Scientific Impact

STRATEGIC PRIORITY 1.1: Integrate Technology and Data Management Capabilities Into All Aspects of N.C. PSI

N.C. PSI is an interdisciplinary initiative that extends well beyond the walls of its headquarters at the Plant Sciences Building—from conducting interdisciplinary research and engaging key stakeholders to collaborating with research stations throughout the state. N.C. PSI implements accessible programs and opportunities to the entirety of our NC State community and N.C. PSI affiliates.

Foundational to this sentiment are our technology and data management capabilities that are already being incorporated in throughout N.C. PSI projects. We will continue to build out this infrastructure in a way that further positions it as one of the most valuable components of N.C. PSI to advance plant science discovery and innovation. It will elevate how we collect, store and analyze the significant amounts of data that are crucial to our research while integrating these capabilities with all aspects of NC State’s research enterprise. NC State’s many research stations, greenhouses and Extension offices in all counties generate valuable data that can and should be integrated more holistically into research and the development of solutions that similarly serve each of our state’s diverse communities. We also recognize there are varying levels of connectivity, data management and digital literacy across our state’s communities with corresponding needs that N.C. PSI and Extension can coordinate to address through a mix of solutions that empower the growers of today in preparing for the future of their industry.

GOAL 1.1.1: BUILD OUT DATA INFRASTRUCTURE AND INTEGRATION THROUGHOUT THE NC

STATE PLANT SCIENCES ECOSYSTEM

KEY INITIATIVES

Key Initiative 1: Define, explore and integrate next-generation N.C. PSI data storage capabilities, as well as necessary resources for maintaining the technology, people, processes and procedures that can support associated project and partnership needs

Key Initiative 2: Develop structures and processes for centralizing N.C. PSI data collection and sharing

Key Initiative 3: Work with NC State Extension to build integrated data collection, storage and sharing systems that link NC State research stations with N.C. PSI data systems, allowing for seamless data transfer and analysis across the state’s plant science ecosystem

GOAL 1.1.2: EXPAND DATA-DRIVEN RESEARCH AND DIGITAL LITERACY INVOLVING

PLANT SCIENCE

KEY INITIATIVES

Key Initiative 1: Formalize collaboration with NC State’s Data Science Academy and other existing university academies or structures to magnify and broaden data-focused connections between NC State and agricultural producers

Key Initiative 2: Integrate data from NC State research stations to build a centralized data system for research and discovery

Key Initiative 3: Develop and launch a program with NC State Extension to train Extension agents to use, analyze and teach producers how to leverage agricultural data in decision-making

Key Initiative 4: Develop a solution for utilizing data repositories for academic programming and pedagogy

WOLFPACK 2030 ALIGNMENT

• Goal 2: Ensure preeminence in research, scholarship, innovation and collaboration.

• Goal 3: Expand and advance our engagement with and service to North Carolina and beyond, defining the standard for a 21st-century land-grant university.

• Goal 5: Improve university effectiveness through transformative technologies, cutting-edge processes and actionable data.

• Goal 6: Lead in developing innovative partnerships, entrepreneurial thinking and applied problem-solving.