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Cornell University

I-CIPS: Initiative for Computational Innovation in Plant Sciences

Forging research collaborations, enhancing teaching and expanding impact in computational plant science.

Facilities

SIPS researchers have access to world-class facilities for computing. Following are some facilities empowering our research.

Cornell BioHPC

BioHPC is a cloud-type computational resource configured for biologists. It is targeted for researchers who want to learn the Linux operating system, and do bioinformatics data analysis themselves. BioHPC is part of the Bioinformatics Facility, one of the core facilities of the Biotechnology Resource Center (BRC), part of the Cornell Research & Innovation. BioHPC has previously been known as the Computational Biology Service Unit (CBSU).

Cornell Institute of Biotechnology

With almost 100 scientists and technicial staff members, the Institute of Biotechnology is a vibrant community that produces research, offers services to scientists at Cornell and around the world, and supports commercialization of new biotechnologies. CIB consists of facilities for Bioinformatics (BioHPC), Flow Cytometry, Genomics, Imaging, Proteomics and Metabolomics, Epigenomics, TREx and Biomolecular analysis.

Cornell-SIPS Genomics Innovation Hub (GIH)

The Cornell Genomics Innovation Hub (GIH) is a collaborative environment for protocol development and testing. The GIH provides custom reagents, equipment, plastic consumables, and expert staff to researchers who bring research ideas and participate directly in their projects, as opposed to a fee-for-service model. The custom reagents, made in the GIH, allow for much cheaper protocols than commercially available. Office hours and consulting are also available. Visit our website at  or email us at brc_genomics-inn@cornell.edu.

BTI Computational Biology Center (BCBC)

Adrian Powell (Director, BCBC)

The BTI Computational Biology Center (BCBC) offers several consulting, educational and infrastructure resources related to bioinformatics, including artificial intelligence and machine learning. The Center offers open consulting office hours weekly, and additional project-based consulting services are offered on a for-fee basis. The BCBC can also participate in and provide assistance with the development of research proposals. Throughout the year, the BCBC also offers training courses covering a variety of topics in bioinformatics.

In addition, the Center provides access to servers for bioinformatic analyses. In the context of collaborative research, these servers are freely accessible to members of BTI, Cornell and external groups, with priority given to either those who have a formally established collaboration with the BCBC or those who are members of a BTI lab group or participate in a BTI-affiliated research project.

BTI Indoor Phenotyping Facility

The BTI Plant Phenotyping Facility is revolutionizing how we study plant growth and responses to the environment. Whether in academia or industry – our state-of-the-art imaging tools and expertise are available to support your research and development needs.

We have developed specialized protocols to assess plant responses to drought, salt stress, waterlogging, extreme temperatures, and herbicide application — capturing details invisible to the naked eye. With over 150 individual traits tracked through RGB and chlorophyll fluorescence imaging, we provide unparalleled insights into growth rates, water use, photosynthetic efficiency, and pigment accumulation.