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N.C. PSI News

Man with drone flying over farm field

Dec 8, 2020

Initiatives to Make N.C. Agriculture a $100 Billion Powerhouse

Three major NC State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences initiatives aim to transform agriculture and agribusiness. 

Sweetpotatoes in a yellow plastic tub

Nov 30, 2020

Partner Profile: North Carolina SweetPotato Commission

The commission is specifically interested in identifying new varieties of sweetpotatoes that are resistant to pests and disease, easier to harvest and require less infrastructure for curing, all while protecting taste and quality standards. 

Cranos Williams in front of Hunt Library

Nov 18, 2020

PSI Profile: Cranos Williams, Platform Director for Data-Driven Plant Sciences

Cranos Williams, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been named the director of the Data-Driven Plant Sciences platform for the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative. 

An ear of corn on a farm in North Carolina

Oct 12, 2020

Grant Continues Support of Crop DNA Replication Research

A new NSF grant will allow two Plant and Microbial Biology professors to continue their work of 17 years unraveling how plants control DNA replication and how this influences agronomic traits. 

Man and woman talking in a corn field

Oct 6, 2020

Measuring Greenhouse Gases Starts in Soil

Researchers from NC State’s Crop and Soil Sciences and the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) are pioneering research methodology to understand and harness the power of our soil to affect climate change. 

A man kneeling with children near a cornfield in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Sep 29, 2020

Faculty Focus: Álvarez’s A-Maize-ing Research

Research by Rubén Rellán Álvarez and his lab focuses on understanding the genetic, metabolic and physiological mechanisms involved in maize adaptation to abiotic stresses. 

Bill Collins speaks to a group gathered in a tobacco field, with a tractor in the background

Sep 23, 2020

Collins Continues Support for Agricultural Innovation

Bill Collins and Ann Collins named a study room in the new Plant Sciences Building. Learn why they feel supporting the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative is vital for the future of North Carolina. 

A small white box on PVC pipe poles over plots of soybeans in sandy soil.

Sep 9, 2020

Faculty Focus: Nelson to Help USDA Guide Agricultural Innovation

Natalie Nelson, an assistant professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering was selected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to serve as one of the 11 subject matter experts for the USDA’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda. 

A wooden crate being hoisted by a crane into a building with a blue sky.

Sep 2, 2020

Syngenta Donates One-of-a-Kind Laboratory Equipment to N.C. PSI

Syngenta donated four plant growth chambers and a specialized weighing system to the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative. At more than $1.5 million, this is the largest corporate donation to N.C. PSI, so far. 

A small, red fly on a blueberry, against a black background.

Aug 31, 2020

A New IDEA: Pairing Trainees with Computational Experts During the Pandemic

This spring in the midst of a pandemic, a committee of CALS faculty members matched graduate students and postdocs with data they needed to analyze or model computationally to computational experts with the necessary expertise. Learn more about how the collaboration is going for three trainees.