Institution: [Partner University Name, e.g., North State Land-Grant University]
Project Title: The RIOS Project: An AI-Native Curriculum for Next-Generation Rural Economies and Agricultural Systems
Project Director: [Name of Professor/Dean], College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Partnering Organization: DeReticular Academy
Date of Application: October 1, 2025
Total Funds Requested: [Enter Amount]
1. Project Summary
[Partner University Name], in partnership with the curriculum innovator DeReticular Academy, seeks funding to adapt and implement a groundbreaking educational program: “Building the AI Native Rural Infrastructure Operating System (RIOS).” This project directly addresses the critical need for an advanced, AI-literate workforce capable of leading the next wave of innovation in food, agriculture, and rural community development. By integrating a cutting-edge, case-study-based curriculum into our academic programs, we will equip students with the skills to design and deploy data-driven systems that enhance agricultural efficiency, foster new business creation, and build resilient, prosperous rural communities. The project will culminate in student-led capstone projects that apply the RIOS framework to solve real-world challenges in our region’s agricultural and economic landscape, creating a replicable model for higher education nationwide.
2. Statement of Need
The American agricultural sector and the rural communities that support it are at a technological crossroads. The future of farming, energy production, and rural business depends on the ability to harness the power of artificial intelligence and data science. However, a significant educational gap exists. Traditional academic programs often struggle to provide students with the integrated, systems-level, and entrepreneurial-focused training required to build and manage these complex AI-native ecosystems.
Our state’s rural communities require a new generation of leaders who can think beyond conventional disciplinary boundaries. They need agronomists who understand data flywheels, energy specialists who can optimize grids using machine learning, and entrepreneurs who can build new businesses from local data assets. The RIOS curriculum directly answers this need by providing a holistic, innovative framework that prepares students not just for a job, but to be the architects of a more efficient, sustainable, and economically vibrant rural future.
3. Project Goals and Objectives
Goal 1: To establish a leading-edge curriculum that prepares students for the technological future of agriculture and rural business development.
- Objective 1.1: Formally adapt DeReticular Academy’s commercial RIOS curriculum into a semester-long, for-credit university course, with new modules on precision agriculture, supply chain logistics, and sustainable bio-energy systems.
- Objective 1.2: Deliver the RIOS course to a cohort of 25-30 upper-level undergraduate and graduate students from the Colleges of Agriculture, Business, and Engineering.
- Objective 1.3: Guide student teams through a capstone project where they design a workable RIOS for a local community or agricultural enterprise, presenting their findings to a panel of faculty, industry partners, and community stakeholders.
Goal 2: To strengthen the connection between higher education and rural community economic development through applied, hands-on learning.
- Objective 2.1: Equip students with demonstrable skills in data integration, AI strategy, and systems thinking as applied to rural challenges.
- Objective 2.2: Foster at least three new partnerships between student teams and local agricultural businesses or community development agencies as part of the capstone project.
- Objective 2.3: Create a “RIOS for Agriculture” toolkit based on project outcomes, to be disseminated to other land-grant universities and Extension programs.
4. Methods and Plan of Operation
This project will be executed through a strategic partnership between [Partner University Name] and DeReticular Academy.
- Curriculum Adaptation: Our faculty will work with DeReticular’s experts to enhance the core RIOS curriculum. The “Agra Dot Energy” case study will be expanded into a full module on smart energy grids for agricultural operations, exploring how data from soil sensors, irrigation systems, and renewable energy sources can be integrated to reduce costs and improve sustainability. New case studies relevant to our region’s primary agricultural products (e.g., corn, livestock, specialty crops) will be co-developed.
- Implementation: The course will be offered as a 400-level seminar, team-taught by faculty from the Agriculture and Business schools. The curriculum will be delivered in a hybrid format, combining DeReticular’s online content with in-person lectures, guest speakers from the agri-tech industry, and hands-on workshops at the university’s research farm.
- Economic Impact and Workforce Development: The core of the course is its direct link to economic outcomes. Students will not just learn theory; they will design systems. The curriculum is explicitly designed to produce graduates who can:
- Optimize Operations: Apply AI concepts to improve yield, manage resources, and create efficiencies in existing agricultural enterprises.
- Create New Ventures: Identify opportunities for new data-driven businesses within the rural ecosystem (e.g., drone-based analytics, predictive maintenance for farm equipment, local food logistics platforms).
- Lead Community Initiatives: Provide local governments and economic development councils with the expertise to implement “smart community” technologies.
5. Evaluation Plan
The project’s success will be measured through a multi-faceted evaluation plan:
- Student Competency: Pre- and post-course assessments will measure increases in student knowledge of AI, data science, and rural economic principles. Capstone projects will be graded against a detailed rubric assessing feasibility, innovation, and potential impact.
- Program Quality: End-of-course surveys and focus groups will be used to gather student feedback for continuous curriculum improvement.
- Impact: We will track the post-graduation career paths of students who complete the course. Success will be defined by the number of graduates who take positions in the agri-tech sector, start new businesses in rural areas, or take on leadership roles in community development.
6. Dissemination
The findings and outputs of this project will be shared broadly. We will present our results at the annual conference of the Agriculture, Food & Human Values Society; publish an article in the Journal of Agricultural Education; and create a comprehensive online toolkit, including sample syllabi and case study outlines, to allow other institutions to replicate our innovative educational model.
