If you are or want to be working on applying AI/ML to digitized herbaria, plant and plant community images, including in combination with hyperspectral and other remote sensing modalities, the following workshop may be of particular interest to you.

## FloraPalooza 2026 - Call for Participation

The Imageomics Institute is hosting a 3.5-day workshop offering a unique opportunity to develop proof-of-concepts demonstrating how the application of computer vision techniques can transform plant imagery analyses such as biodiversity assessment, plant-insect interaction studies, and trait data extraction. This event will bring together an interdisciplinary group around a shared interest of analyzing plant imagery (e.g., herbarium, in-situ, hyperspectral, remote sensing images) with AI/ML, including ML researchers, ecologists, biologists, software developers, and data engineers. Participants will work in small groups to collaboratively develop FAIR data products, tutorials, tools, workflows, and other products targeting the motivating challenge.

The event will take place August 17-20 at Hyatt House Columbus/OSU near The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH, USA. To apply to participate, please fill out the FloraPalooza 2026 Application for Participation by the end of June 25, 2025 here:
https://forms.gle/fVcrmbvYQDdWKMSSA

Funds to assist with travel expenses are available but limited, as is space. We expect to notify applicants about acceptance by July 2, 2025.

A full Call for Participation, including motivation, goals, and who should attend, is posted here:
https://github.com/Imageomics/FloraPalooza-2026/blob/main/CfP.md

## Organizing Team

Elizabeth Campolongo (The Ohio State University & Imageomics Institute)  
Jeannine Cavender-Bares (Harvard University Herbaria)  
Jianyang Gu (The Ohio State University & Imageomics Institute)  
Hilmar Lapp (Neuromatch & Imageomics Institute)  
Dylan MacArthur-Waltz (University of Maine, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology)
William Weaver (University of Michigan, Michigan Institute for Data and AI in Society)

On behalf of the organizing committee: 

Hilmar Lapp (Neuromatch & Imageomics Institute; first.last at gmail.com)

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