STEAM Members Jonathan Jacobs, Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology, and Arnab Nandi, Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, both received funding for their respective climate-focused research from the AgTech Innovation Hub.

Jonathan Jacobs, working with other principal researchers Dr. Horacio Lopez-Nicora (Department of Plant Pathology), Dr. Alex Lindsey (Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, HCS), and Dr. Laura Lindsey (HCS), is working on a project titled, "It Starts and Ends with Seeds: Protecting Soybeans from Pathogens". This project aims to pursue a multi-part project focused on protecting soybean seed health, improving seed quality, and ensuring crop establishment.

Arnab Nandi, working with other principal researchers Sami Khanal (FABE) and Laura Lindsey (HCS), are working on a project titled, "AI for Farming: Harvesting Insights from Data and Drones". This project aims to  use artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and drones to simplify the process of identifying crop risks for producers. Instead of using just one type of data to train machine learning models, researchers plan to combine weather and soil data with plant tissue information and satellite, smartphone, and aerial drone images.

To accelerate research focused on addressing and understanding these climate risks, The Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) has partnered with Nationwide and the Ohio Farm Bureau to create the AgTech Innovation Hub. 

This Hub promotes applied research, technology transfer, the exchange of knowledge and experience, and transdisciplinary innovation in support of agricultural technology. Nationwide has pledged up to $2 million in initial funding for research projects that will explore solutions to minimize climate risks. A yearlong timeline for these projects will encourage accelerated research outcomes.

Click here to read more about each project, as well as the other projects that received funding.