AI-LEAF Annual Review Meeting

AI-LEAF Annual Review Meeting 
May 12-13, 2025
Colorado State University, TMI Building

Sunday, May 11

5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Welcome Dinner, Restaurant 415

• Two 12-passenger vans will be available for transportation between the Hilton Fort Collins and the restaurant.
• The vans will depart from the Hilton at 4:45 p.m. and return after the dinner.
• If you prefer to arrange your own transportation, or if the vans are at capacity, we recommend using Uber or Lyft.
• Restaurant 415 is located just 1.3 miles from the Hilton Fort Collins.
   

7 p.m. - 9 p.m. After-Dinner Social, Verboten Brewery
Walkable from the Hilton Hotel
Verboten Brewery, 1611 S College Ave Unit 1609, Fort Collins, CO
 

Monday, May 12

• Meeting slide deck
• Day 1 Recording

8 a.m. Continental Breakfast
CSU TMI Building, 2350 Gillette Drive, Fort Collins, CO

9 a.m. Welcome to AI-LEAF Institute

• AI-LEAF Welcome – Emily Goff, Goff Group LLC
• Keith Paustian, Colorado State University
• Dean’s Welcome – Carolyn Lawrence-Dill, College of Agricultural Sciences Dean, CSU

9:15 a.m. Director’s Overview

• Shashi Shekhar, University of Minnesota
• David Mulla, University of Minnesota
• Emily Goff, External Evaluator

10:15 a.m. Research Theme and Vignette Overviews & Highlights

• Knowledge-Guided Machine Learning (Theme 1, Vignette 1)
  Licheng Liu, Vipin Kumar, Shrideep Pallickara, Tim Griffis, Keith Paustian, Dominic Woolf, Yiqi Luo, Francesca Cotrufo, Sangmi Pallickara, Shashi Shekhar

10:50 a.m. Research Theme and Vignette Overviews & Highlights

• Digital Soil Twins (Theme 5, Vignette 5)
  Shrideep Pallickara, Sangmi Pallickara, David Mulla

11 a.m. Break

11:15 a.m. Research Theme and Vignette Overviews & Highlights

• Agricultural Resilience and Forest Sustainability (Vignette 2, Themes 3 and 1)
  Nathan Mueller, Raju Vatsavai, Chad Babcock,, Vipin Kumar, Bharath Hariharan, Dongyang Wei, Yao-Yi Chiang

11:35 a.m. Research Theme and Vignette Overviews & Highlights

• AI-Aided Multi-Objective Decision Making (Theme 4, Vignette 4)
  Carla Gomes, Mingyi Hong, Justin Johnson

Noon Lunch

1 p.m. Research Theme and Vignette Overviews & Highlights

• CLeAR (Theme 2, Vignette 1)
  Carla Gomes, Johannes Lehmann, Yiqi Luo

1:25 p.m. Research Theme and Vignette Overviews & Highlights

• Computer Vision & Analysis (Theme 3, Vignette 1)
  David Mulla, Nikos Papanikolopolous, Bharath Hariharan, Abe Davis, Noah Snavely, Raju Vatsavai

1:45 p.m. Education & Workforce Development
Allison Chatrchyan, Bruce Erickson, Natalie Hunt, Natalie McCaffery, Candace Hulbert, David Mulla

2:30 p.m. Broadening Participation 
Maria Gini, Fatima Boukari, Gulnihal Ozbay, Rose Ogutu

2:45 p.m. Collaboration Nexus
David Mulla, Jim Wilgenbush

3 p.m. Break

3:10 p.m. Student/Postdoc Lightning Presentations

• Theresa Chen (UMN) 
  Overview of Student/Postdoc Group Activities
• Licheng Liu (UMN)
  Advancing global wetland methane emission quantification with KGML
• Praveen Ravirathinam (UMN)
  Causally Informed Pre-Training of knowledge guided foundation models (KGFM)
• Shengya Zhang (UMN),  Ruolei Zeng (UMN), Arun Sharma (UMN)
  Investigating Deep Neural Network-Based Surrogate Models for Agricultural Predictions
• Joshua Fan (Cornell), Haodi Xu (Cornell)
  Scientifically-Interpretable Reasoning Network (ScIReN) for Understanding the Soil Carbon Cycle
• Yufeng Yang, (UMN) Licheng Liu (UMN)
  Benchmark Dataset and Py- KGML Development
• Fenghui Yuan (UMN), Ke Xiao (UMN)
  Integrating Bottom Up and Top Down Models for Verifying Regional Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Lee Dunnigan (Cornell)
  Microbial Metabolites in Soil Organic Carbon
• Theresa Chen (UMN), Yijun Lin (UMN)
  Predicting Permafrost through Remote Sensing Data and Deep Learning
• Anmol Kabra (Cornell) 
  AISciVision - Combined Learning and Reasoning for Multimodal Domains
• Dongyang Wei (CSU)
  Yield Prediction for Climate Risk Adaptation
• Md Nasim (Cornell), Kostiantyn Viatkin (Cornell) 
  Scientific Discovery of Microbial Community’s Role in Soil Organic Carbon Persistence
   

