Implementation Grant: A Learning and Institutional Model to Accelerate Transformations for Environmental Solutions

University Of California-Irvine, Irvine CA

Investigators

Abstract

Effective solutions to environmental change will require a competent geoscience workforce with a solid foundation in Earth system science, strong technical skills, and transdisciplinary expertise. To address this need, researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) will work across disciplines to develop a Learning and Institutional Model to Accelerate Transformations for Environmental Solutions. The primary goal of the initiative is to transform the geosciences through building a learning ecosystem that brings on-the-ground challenges of environmental sciences and sustainability into the heart of geoscience research and education. The project will approach environmental change research in a holistic way that brings together multiple communities and addresses environmental issues impacts and solutions. Program activities will center on training cohorts of post-baccalaureate and PhD student fellows in core geoscience skills, as well as community-engaged research and environmental issues. The cross-disciplinary experience with knowledge co-production gained through this project will uniquely position the participants to serve as agents of change in their careers, whether in academia or other fields. The project will have broad impacts for education, workforce development, broadening participation, and building capacity for addressing environmental change. It will improve the effectiveness and economic benefits of geoscience research by creating a model that emphasizes community engagement to tackle pressing environmental problems. The initiative will mobilize a shift in the geosciences through a place-based approach that situates UCI’s global-scale environmental research in a local community context. The specific project objectives are to: 1) Train and empower post-baccalaureate and PhD students to pursue graduate education and careers in the geosciences, 2) Increase participation of scientists from traditional STEM disciplines in environmental community-engaged research, 3) Build strong cross-disciplinary collaborations between geoscientists and experts from other fields, 4) Develop partnerships with community-based organizations, and 5) Transform geosciences by building a learning ecosystem that spans traditional institutional and disciplinary boundaries. Fellows will co-develop research projects with community-based organizations focused on addressing environmental change in Southern California. Through its research and capacity-building goals, this project will have broad impacts for communities dealing with the effects of environmental change. Furthermore, it will provide a model for other institutions to emulate. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.