Back

Discover CALS

See how our current work and research is bringing new thinking and new solutions to some of today's biggest challenges.

RIO Moonshot Seed Grants

The CALS Research and Innovation Office (RIO) and the Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) are pleased to fund the CALS Moonshot Seed Grant Program. Recipients of the seed grants are advancing the frontiers of science, technology and community wellbeing, and leverage innovative theories and cutting-edge technologies to tackle critical challenges and create transformative impacts in three strategic areas: 

  1. AI in Agriculture, Food Security, Sustainability, Health, and Life Sciences
  2. Food is Medicine
  3. Regenerative Agriculture and Science
Displaying 1 - 10 of 27
AI-assisted quantifications of carbon sequestration in soil and forest biomass of the continental US
To quantify soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and forest biomass across the continental US, we have developed BINN (Biogeochemistry-Informed Neural Network), which seamlessly integrates models and big data through neural network.
Commercializing TracCropsTM
A platform that streamlines pesticide application record-keeping and reporting by producers to farmworkers, agencies, buyers, and certifiers.
AI for Monitoring, Reporting and Verification of Biochar Carbon Market
Pyrogenic carbon (pyC) is a leading pathway for durable soil carbon storage, but quantifying its permanence is difficult, mostly obtained by incubating fresh biochar.
Method to enhance choline bioavailability and milk choline concentrations, and reduce methane in the lactating dairy cow
Choline is a key micronutrient needed to support growth, lactation, and reproduction in mammals. In dairy cattle, enhancing absorbed choline increases milk production and improve liver health.
FoodGuard: AI-Driven Personalized Food Safety Communication System
Food safety risk is growing faster than the expert support available to manage it.
Robotic Green Fruitlet Thinning with a Soft Manipulator (Arm)-based Robotic System
To achieve desired fruit size and quality (e.g., color, sugar content), excess young fruit (fruitlet) is removed from apple trees in the early growing season.
Harnessing AI for Real-time Detection and Mitigation of Herbicide-Resistant Pigweeds
Herbicide-resistant waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) is an emerging threat to soybean production in New York and the northeastern United States, where rapid detection and management are critical to prevent establishment, spread, and long-term economic losses.
Cornell Center for Circular Bionutrient Economy (C3BE)
Circular bionutrient economy (CBE) is an emerging area for research and implementation in SIPS and the Ashley School.
Bid Behavior and Policy Design in Public Fresh Produce Procurement: Evidence from Lettuce
Public food procurement contracts are commonly awarded through competitive sealed-bid procedures in which vendors strategically determine bid prices while competing for institutional food supply contracts.
Core promoter grammar breakdown by molecular genetics and deep learning model approaches
Gene transcription and its regulation is critical for an organism’s development and homeostasis.