** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THANKS TO ADVANCEMENTS IN COMPUTATIONAL POWER, AGRICULTURISTS CAN NOW USE RICH DATA SOURCES TO EXPLORE NOVEL WAYS TO OPTIMIZE, IMPROVE, AND SUSTAIN PLANT PRODUCTION SYSTEMS. TO MEET THIS NEED, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR DATA SCIENTISTS ARE EXPECTED TO GROW BY 36% OVER THE NEXT DECADE. THE MOST DESIRABLE APPLICANTS FOR THESE POSITIONS WILL BE GRADUATES WHO CAN COLLABORATE EFFECTIVELY WITHIN A TEAM SETTING AND WHO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF BOTH DATA SCIENCE AND THE LABORATORY, FIELD, AND GREENHOUSE SETTINGS WHERE DATA ARE GENERATED.THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO PROVIDE UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENTIAL TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES THAT COMBINE DATA SCIENCE AND CROP SCIENCE. THE PROGRAM CONSISTS OF TWO TRACKS: THE EXPLORERS TRACK, AND THE FELLOWS TRACK. EXPLORERS WILL BE INTRODUCED TO THE APPLICATIONS OF DATA SCIENCE IN CROP SCIENCE THROUGH A WEEK-LONG SUMMER DATA SCIENCE BOOTCAMP WHERE THEY WILL USE COMPUTATIONAL SKILLSETS TO DERIVE MEANING FROM REAL-WORLD EXAMPLES, AND THEY WILL WORK IN TEAMS TO PRESENT THE FINDINGS OF THEIR SHORT PROJECTS. STUDENTS IN THE FELLOWS TRACK WILL BE IMMERSED IN A FULLY FUNDED, TWO-YEAR RESEARCH EXPERIENCE. FELLOWS WILL BE PLACED WITH A PROFESSOR IN A RESEARCH AREA OF THEIR CHOOSING TO GAIN PRACTICAL LABORATORY, GREENHOUSE, AND/OR FIELD EXPERIENCE. THEY WILL WORK WITH THEIR MENTORS TO DESIGN AN INDEPENDENT STUDY PROJECT THAT COMBINES THESE RESEARCH SKILLS WITH DATA SCIENCE, AND THEY WILL PRESENT THE RESULTS OF THEIR PROJECT TO THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY AND TO THE PUBLIC. UPON COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT, 200 EXPLORERS AND 16 FELLOWS WILL HAVE BEEN TRAINED.