September 2, 2021 

Media Contact:
Dr. Sai Ramaswamy, engineering technology faculty, sramaswamy@wvc.edu
Libby Siebens, community relations executive director, 509-682-6436 (Mon.-Thurs.)

Wenatchee Valley College will receive a $95,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture as part of the new National Science Foundation AgAID Institute.

Over five years, the grant will fund multiple projects at WVC and in the community, including:

• Computing resources for WVC agriculture and engineering students
• Information technology driven crop management system installations at local agricultural locations and high schools
• Support for undergraduate research internships, capstone projects, help facilitating a mentored pathway from community colleges to graduate programs

“These new tools put our students at the forefront of innovation in the agricultural industry,” said Dr. Sai Ramaswamy, WVC engineering technology faculty. “We are preparing these future agriculture and engineering technologists with hands-on experience in modern information technologies that employ artificial intelligence so they can better tackle farming challenges and move their communities forward.”

This funding falls under a new $20 million federal grant that is funding the AgAID Institute, which is short for USDA-NIFA Institute for Agricultural AI for Transforming Workforce and Decision Support. It is one of 11 launched by the National Science Foundation and among two funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture in 2021. Learn more about the AgAID Institute at agaid.wsu.edu.

The institute will be led by Washington State University and includes Oregon State University; University of California, Merced; University of Virginia; Carnegie Mellon University; Heritage University; Wenatchee Valley College; and Kansas State University.

Learn more about the WVC agriculture program at wvc.edu/Ag and learn more about engineering technology at wvc.edu/BASET.

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Wenatchee Valley College enriches North Central Washington by serving educational and cultural needs of communities and residents throughout the service area. The college is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion for all students and employees and provides high-quality transfer, liberal arts, professional/technical, basic skills and continuing education for students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds.

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Wenatchee Valley College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in employment and student enrollment. All programs are free from discrimination and harassment against any person because of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a service animal by a person with a disability, age, parental status or families with children, marital status, religion, genetic information, honorably discharged veteran or military status or any other prohibited basis per RCW 49.60.030, 040 and other federal and state laws and regulations, or participation in the complaint process. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and Title IX compliance for both the Wenatchee and Omak campuses:

• To report discrimination or harassment: Title IX Coordinator, Wenatchi Hall 2322M, (509) 682-6445, title9@wvc.edu.
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