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Students Use Data Science Skills to Address USDA Ag Challenges

N.C. PSI News

Two people in a farm field, one monitoring a small chamber

Feb 9, 2026

Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizer Can Cut Emissions, But Soil Type Matters

Recent research from NC State sheds light on the economic and environmental effects of adding inhibitors to synthetic fertilizers. Corn yields didn’t change much, but emissions of ammonia and, in some cases, nitrous oxide, were lower. 
Man carrying armloads of freshly harvested hemp

Feb 4, 2026

N.C. PSI Affiliates Win NCDA&CS Funding to Enhance N.C. Agriculture

Project goals range from developing an AI-powered system to rapidly screen fungicides for emerging plant diseases to securing plant-based alternatives to graphite for lithium ion batteries. 
Man stands beside corn plant in a greenhouse

Feb 2, 2026

Seed2Grow Spotlight: Elysia Creative Biology’s Eli Hornstein

Branching beyond his biotech company’s early focus on methane emission reductions, CALS alumnus Eli Hornstein is developing a range of feed-based solutions for animal agriculture. 
Three students look at plants on a table

Feb 2, 2026

Plant Sciences Pathways

The N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative provides mentorship to pre-college and undergraduate students for innovative STEM careers. 
Three people watch a robotic prototype with a mechanical arm grasp a tomato

Jan 22, 2026

Meet the Superhero Farm Robots in Training

NC State students and researchers are creating robotic field hands that could help grow and harvest your next salad. 
Man in white lab coat in greenhouse surrounded by plants

Jan 21, 2026

Genome Editing Center’s Tim Kelliher Connects Biotech to Farmers’ Needs

Tim Kelliher, an N.C. PSI faculty affiliate who leads NC State’s Genome Editing Center for Sustainable Agriculture, finds his motivation — his “why”— in doing research that meets the real-world needs of farmers. 
Man in lab coat examines plant in greenhouse

Jan 14, 2026

Phytoform Labs Wins Golden Ticket to NC State’s Seed2Grow Incubator

U.K.-based Phytoform Labs will be the first startup outside of NC State’s research community to join ag tech incubator in the university's Plant Sciences Building. 
Before an audience, a man points to a slide projection to describe battery technology.

Jan 13, 2026

Pitch Competition Shows Ag Tech ‘Alive and Thriving’ at NC State

At the N.C. PSI Seed2Grow Showcase and Pitch Competition, NC State students and researchers shared their ag tech innovations with industry leaders and investors. 
Dani Jones posing near window with brick buildings in the background

Jan 6, 2026

Project Will Harness AI To Identify Business Opportunities in Crop Leftovers

A grant from Schmidt Sciences will enable a research team led by N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative-affiliated faculty to build tools for analyzing the potential for converting agricultural leftovers into new business opportunities. 
Five students pose together in a greenhouse corridor

Jan 5, 2026

Students Use Data Science Skills to Address USDA Ag Challenges

As USDA interns, five NC State graduate students applied data science skills to help build AI tools for agriculture.