Project Grant ED15HDQ0300029

This $1,200,000 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) will fund the development of a voice-controlled virtual reality (VR) visual analytics platform for plant digital twins. The project, titled "VR-BIO-TALK: VR Voice-Controlled Visual Analytics Platform for Plant Digital Twins," aims to bridge the gap between large, complex plant datasets and the ability to extract meaningful insights through intuitive, natural...

This $862,121 federal Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Biological Sciences (CFDA 47.074) program supports the development of a voice-controlled virtual reality (VR) visual analytics system for plant digital twins. The University of Arizona, serving as the prime awardee, will develop novel artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithms to reconstruct detailed 3D plant models from phenotyping data, create an intuitive VR user interface with voice controls, and deploy...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Biological Sciences (CFDA 47.074) program grant, awarded to Purdue University, aims to develop innovative data processing and visualization tools to reconstruct 3D models of maize plants, known as "digital twins." The $533,393 project, running from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2027, will leverage advanced AI and optimization techniques to simulate how changes in maize plant architecture and environmental conditions impact crop productivity. The...

This $393,283 National Science Foundation Biological Sciences project grant will support the Chicago Botanic Garden's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site program from 2022 to 2025. The program will provide research experiences and professional development to 30 undergraduate students over three summers, with the goal of increasing careers in plant conservation. Students will conduct 10-week research internships at the Garden's Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action...

This $998,790 project grant from the National Science Foundation's Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) will support enhancing global plant transformation capacity through research, training, and partnerships led by Boyce Thompson Institute For Plant Research Inc. Over a three-year period, the grantee will establish a global research coordination network to collectively address challenges to plant genetic engineering and gene editing efficiency. The network aims to facilitate collaboration,...

This $1,000,000 federal Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (CFDA 47.074 Biological Sciences) supports the "Global Centers: Alliance for Socially-Acceptable & Actionable Plants" (ASAP) research project at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The project aims to leverage natural biodiversity and emerging technologies like AI and synthetic biology to develop high-energy, water-use efficient crop feedstocks to advance a sustainable bioeconomy. Key...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $953,779 Project Grant under the Biological Sciences (CFDA 47.074) program to the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska to develop innovative data processing and advanced visualization tools for optimizing maize canopy architecture. The goal is to create a "digital twin" of maize plants that can simulate real plant growth and response to the environment. This will allow researchers to experiment with different plant traits and...

This three-year National Science Foundation Project Grant of $439,507 will fund research at the University of California, Berkeley to uncover the genetic basis of specialized vascular function in maize plants. Principal Investigators Leiboff of Oregon State University and Chuck of UC Berkeley will apply single-cell genomics, mutant mapping, and machine learning techniques to identify genes regulating specialized vein development and physiology. Their work aims to improve maize's resilience to...

This five-year, $246,000 project grant from the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Higher Education National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants program will support multidisciplinary training for six graduate students pursuing master's degrees in plant production sciences at Oregon State University's Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center. The grant aims to engage students in field-based and traditional campus learning environments across...

This $699,870 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) supports the development of simplified and highly efficient genetic modification technologies for economically important grasses and cereal crops. The "PLANTTRANSFORM: SMART GRASS" project aims to overcome the current constraint in the plant science research community regarding the capacity to genetically modify major crop plants. The award establishes a...