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AI2EAR

Our Work

"I think bringing larger groups of people together, and then there might be isolated cases where people could work together, benefitting from each other’s expertise. So I think that would be really what I would like to do within this kind of larger network."
-Network Principal Investigator

Sensor Science, Engineering, & Integration:


Uses plant microbiome data from the CCRP, FFAR, and AMP networks to profile crop, soil, and environmental properties across scale.

Uses  novel analytical paradigms for processing heterogeneous and unstructured crop, soil, and environmental datasets developed by CCRP, FFAR, ACCESS, and RP-TDA and RiseEnAg networks.

Data Mining, Machine Learning, Multi-scale Modeling, AI models

Open-source Data & Network Cyberinfrastructures

Uses data and network cyberinfrastructure from CCRP and RiseEnAg networks that forms the foundation of an open-source information sharing platform for real-time querying, systematic organization, and dynamic abstraction of heterogeneous agro-ecological datasets.

Student & Early-Career Development Plan

AI2EAR Fellows are participating in training on three topics:

  1. Communication, both interpersonal (one-to-one, small and large group; cross-cultural) and presentation (to scientific and nonscientific audiences)
  2. Self-awareness and self-management (identification of strengths, inventory of emotional intelligence, awareness of communication and work styles)
  3. Project design and management for international collaborations.

Broadening Participation Plan

Train talented students and postdocs and create thriving welcoming research, and mentoring environments for students, faculty and staff.

  1. Network partners are working together to explore establishing a 6-week summer research program.
  2. The NC State Office for Equal Opportunity is providing a Broadening Participation Workshop each year designed to build relationships through understanding, as well as in-person and online training options for conducting equitable and inclusive hiring processes at all levels.
  3. URM graduate students and postdocs are being paired with at least one faculty mentor from a network outside of their home institution network. This mentor can video chat with the student at least once a semester, can act as a career coach and advocate for the success of the student outside of their graduate committee.

Communication Plan

Acquire data to develop communication networks among AI2EAR members to:

  1. Conduct a socio-organizational analysis to identify strategies for effective communication during planning meetings and discussions
  2. Identify team member competencies and match them based on AI2EAR needs;
  3. Establish cultural and expertise heterogeneity across networks to mitigate geographic location, disciplines, and/ or cultural challenges.

Evaluation Plan

Assess the effectiveness of education as well as the diversity and inclusion programs using tools developed through NSF’s Alliance for Graduation Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) program.

  1. Assessment of design, development, and implementation of surveys/workshops.
  2. Assessment of mentoring, retention and engagement activities for URM students in the education pipeline.
  3. Review of data reflecting the number of URM faculty and students participating in AI2EAR.
  4. Assessment of effective incentives and engagement programs that lead to diverse and international research, mentoring, and training opportunities.

Coordination Plan

AI2EAR Network-of-Networks proposal provides a unifying theme centered around the common goal of creating and bringing together diverse international networks and stakeholders. Each member network will engage fully in all activities of AI2EAR including attending, in person or virtually, the kick-off and annual meetings, sharing facilities, equipment and resources and recruiting, mentoring, hosting, and cross-training AI2EAR Fellows and visiting scholars.
During the winter of 2020, the Project Coordinator along with senior personnel, Dr. Tucker, will do a comprehensive evaluation of available/widely used international communication tools and software and data sharing tools and repositories in addition to surveying networks to understand what is currently in use and available to them. Recommendations for communication protocols will be decided at the Kick-off meeting.