NRT: Aeroecology as a Test-bed for Interdisciplinary STEM Training

University Of Oklahoma Norman Campus, Norman OK

Investigators

Abstract

NRT: Aeroecology as a Test-bed for Interdisciplinary STEM Training The United States has built tremendous infrastructure for remotely measuring many aspects of the Earth's physical environment to provide benefits to society, such as satellites, radars, telescopes, and cameras. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has challenged the scientific community to expand the uses of this Earth observation infrastructure to generate new knowledge and provide additional societal benefits beyond those that were initially envisioned. This National Research Traineeship (NRT) award to the University of Oklahoma addresses this challenge by developing and testing a new model for training master's and doctoral students to use existing Earth observation data in new approaches to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management. The traineeship program will implement and evaluate an interdisciplinary coursework program in Earth-observation for Science, Society, and Sustainability (EOS3) and an interdisciplinary research immersion program. This traineeship anticipates preparing one hundred and twenty (120) graduate students, including thirty (30) funded trainees, across three universities in the emerging discipline of aeroecology. Aeroecology focuses on understanding the interactions of animals in the aerosphere (lower atmosphere). Aeroecology is emerging from the interface of biology, meteorology, geography, and computer science and has strong connections to social sciences both through environmental science and concerns about human health and safety. Engineering advances are transforming the aerosphere from a vast open space into a resource that we use for communication (cell phone towers), energy production (wind turbines), and transportation (aircraft and unmanned aerial systems). These mounting incursions into the aerosphere drive a need to understand and manage a new suite of human-biodiversity interactions and conflicts. This NRT project will build on unique strengths of the training consortium in aeroecology as a rapidly growing new use of Earth-observation data. The NRT will originate at the University of Oklahoma, replicate first at the University of Delaware, then at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and later radiate to additional consortium institutions across the nation. This NRT model will include training in communication, data analytics, team-based science skills, and entrepreneurship. Externship opportunities with private, government, and non-profit organizations will also help trainees gain professional skills in local, national, and international settings. Each participating institution will foster diversity through the implementation of best practices for inclusiveness in recruiting, retaining, and mentoring of graduate students. Rigorous evaluation of the impact of the NRT model on student learning, faculty development, and institutional change will inform future efforts to broadly improve interdisciplinary graduate education. The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new, potentially transformative, and scalable models for STEM graduate education training. The Traineeship Track is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary research areas, through the comprehensive traineeship model that is innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.