Collaborative Research: NRT-IGE: Employing Model-Based Reasoning in Environmental Science (EMBeRS)

NRT-IGE：在环境科学中使用基于模型的推理(EMERS)跨学科的科学综合是应对重大挑战的核心，这些挑战包括全球变化的影响、水、食品和能源生产之间的权衡，以及对可持续城市的需求。对跨学科研究团队的研究表明，团队成员努力实现跨学科的知识合成。出现问题是因为团队成员无法在其他学科的前沿发展深入的知识，并将这些知识与他们自己的专业知识联系起来，以提供一条合作的前进道路。在一个研究团队中与持不同观点的其他人合作的能力，是让今天的学生为满足未来的劳动力需求做好准备的关键方面。研究生教育创新(IGE)轨道的国家科学基金会研究培训(NRT)奖是由德克萨斯大学埃尔帕索分校领导的一个合作项目，涉及来自多个机构的研究生和教职员工。该项目将测试一种新的环境科学研究生团队培训模式，以克服知识整合和综合挑战。该模式将借鉴认知科学、学习和社会科学的研究成果，开发和测试对研究生和教职员工进行基于模型推理方法的培训。基于模型的推理理论认为，人类通过构建他们所遇到的情景、事件和过程的内部心理模型来进行推理，而外部表征可以用来促进这些心理模型的构建。外部表征包括使用类比、隐喻、视觉模型、图表和/或其他表征来抽象和交流复杂的概念。在团队环境中，这些外部表示称为边界协商对象。该项目将把博士生安排在多学科小组中，并促进有组织的参与性进程，其中包括一系列基于标准、个人和团体模型的推理活动，以及关于有目的地共同创造边界谈判对象的指导。来自多个机构的学生将通过为期两周的暑期体验一起学习；与更大的跨学科团队一起进行研究的学生将成为目标。此外，该项目将在该模式中培训来自多个机构的教师。该项目将检查10名教职员工的实施情况。将收集调查、访谈和数字数据，以检查研究生对直接接触该方法背后的理论的反应，以及该方法在教师在研究生课堂上使用时的有效性。这种设计将允许比较指导学生做什么的结果，以及教学生为什么和如何做的结果。NSF研究培训(NRT)计划旨在鼓励开发和实施大胆的、新的、潜在的变革性和可扩展的STEM研究生教育培训模式。研究生教育创新跟踪专门致力于试验、测试和评估研究生教育的新颖、创新和潜在的变革性方法。

NRT-IGE: Employing Model-Based Reasoning in Environmental Science (EMBeRS)Scientific synthesis across disciplines is at the heart of addressing important challenges such as impacts of global change, trade-offs between water, food, and energy production, and the need for sustainable cities. Studies of interdisciplinary research teams indicate that team members struggle to achieve knowledge synthesis across disciplines. Issues arise due to the inability of team members to develop deep knowledge at the frontier of other disciplines and to connect that knowledge with their own expertise to provide a collaborative path forward. The ability to work collaboratively in a research team with others who may hold very different perspectives is a critical aspect of preparing today's students to meet future workforce demands. This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award in the Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) track is a collaborative project led by the University of Texas at El Paso involving graduate students and faculty from multiple institutions. The project will test a new model for training graduate student teams in environmental sciences to overcome knowledge integration and synthesis challenges.This model will draw on findings from cognitive, learning, and social sciences to develop and test training for graduate students and faculty in model-based reasoning approaches. Model-based reasoning theory posits that humans reason by constructing an internal mental model of the situations, events, and processes that they encounter, and that external representations can be used to facilitate construction of these mental models. External representations include the use of analogies, metaphor, visual models, diagrams and/or other representations for abstraction and communication of complex concepts. In a team setting, these external representations are called boundary negotiating objects. This project will place doctoral students in multidisciplinary teams and facilitate a structured, participatory process that includes a progression of standard, individual and group model-based reasoning activities as well as instruction on the purposeful co-creation of boundary negotiating objects. Students from multiple institutions will learn together through two-week summer experiences; students who are conducting research in conjunction with larger interdisciplinary teams will be targeted. In addition, the project will train faculty from multiple institution in the model. The project will examine the implementation of ten faculty members. Survey, interview, and digital data will be collected to examine how graduate students respond to being directly exposed to theories behind the approach as well as the efficacy of the approach as faculty employ it in their graduate classes. This design will allow comparison of the outcomes from guiding students on what to do, versus teaching students why and how to do it. The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new, potentially transformative, and scalable models for STEM graduate education training. The Innovations in Graduate Education Track is dedicated solely to piloting, test, and evaluating novel, innovative, and potentially transformative approaches to graduate education.