IGERT: Program for Interdisciplinary Mathematics, Ecology, and Statistics (PRIMES)

生态学研究是科罗拉多州立大学许多院系的传统强项。附近的州和联邦机构也与科罗拉多州立大学的教职员工进行互动，以监测和模拟生态资源。这些研究活动大多是跨学科的，并使用先进的数学和统计工具。但是，由于我们研究生课程的学科界限，无论是对定量方法感兴趣的生态学学生，还是对生态学感兴趣的数学/统计学学生，都没有得到从事这种跨学科研究所需的教育。PRIMES的愿景是通过一门名为“生态学团队研究”（TREE）的课程，尽早不间断地接触跨学科研究项目，打破这些界限。学生将通过研究生课程之间的互惠课程，通过生态学高级定量方法（AQME）的模块化课程，以及座谈会，研讨会和会议，获得他们在TREE中有效工作所需的工具。教学助教、研究助教以及附近州和联邦机构的实习将加强初级教师的跨学科培训，并利用IGERT奖学金。科罗拉多州立大学现有的定量生态学项目将塑造PRIMES的课程，推动教师和学生之间的跨学科合作，并为博士论文提供主题。项目将分成五个研究焦点小组，以便就相关问题分享资源和想法：管理生态系统生态学、全球变化生态学、引进疾病动力学、水生资源建模和结构种群的进化。PRIMES委员会由生物学、数学、统计学和其他参与部门的代表以及一个外部机构组成，将指导该计划朝着使PRIMES成为科罗拉多州立大学研究生教育的永久固定项目的目标发展。IGERT是一项nsf范围内的计划，旨在满足培养具有多学科背景和技术，专业和个人技能的美国博士科学家和工程师的挑战，以满足未来职业需求。该计划旨在通过建立创新的研究生教育和培训模式，在一个超越传统学科界限的合作研究的肥沃环境中，促进研究生教育的文化变革。在该计划的第五年，奖项将颁发给21个机构，这些机构的项目共同跨越了NSF支持的科学和工程领域。

Ecological research is a traditional strength within many departments and colleges at Colorado State University. Nearby state and federal agencies also interact with CSU faculty to monitor and model ecological resources. Much of this research activity is interdisciplinary and uses advanced mathematical and statistical tools. But, due to disciplinary boundaries in our graduate programs, neither ecology students with interests in quantitative methods, nor mathematics/statistics students with interests in ecology, are receiving the education they need to work on such interdisciplinary research. The vision of PRIMES is to break down these boundaries through early and uninterrupted exposure to interdisciplinary research projects, via a course called Team Research in Ecology (TREE). Students will obtain the tools they need to work effectively in TREE through reciprocal course offerings among the graduate programs, through modular courses on Advanced Quantitative Methods in Ecology (AQME), and through colloquia, workshops, and conferences. Teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and internships with nearby state and federal agencies will reinforce the interdisciplinary training of PRIMES and leverage IGERT fellowships. Existing projects in quantitative ecology at CSU will shape the curriculum of PRIMES, drive the interdisciplinary collaborations among faculty members and students, and lead to topics for Ph.D. theses. Projects will be organized into five Research Focus Groups to allow sharing of resources and ideas on related problems: Ecology of Managed Ecosystems, Ecology of Global Change, Dynamics of Introduced Disease, Aquatic Resources Modeling, and Evolution in Structured Populations. The PRIMES Council, with representatives from Biology, Mathematics, Statistics, and other participating departments, as well as an external agency, will guide the program toward the goal of making PRIMES a permanent fixture in graduate education at CSU. IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the multidisciplinary backgrounds and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. In the fifth year of the program, awards are being made to twenty-one institutions for programs that collectively span the areas of science and engineering supported by NSF.