building, Executive Director Adrian Percy sees it growing beyond its startup phase into a stage… 

Sina Jamalzadegan at his computer desk.

Dec 19, 2024

Preparing for a Future that Matters

For North Carolina State University Ph.D. candidate  Sina Jamalzadegan, 2024 has been a big year. Not only has the engineering student made headway in using artificial intelligence (AI) to create… 

Adrian Percy standing akimbo in front of the Plant Sciences Building

Dec 16, 2024

Counting Down N.C. PSI’s Top Five Hits of 2024

2024 marked Adrian Percy’s third full year as executive director of the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative, and with the new year approaching, he shared a list of what he sees… 

Two people in a lab with electronic devices

Dec 3, 2024

Researchers Pit Lasers Against Sweetpotato Pest

With vinegar flies increasingly impacting sweetpotato storage, N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative researchers are exploring a novel management strategy with lasers to combat the pests.