SAFES is exploring a new framework that will allow researchers in the digital agriculture realm to connect with others based on expertise, skillsets and resources.
A Community of Practice
The Emerging and Advanced Technologies Community of Practice composed of faculty, post docs, staff and graduate students establishes a network of expertise, skillsets and resources in a single place for others to see. For instance, when a researcher needs someone with a specific qualification or resource, they can leverage the network to find their ideal collaborator more quickly.
We also envision the community of practice playing a pivotal role in grant development. Grants contain a significant portion of reusable boilerplate language, and rewriting that language is an unnecessary use of time. With this new framework, researchers will be able to connect with colleagues that have their desired language available for reuse.
Development of an Idea
The Emerging and Advanced Technologies (formerly known as the Digital Agriculture) Community of Practice composed of faculty, post docs, staff and graduate students establishes a network of expertise, skillsets and resources in a single place for others to see. For instance, when a researcher needs someone with a specific qualification or resource, they can leverage the network to find their ideal collaborator more quickly.
We also envision the community of practice playing a pivotal role in grant development. Grants contain a significant portion of reusable boilerplate language, and rewriting that language is an unnecessary use of time. With this new framework, researchers will be able to connect with colleagues that have their desired language available for reuse.
What Does Emerging and Advanced Technologies Include?
The digital skillsets and resources that could be utilized in agriculture projects span countless disciplines, and all are invited to contribute their ideas. Just a few of the tools that could be utilized in this field are: Statistical and mathematical modeling, animal activity monitors, genome sequencing, video editing, enhanced interactive presentations, cloud services, GIS software, programming language, smartphone apps, machine learning and so much more.
This community of practice will be used to connect the right people with greater efficiency, launching Penn State’s digital agriculture efforts into a new era of productivity. If you’re interested in getting involved with the development of this initiative, please submit a request to join the Teams site. All are welcome.
Request to join the Teams group
Emerging and Advanced Tech in the News
Paul Esker, a plant pathologist in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, has received a $455,000 grant from the U.S Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to support a five-year integrated research and extension project designed to improve management recommendations for wheat.
A research team developing artificial-intelligence-based solutions for diagnosing and managing threats to crop health has received a grant to expand the technology to assist more smallholder farmers around the world.
The first robotic cutting mechanism — or “end-effector” — for a fully automated, computerized pruning system for modern apple orchards has been designed by a Penn State research team, an early step in the creation of a technology aimed at easing challenges facing tree-fruit growers.
A Penn State-led research team has received a nearly $950,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to create the next generation of an online decision-support tool designed to help conserve pollinator populations across the United States.
Researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have developed a robotic mechanism for mushroom picking and trimming and demonstrated its effectiveness for the automated harvesting of button mushrooms.
Researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have developed an important component of a new system that corn growers can use to adjust nitrogen fertilizer applications based on site-specific measurements of cover crops and soil organic matter.
In early 2020, Adrian Barragan was wrestling with how to incorporate farm trips into the new spring course on ruminant herd health management he was leading at Penn State.
An “internet of things” — or IoT — system monitoring real-time data from soil-based sensors to activate an automated precision irrigation setup can conserve water and boost crop production, according to a team of Penn State researchers.
A technology patented by a Penn State researcher to enhance the capabilities of the genome-editing tool known as CRISPR/Cas will have potential commercial applications as the result of a recently signed licensing agreement.
A plant pathologist in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is supporting a multi-institutional research project designed to help track the spread of a plant pathogen.
A novel camera system using active lighting devised by Penn State researchers may be a crucial step in developing machine vision systems that allow robotic devices to more clearly "see" the agricultural targets with which they will react.
Machine learning helps prepare necessary adaptations to warming conditions for farmers and supply chains.
Assessment details impact of pests and pathogens on the world’s major food crops.
