IGERT: A Graduate Traineeship in Materials for a Sustainable Future

开发可持续未来所需的材料是一个具有深远的全球和科学重要性的领域。这一综合性研究生教育和研究培训计划(IGERT)将跨学科研究经验与正规教育计划相结合，旨在将基本科学知识应用于工业互动中可持续材料的实际问题。康奈尔大学的教职员工和学生来自7个不同的理工系和约翰逊管理学院，他们将有机会与国际合作者一起加强他们的研究工作。智力优势包括从可再生资源(包括植物产品)中开发材料，探索用于能量储存和转换的新的高性能材料，以及发现合成和加工对环境影响较小的材料的新方法。教育努力以单元为基础的课程为特色，将向学生介绍可持续设计的原则和我们社会面临的巨大能源挑战。学生还将熟悉与可持续发展相关的商业思维、行业实践以及商业机会和挑战。IGERT项目的更广泛影响包括与两所历史悠久的黑人学院/大学建立伙伴关系，以及一个本科生暑期研究项目将解决材料领域代表性不足的群体的问题。IGERT方案还将在网上免费提供关于可持续未来材料研讨会系列的档案。IGERT是一个NSF范围内的项目，旨在应对培养具有跨学科背景、所选学科的深厚知识以及满足未来职业需求所需的技术、专业和个人技能的美国博士科学家和工程师的挑战。该项目旨在通过建立创新的研究生教育和培训新模式，在超越传统学科界限的合作研究的肥沃环境中，催化研究生教育的文化变革。

The development of the materials necessary for a sustainable future is an area of profound global and scientific importance. This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program (IGERT) combines an interdisciplinary research experience with a formal education program designed to apply basic scientific knowledge to real problems in sustainable materials drawn from industrial interactions. Cornell faculty and student participants are united from 7 diverse departments of science and engineering and the Johnson School of Management and will have the opportunity to augment their research efforts with international collaborators. Intellectual merit includes the development of materials from renewable resources, including plant products, exploration of new, high performance materials for energy storage and conversion and the discovery of new methods for the synthesis and processing of materials with reduced environmental impact. Educational efforts feature a module-based course that will introduce students to the principles of sustainable design and the formidable energy challenges facing our society. Students will also gain familiarity with business thinking, industrial practices and business opportunities and challenges related to sustainability. The broader impacts of this IGERT program include partnerships with two Historically Black Colleges/Universities and an undergraduate summer research program will address the issue of underrepresented groups in the materials field. The IGERT program will also develop a freely available web-based archive of the seminar series on Materials for a Sustainable Future. 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.