The University of Minnesota announced that it will receive a $20 million grant over five years from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to lead a new National Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, called the AI Institute for Climate-Land Interactions, Mitigation, Adaptation, Tradeoffs and Economy (AI-CLIMATE), in an effort to develop climate-smart forestry and agricultural practices.
Department of Forest Resources faculty Chad Babcock and John Zobel have been key leaders of the project, among other CFANS faculty.
Per the article, researchers at AI-CLIMATE will "aim to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to create more climate-smart practices that will absorb and store carbon while simultaneously boosting the economy in the agriculture and forestry industries."
Read the full article on the CFANS blog.
Image description: Over a maroon background is a screenshot of the CFANS article "U of M to lead new AI Institute focusing on climate-smart agriculture and forestry." The title is written in white text above the image. Below it in yellow text is the subtitle, "The new AI-CLIMATE institute will leverage artificial intelligence to create more sustainable agriculture and forestry industries." "Story by CFANS" is also written in gold text below the image.