Education and training

Goals

Rise to land-grant university preeminence for graduate interdisciplinary research training for agricultural and food systems at the nexus of life science, digital and physical sciences.

Be a premier workforce cross-training resource for agriculture and life sciences technology applications and development.

Targeted impacts

• Recognized as a premier university for educating students in agricultural innovation and technology
• Students showcase talents in integrated data analytics and technology skills applicable across the agriculture and food system
• Graduates are highly recruited for academic, corporate, and public service positions
• Alumni rise to national prominence in leadership and academic and corporate research and management
• Recognized as a pipeline for Virginia’s agriculture and food systems technology workforce, assisting through practical training in relevant topic areas and technical skills.

UNDERGRADUATE/GRADUATE COURSES/POSITIONS OF INTEREST

AOE 3984: Solving Big Problems with Big Data; CRN92322

Brief Background:

This collaborative, multi-university course will focus on solving big problems with big data. The course will be driven by the needs of stakeholders from agriculture, conservation, search and rescue, water quality, transportation in inclement weather, and global health and emergency relief.

Highlights:

• Interdisciplinary research and the importance of teamwork to address grand challenge problems.
• Writing at the interface of science and engineering, and delivering effective research presentations.
• Methods for collecting, storing, and visualizing large data sets.
• Sensor-based assets and computational-based assets.
• Unanswered questions and research needs from key stakeholders.
• Communicating with stakeholders and knowing your audience.
• Building a winning proposal.
• Designing and executing a successful research project.

Two (2) GRA positions are announce at the National Capital Region. The positions are part of the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) at Virginia Tech's Research Institute (VTRI) in Arlington, VA

Title: AI Assurance Researcher
Location: Arlington, VA (open for Blacksburg students too)
Start date: Fall 2021 (20hrs/week)
Duration: 2 years (with possibility of extension)