4 p.m. Student/Postdoc Poster Session - TMI Foyer

• Praveen Ravirathinam (UMN)
  Causally Informed Pre-Training of knowledge guided foundation models (KGFM)
• Shengya Zhang (UMN), Arun Sharma (UMN), and Ruolei Zeng (UMN)
  Investigating Deep Neural Network-Based Surrogate Models for Agricultural Predictions
• Joshua Fan (Cornell) and Haodi Xu (Cornell)
  Scientifically-Interpretable Reasoning Network (ScIReN) for Understanding the Soil Carbon Cycle
• Junxiong Zhou (UMN)
  Forest Height Estimation Using LiDAR Data
• Fenghui Yuan (UMN)
  Integrating Bottom-Up and Top-Down Modeling
  for Verifying Regional Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Theresa Chen (UMN) and Yijun Lin (UMN)
  Predicting Permafrost through Remote Sensing Data and Deep Learning
• Jacob Boes (Cornell)
  Machine Learning for Multi-Objective Optimization of Circular Nutrient Distribution
• Paahuni Khandelwaal (UMN)
  Subterra: Estimating Soil Moisture at Root Zone Depths Using Science-guided Learning
• Natalie McCaffery (CSU)
  EWD High School Curriculum for 4-H and FFA
• Shaoming Xu  (UMN)
  AI-Driven Precipitation Downscaling
• Sam Leuthold (CSU)
  Stacked generalization as a means to improve spectral predictions of physical soil organic matter fractions
• Md Nasim (Cornell), Kostiantyn Viatkin (Cornell)
  Scientific Discovery of Microbial Community’s Role in Soil Organic Carbon Persistence
• Anmol Kabra (Cornell)
  AISciVision Combined Learning and Reasoning for Multimodal Domains
• Ebasa Temesgen, Farm Robotics
  Guided Unmanned Aerial Robotic Deterrent for Autonomous Deer Detection and Deterrence (GUARD) 
   

4:45 p.m. End of Day 1

6 p.m. Dinner at The Exchange
Use The Max public transportation to travel from Hilton Hotel (Prospect Station) to The Exchange (Downtown Transit Center)
The Exchange, 200 North College Avenue, Fort Collins, CO
 

Tuesday, May 13

• Day 2 Recording

7:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast

8:15 a.m. Welcome and Housekeeping
Angela Walsh

8:30 a.m. Education & Workforce Development Workshop
Candace Hulbert, Natalie Hunt, Allison Chatrchyan, Emily Goff

9:45 a.m. AI in Natural Resources Panel 
Session Chair: Keith Paustian

10:45 a.m. Break

11 a.m. Cross-Cutting Team Science Activity
Facilitated by Pat Keys, CSU

12:30 p.m. Lunch

1:30 p.m. Breakout Discussion

• Next Steps related to Integration Across SIGs and Research, Education, and Outreach Facilitated by David Mulla
• External Advisory Committee Meeting
  Chair: Prof. Michael Goodchild

2:45 p.m. Break

3 p.m. Measurement, Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MMRV) Discussion 
Led by Stephen Ogle and Licheng Liu

• How do we incorporate KGML into frameworks for MMRV?

3:45 p.m. Final Remarks
Keith Paustian, Johannes Lehmann, Shashi Shekhar, David Mulla
 

MMRV Workshop Details May 14-16

*Please note: the agenda is still being finalized and changes may occur.

Hilton Hotel Fort Collins (425 W Prospect Rd, Fort Collins, CO 80526)
A group of rooms are available at the Fort Collins Hilton under the block of AI-LEAF Institute for May 11- May 14, 2025. Reserve room by April 12.

Reserve by Phone: Call 800-768-0605 and ask for the AI-LEAF room block. The block group rate is $124 per room, per night, single/double occupancy, for a standard room with one king or two double beds. Parking is complimentary. 

