IGERT: Nitrogen Systems: Policy-oriented Integrated Research & Education (NSPIRE)

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Managing reactive nitrogen is one of the great scientific and social challenges of the 21st century. Translating technical understanding to public policy may be even more challenging. The goal of this Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) award is to produce graduates who have rigorous training in nitrogen cycling and an integrated view of nitrogen science to promote effective communication with public policy makers. The curriculum consists of an integrated nitrogen cycle course; an interdisciplinary nitrogen methods workshop; a systems dynamics modeling course; a new and unique public policy studio course; a four month internship with a policy formulating organization; and individual integrated dissertation research. The studio course will immerse students in major policy issues by applying system models to policy evaluation while interacting directly with policy stakeholders. The internship will serve as a capstone experience and allow application of interdisciplinary training to real world situations. This program will integrate research and teaching through research on student learning, the methods workshop in which students will participate in ongoing research projects, and the development and application of systems models for policy applications. Underrepresented groups will be aggressively recruited to diversify graduate training programs within sciences and engineering. As these students and their mentors develop the ability to integrate their research within a broader policy context, society as a whole will benefit as public policy decisions begin to reflect the best available scientific understanding of the integrated nitrogen cycle. 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.