By Blake Jackson
AI-driven precision farming, smart insect traps for pest management, and nutrient-enhanced crops were among the innovative projects highlighted at the second CALS Innovation Day, hosted by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Research and Innovation Office (RIO) on Oct. 7 in Stocking Hall.
The event celebrated cutting-edge research, creativity, and forward-thinking solutions shaping the future of agriculture and life sciences, aligning with CALS’ Roadmap to 2050 strategic goal of advancing transdisciplinary research beyond conventional boundaries.
Through rapid-fire lightning talks and poster presentations, attendees learned about CALS researchers’ partnerships with industry leaders to bring transformative solutions in agriculture, sustainability, and biotechnology to market. This included work supported by the Moonshot Seed Grant Program.
Benjamin Z. Houlton, Ronald P. Lynch Dean, welcomed keynote speaker Gerald Chan, a visionary philanthropist, scientist, and co-founder of the Morningside Group.
“In confronting unprecedented global challenges in food security, environmental sustainability and human health, the need for innovative solutions has never been greater,” Houlton said.
“Dr. Chan represents exactly what we strive to instill in our CALS community - the ability to identify breakthrough scientific opportunities and transform them into solutions that benefit society.”
Chan emphasized the importance of democratizing innovation in university education, stressing real-world applications as AI expands access to knowledge. “The world has changed. It is no longer about what you know but what you can put into action with that information,” he said. “To stay relevant, higher education must prepare students to solve messy, real-world problems by asking the right questions, not just recalling answers.”
The day concluded with RIO’s inaugural Innovation Awards ceremony, recognizing faculty, students, and industry partners for outstanding contributions:
- Best Patent and Technology Award: Joseph Peters, for “Programmable CRISPR - Associated Transposons for Targeted Gene Integration.”
- Best Entrepreneurship and Engagement Award: Buz Barstow, for research on “Applying Biology to the Challenge of Sustainability.”
- Student Entrepreneur of the Year: Seongmin Shin, for “C-BRIDGE: Faster, Trustworthy Carbon Credit with LiDar.”
- Best Partnership Award: Angry Orchard Cider Co., collaborating with CALS researchers including Gregory Peck.
“Honoring our faculty and industry partners is a celebration of curiosity, creativity and impact,” said Xingen Lei, associate dean of RIO and organizer of the Innovation Awards. “Their work transforms ideas into real-world solutions that make a lasting difference.”
Photo Credit: gettyimages-scharfsinn86
Categories: New York, Business, Education