The 2023 N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative Hackathon, co-hosted by the NC State Data Science Academy (DSA), was held at the NC State Plant Sciences Building on October 20 – 22. This year’s event, the third such event hosted by the N.C. PSI, brought in a record number of participants. Over the course of the three-day competition, 74 undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars competed in three tracks designed to showcase participants’ varied skills to solve agtech related challenges for prizes and, of course, bragging rights.
Track 1: Visual Analytics (Beginner Level)
Participants explored corn datasets in SAS Visual Analytics and applied machine learning to predict yield. This track was designed to teach participants the basics of data analytics using a common platform.
Track 2: 3D Printing Hardware (Intermediate Level)
Teams tackled a real hardware engineering challenge by finding the most creative solution using 3D printing, beginner-level electronics and other maker tools.
Track 3: Machine Learning (Advanced Level)
Hackers created machine learning models in Python (or another programming language of choice) to identify weather and genotypic factors that are important for predicting and optimizing yield. The dataset was provided by Bayer.
The 2023 N.C. PSI was sponsored by Bayer, BASF, Nvidia and SAS. Thank you!
Click the event photo thumbnails below to enlarge.
