Planning: South Dakota NSF EPSCoR Track-1 Planning Grant

Over a one-year period, this planning grant will stage ten events across the state of South Dakota to mature a selected project concept and research team, using a collaborative, inclusive approach. The events include planning visits to partner universities and South Dakota state government agencies, planning meetings to develop priorities for the future five-year project, and workshops to engage potential participants.

Initial strategic planning was held in conjunction with the South Dakota Biotechnology Association Summit, held in Brookings, South Dakota, October 2022.

This planning project from the South Dakota Board of Regents has the potential to develop the intrastate teamwork needed for a future EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-1 proposal on the general theme of the agricultural carbon cycle and how Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and precision agriculture can contribute to reducing agriculture’s carbon footprint. The agricultural carbon cycle topic is consistent with South Dakota’s state Science & Technology plan, which identifies Agricultural Sustainability and Food Security as key areas for the state.

Agriculture is the principal source of greenhouse gas emissions in South Dakota, accounting for 46% of the state’s gross greenhouse gas emissions. There is an urgent need to explore efficient solutions to effectively reduce agriculture’s carbon footprint. The aim of this planning grant is to identify which of these challenges South Dakota researchers are ready to tackle and which can be accomplished within the future five-year project period.

The planning project’s partner research universities include South Dakota State University, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, the University of South Dakota, and Dakota State University.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.