IGERT Program in Adaptive Management

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Adaptive Management refers to the process for continually improving management policies and practices by learning from the outcomes of operational programs. This approach to managing natural resources requires a high degree of cooperation among engineers, biophysical and social scientists to translate management objectives into a research framework that can be used to guide implementation. This IGERT program in Adaptive Management focuses on research and training experiences that integrate the physical, biological and social sciences to address the wise use of water, wetlands, and watersheds. The intellectual merit and goal of this IGERT program is to provide scientists with greater understanding of the complex issues of coupled human and natural systems and a framework for interfacing policy and science to manage them. While building from a firm disciplinary base (each trainee's major), the program will overlay coursework in complementary disciplines and incorporate interdisciplinary training and research experiences. The program links four colleges, fifteen departments, and three research centers at the University of Florida with international wetlands research centers in Africa, Mexico, South America, Australia, and south Florida. A core set of interdisciplinary team taught courses is a key part of the educational experience of our trainees. In addition, trainees will spend each summer at one of the international research centers researching and exploring, first hand, Adaptive Management and the science, engineering, and policy frameworks that are necessary to drive it. The broader impacts of the program will be the education and training of scientists and engineers who can adaptively manage coupled human and natural systems, and the institutionalization at the University of Florida of a dynamic, integrative learning environment. Both outcomes will be accomplished by the involvement of faculty and administrators who are committed to the concept of team teaching and research and who are not intimidated by the prospect of graduate education as an adaptive, interdisciplinary endeavor. IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, 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.