1. Program Goals: to create a new type of organization - a cyberinfrastructure collaborative for plant science - that will enable new conceptual advances through integrative, computational thinking to address an evolving array of grand challenge questions in plant science, which comprise the driving force and organizing principles for the collaborative NSFs Plant Science Cyberinfrastructure Collaborative (PSCIC) www.iplantcollaborative.org

2. Fostering computational thinking in biology through integration of biologists and computational & information scientists & engineers (CISE) Being a center by, for, and of the community; enable research community to identify, develop, and pursue grand challenges Staying at the frontier of plant biology & computer and information science and engineering; track new developments and implement latest technologies, concepts and strategies at the leading edge of relevant fields www.iplantcollaborative.org Mission will be accomplished by:

3. The Collaborative will also: Prepare the next generation: train a new generation of scientists to use cyberinfrastructure in innovative, interdisciplinary research, training and education to engage a broad range of participants from K-12 students to career scientists First time in the history of science that everyone can work with the same data using the same tools in the same time frame as researchers www.iplantcollaborative.org

4. Single national collaborative funded by NSF at $50M for 5 years with opportunity to renew for additional 5 years Led by UA and BIO5 Partners are: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories Arizona State University Purdue University University of North Carolina, Wilmington ALL key decisions made by external Board of Directors Chair of the Board is Robert Last, Michigan State Univ. www.iplantcollaborative.org

5. Grand Challenge Identification Process The Community Has Selected the Board of Directors Kick-off Conference: Grand Challenges in Plant Biology and CISEApril 7-9, 2008 at CSHL & webcast Focused Grand Challenge Symposia Coalesce into Grand Challenge Teams; Proposals prioritized by Board of Directors Engagement between iPC and Grand Challenge Teams to Develop Discovery Environmentsthe tools to address Grand Challenge questions Community Education, Training, and Outreach and Outreach www.iplantcollaborative.org

6. What are the most important questions in plant science? What computational thinking is needed? www.iplantcollaborative.org