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Like a hybrid plant, the cross-pollination of research ideas and strengths between universities can yield a stronger offspring that provides real-world solutions to society’s grand challenges. With that in mind, George Mason University’s College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) plans to collaborate with the Indian Institute of Technology–Ropar (IIT–Ropar) as one of three Centers of Excellence (CoEs) in AI. This collaboration results from a call for proposals last winter from the Ministry of Education of India which seeks to improve the nation’s AI ecosystem through cooperation with partners worldwide.
Top educational institutions, in consortium with industry partners and startups, will lead the CoEs for AI. They will conduct interdisciplinary research, develop cutting-edge applications, and create scalable solutions in three areas. They are AI in healthcare, agriculture, and sustainable cities. The CEC will be part of the consortium for CoE for AI in Agriculture which is led by IIT–Ropar and includes eight other IITs.
Gurdip Singh, CEC divisional dean of the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC), leads the George Mason effort. The opportunity arose in January 2024 when Singh met with Rajiv Ahuja, director of IIT–Ropar, at a conference in the Washington, D.C. area and invited him to visit the CEC. When India’s Ministry of Education called for proposals, the IIT–Ropar team was one of 55. The field narrowed and three were chosen.
“The state of Punjab, where Ropar is located, is the breadbasket of India,” said Singh. “There is a tremendous desire to improve agricultural methods and crop yields.” In a generation, India has become agriculturally self-reliant and is a leading exporter of rice, milk, and sugarcane. With a growing population, continued urbanization, and strained natural resources, compounded by worldwide climate change, the country must continue finding engineering and technical solutions.
“The CoE will leverage IIT-Ropar’s extensive infrastructure to connect with farmers, listen to their problems, and develop viable AI-based economic solutions,” said Professor Pushpendra Singh, dean for Research and Technology at IIT–Ropar, who will lead the project.
Collaborative efforts focusing on using AI in agriculture that leverage CEC’s expertise in AI, robotics and sensor technologies and IIT–Ropar’s strength in building and delivering solutions can help farmers improve crop quality, reduce losses, and boost biodiversity. “We can collect and use data like crop yields (weather, remote sensing, and local farming conditions), provide AI-based real-time advice for farmers on sowing, harvesting, crop health, and extreme weather, incorporate traditional and scientific knowledge, update with climate change effects,” said Gurdip Singh.
This proposal was funded at $40M over four years and provides opportunities for George Mason to work with institutions and host visits from India. “We will be looking for students and faculty to work on this project in the coming months,” said Gurdip Singh who now has an adjunct faculty appointment with IIT–Ropar.