SIPS Strategic Plan

Our Vision

Leveraging fundamental insights to sustain natural and agroecosystems in a changing climate, through resilient plants, sustainably managed, serving the world

Our Mission

To address global challenges of food security, environmental conservation, biodiversity, and human health in a changing climate

Our Values

Our values align with those of the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences and Cornell University which are:

Purposeful Discovery
Free and Open Inquiry and Expression
A Community of Belonging
Exploration across Boundaries
Changing Lives through Public Engagement
Respect for the Natural Environment

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Strategic Plan 2022

Plants, their ecosystems, the soils in which they grow, and their associated microbes, are foundational to the health of our planet, and therefore to the health of humanity. In the coming decade, our global community will be increasingly challenged by a changing climate and pressures on our natural, as well as food and agricultural, ecosystems. SIPS students, staff and faculty have identified community goals and grand challenges with accompanying objectives aimed at local and global needs. Many of the SIPS activities are, by design, multi-disciplinary and include inputs and collaborations with other life science disciplines, as well as those from social, physical, and computer sciences, engineering, and the humanities. The ultimate goal of this plan is to strengthen current connections and build new bridges across the disciplines.

Embodying a welcoming and inclusive community

Trust and appreciation of diverse experiences and perspectives are necessary to effectively develop and communicate solutions to global challenges. This requires the creation and support of a culture in which everyone has the opportunity to participate, lead, and grow.

people in a greenhouse looking at a cactus

Increase diversity in, and equity and inclusion for, SIPS undergraduate and graduate student bodies, staff and faculty

Empower the SIPS Diversity and Inclusion committee to identify, define, and carry out strategic initiatives
Identify opportunities to expand the diversity of our faculty in concert with the CALS Associate Dean for Diversity & Inclusion
Engage leaders at every level in educational opportunities to enhance DEI awareness, commitment, and engagement.
Implement accessible and inclusive curricula, classrooms and research infrastructure
Ensure diverse applicant pools for graduate programs through strong connections to inclusive institutions and organizations, reduced financial and administrative barriers, and participation in Diversity Preview Weekend
Translate research findings for the benefit of traditionally under-served stakeholders

Foster a climate of interaction, cooperation, and respect

Enhance communication and networking among sections and among faculty, staff, and students
Promote training at all levels in effective communication, leadership, and teamwork
Build a strong administrative, technical and academic staff to support the mission of SIPS
Review administrative structure by the management team to evaluate the functional support system against the goals outlined in the strategic plan. Engaging various stakeholder groups across the school, refinements will be identified and adjustments made to best align the staff structure to support these goals.

Grand Challenges

Sustainable crop production and food security

Safeguarding future food security for all with sustainably managed nutritious crops in diverse production systems, under a changing climate, with minimal loss to weeds and pathogens

hands with cassava plant in a greenhouse

Improve crop yields and nutrition

Leverage our knowledge of genetic diversity and plant physiology for crop plant improvement
Reduce crop losses through understanding of pathogen biology, plant resistance, and weed ecology
Enhance plant health with microbiome management and optimized growing conditions

Develop strategies for reduced-input crop production

Manage soil health for nutrient retention and beneficial water relations
Optimize cropping systems for diverse production scales and types (organic, conventional, perennial, annual)

Develop and apply digital technologies for climate responsive precision management of agricultural systems (Digital Agriculture)

Build systems for plant and soil health monitoring at multiple scales using sensing technologies
Create and deploy data analysis pipelines and decision support tools

Plants and ecosystem health

Integrating climate change mitigation and adaptation to secure ecosystem and human health and foster climate justice in diverse environments

Climate-change mitigation through plant and ecosystem management

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture through understanding and management of soil health, nutrient cycles, and soil microbiology
Remove atmospheric carbon dioxide using cropping systems, plant breeding, plant/microbe bioengineering, and carbon sequestration
Recycle agricultural, food, and human wastes as soil amendments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (circular economy)
Discover new opportunities for climate change mitigation via advances in remote sensing and geospatial applications

Adaptation to climate change through innovative plant and ecosystem science

Describe and model climate impacts on plant and microbe biodiversity
Identify and manage climate-exacerbated weeds and pathogens
Detect and mitigate plant responses to climate stress with plant breeding and bioengineering of sensor plants and microbes (synthetic biology)
Build resilient landscapes for climate-vulnerable populations through diversified cropping systems and integrated plant, soil and ecosystem science

Plant production and ecosystem services in urban/peri-urban environments

Enhancing food access and ecosystem services for equitable human and ecosystem health in high population areas

Identify how the built environment can contribute to a more sustainable and climate resilient world for urban populations across the economic spectrum

Develop and sustain green spaces in urban/peri-urban areas encompassing parks, community gardens, botanic gardens, turf, and green infrastructure
Improve strategies to select and maintain trees and other plants in urban environments
Monitor and promote soil health and remediation in developed landscapes
Enhance and promote the ecosystem services of built environments such as erosion and flood control, habitat for wildlife, and carbon storage
Promote the human wellness benefits of greenspaces

Foster sustainable urban agriculture practices that contribute to human health, economic viability, and resilient, equitable food systems

Facilitate the vitality of diverse and effective urban agriculture practices in soil, raised beds, rooftop gardens, and protected environments
Improve the sustainability and economic viability of production of high nutrient density food in protected and controlled environments such as high tunnels, greenhouses, rooftop, and vertical farms (Controlled Environment Agriculture)

Biodiversity, evolution, and molecular mechanisms

Understanding plant processes from cells to ecosystems and harnessing fundamental knowledge of plants, their associated microbes, and their relationships with the environment.

Gain insights into evolution and adaptation of plants and associated microbes

Define and model the evolutionary history and trajectory of plants across a broad range of spatiotemporal scales
Determine the developmental and environmental factors that drive adaptation of plants and plant-associated microbes

Characterize organismal and molecular diversity of plants and plant-associated microbes in natural and agricultural ecosystems

Elucidate processes underlying plant development, physiology, environmental responses and nutrition
Discover mechanisms governing plant-environment and plant-microbe interactions that include both beneficial and pathogenic microbes
Characterize and model the diverse relationships between plant systems, soil biogeochemistry and nutrient cycling, and their impact on climate

Translate complex plant and microbial systems to drive broadly beneficial biotechnological innovation

Leverage and integrate diverse data sets to model and predictively modulate biological processes
Bioengineer plants and their microbes with novel biological properties, and generate new plant-based products and synthetic communities (synthetic biology)

SIPS Strategic Plan 2022