The Syngenta Crop Challenge in Analytics, sponsored by Syngenta in partnership with the INFORMS Analytics Society, is seeking judges for the 2019 competition, now underway. Under the leadership of competition chair Professor Nicolas Martin of the University of Illinois, the judging panel will first select finalists during the first quarter of 2019 and will then select winners following in-person presentations by finalists during the 2019 INFORMS Business Analytics Conference April 14-16 in Austin, Texas. Crop challenge judges enjoy opportunities to network and give back in addition to exposure to novel ideas from worldwide competitors.
This year's competition focuses on the following two research problems that could potentially help plant breeders develop more resilient crops:
- Can environmental data be aggregated into useful metrics representing stresses encountered by corn hybrids throughout a growing season?
- Can these metrics be used to discriminate between corn hybrids tolerant and susceptible to the stresses they represent?
More information about the competition is available at https://www.ideaconnection.com/syngenta-crop-challenge/.
Following is a list of required qualifications and skills for competition judges:
- Possess technical expertise with predictive analytics and machine learning
- Available to review submissions and aid in selecting finalists (remotely) from mid-January to early March, 2019
- Able to attend the 2019 INFORMS Business Analytics Conference
While familiarity with agricultural challenges, the focus of the competition, can be helpful, such familiarity is not necessary, since the panel already includes several subject matter experts.
For further information or to volunteer, contact Nicolas at nfmartin@illinois.edu.
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Erick Wikum
Vice-President
INFORMS Analytics Society
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