Reserve Online

Colorado State University C. Wayne McIlwraith Translational Medicine Institute (2350 Gillette Dr, Fort Collins, CO 80523)
Site Visit Location, 4-minute (1.1 mile) drive from the hotel to the meeting location

Airport to CSU Transportation Option
Denver to Fort Collins shuttle option, Groome Transportation.

Event Menu
Event catering will feature various menu themes. All hosted meals will have vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free options. If you have any event or dietary accommodation requests, contact Angela Walsh at [email protected].

Attire and Weather
When visiting Fort Collins in May, you should plan to wear comfortable, versatile clothing that can be layered, and comfortable footwear is a must. You might want to bring hiking boots, a hat, sunglasses and a reusable water bottle for outdoor adventures.

Transportation from the Hilton Hotel to the C. Wayne McIlwraith Translational Medicine Institute (TMI)
The workshop will be hosted in the event hall of the TMI building. You have a few options on how to get there: 

1. Around the Horn bus (4-minute bus ride, 10-minute total trip time)
   If you are staying in the Fort Collins Hilton Hotel, we recommend you take the free Around the Horn bus. The Around the Horn bus runs every 10 minutes from 6:50 AM to 6:25 PM. View the bus directions.
2. Drive
   Parking is available at the TMI building for a daily fee. Parking lot 725 is closest to the building at a cost of $13 per day. Parking lot 740 is another good option and costs $6 per day. There are kiosks in the parking lot for you to pay the fee. View the parking map.
3. Walk (1 mile, approximately 20 minutes)
   If you are staying in the Fort Collins Hilton Hotel, you have the option to walk to the workshop venue.

C. Wayne McIlwraith Translational Medicine Institute (TMI): 2350 Gillette Dr, Fort Collins, CO 80523. 

Workshop Event Space
The 2025 AI-LEAF Annual Review Meeting will be held at the C. Wayne McIlwraith Translational Medicine Institute (TMI). The event will take place in the Event Hall on the third floor. Signage will be available in the lobby to guide you to the venue. Please be aware that the TMI building is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.. If you plan to leave the building after 4 p.m. and return, kindly arrange for a colleague to let you back in, as the exterior doors will be locked after hours.

During breaks, you’ll have access to a spacious terrace, offering stunning views of the Colorado mountains. For any specific questions about the event space, please reach out to Emma Eckley at [email protected].

Self-Guided Walking Tour of Downtown Fort Collins
Registered attendees will receive an email with details about the walking tour. 

Welcome Dinner Details - May 11
The workshop welcome dinner will be held at Restaurant 415 from 5 to 6:45 p.m.. Two 12-passenger vans will be available for transportation between the Hilton Fort Collins and the restaurant. The vans will depart from the Hilton at 4:45 p.m. and return after the dinner. If you prefer to arrange your own transportation, or if the vans are at capacity, we recommend using Uber or Lyft. Restaurant 415 is located just 1.3 miles from the Hilton Fort Collins.

The cost of food will be covered by AI-LEAF Institute project funds. However, if you wish to purchase alcoholic beverages, personal funds should be used.

Following the dinner, there will be an informal gathering at Verboten Brewery from 7 - 9 p.m.. Verboten Brewery is within walking distance of the hotel, offering a great opportunity to enjoy local craft beers and lively conversation. Personal funds will need to be used to purchase any alcoholic beverages.

Restaurant 415: 415 S Mason St, Fort Collins, CO 80524
Verboten Brewery: 1611 S College Ave Unit 1609, Fort Collins, CO 80525

Day 1 Dinner Details - May 12
Dinner on the first day of the workshop will be held at The Exchange from 6 - 7:30 p.m.. The Exchange is an open-air courtyard featuring a variety of food vendors to choose from.

AI-LEAF Institute project funds will cover the cost of food. However, since The Exchange offers many different dining options, please pay with your personal funds and submit for reimbursement after the workshop. Note that the project cannot reimburse for alcoholic beverages, so those should be paid for with personal funds.

We recommend using public transportation to get to The Exchange from the Hilton Hotel. The MAX Bus Rapid Transit Service will take you from Prospect Station to the Downtown Transit Center. View the public transportation instructions. Note that the Max bus line runs every 10 minutes before 7 p.m. and every 20 minutes afterwards. View the Max Map and Timetable.

The Exchange is located in Fort Collins' Old Town district, a vibrant area full of boutiques, eateries and breweries. Feel free to stay downtown after dinner and explore the area! Just be mindful that the last bus from the MAX Downtown Transit Center departs at 10:20 p.m..

The Exchange: 200 N College Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80524

If there are any urgent event issues, contact the following leadership staff via text.

Shawn Haag, 612-423-4502
Angela Walsh, 612-867-8079