Friday, 12 March 2021
Training the next generation of plant scientists in using Artificial Intelligence to measure the structure and function of plants has been given a boost with new funding.
A new collaborative project between the University of Nottingham and the University of Lincoln (UK) has received £800,000 to provide training around plant phenotyping technologies focusing on AI-related topics, specifically data capture and analysis.
The Innovative Training in Data Capture, Analysis and Management for Plant Phenotyping project (Data CAMPP) is part of £10 million investment in innovation scholarships from UKRI to fund secondment and training programmes in health and bioscience.
Robot technology at University of Lincoln
Dr Andrew French from the University of Nottingham said: “Recent developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI), combined with robot-assisted image and sensor data capture, mean that high-throughput acquisition and analysis of vast and varied bioscience data sets has become a reality. But along with this new technology comes challenges around provision of appropriate training for users and beneficiaries of the technology, such as how effective methods of data acquisition are designed and implemented, how methods are adapted to new domains in biosciences, how bioscientists can utilise these new technologies and approaches in their lab or field research and what issues arise with respect to ethical handling of data.”
Data CAMPP will develop a suite of training materials targeted to a broad bioscience audience, including hands-on activities and online content to support face-to-face and blended learning environments. It aims to cover several key steps in automated data capture, from acquisition, to curation, to analysis. Participants will be able to engage in hands-on labs to develop computational skills and hardware-based practical exercises that offer insight into the use of robots for data capture, and state-of-the-art techniques for learning models from data.
Data CAMPP will provide training material directly to the UK plant phenotyping community and will, longer-term, work with the ESFRI EMPHASIS initiative, internationally. EMPHASIS seeks to create a pan-European plant phenotyping research infrastructure allowing scientists from across Europe to access and jointly develop phenotyping tools and methods. The University of Nottingham is working closely with BBSRC and BEIS to implement EMPHASIS.
As the project unfolds over the next two years, we hope the resources will be of interest for those bioscientists wishing to improve their data analysis skills, enabling greater integration of data science and AI approaches in future bioscience research.
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For more information contact Dr Andrew French on Andrew.P.French@nottingham.ac.uk or or Jane Icke, Media Relations Manager for the Faculty of Science at the University of Nottingham, on +44 (0)115 951 5751, jane.icke@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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