NRT: Quantitative & Evolutionary STEM Training (QUEST): An Integrative Training Program for Versatile STEM Professionals to Solve Environmental and Global Health Problems

主要的环境和全球健康问题，如新出现的传染病、抗生素和农药耐药性、作物产量下降以及生物多样性的丧失，可以通过将进化原理与大量可用的气候、基因组和公共卫生数据相结合来解决。例如，病原体、害虫和入侵物种往往会迅速进化出对控制措施的抗性，而重要的作物和野生种群适应快速变化的全球条件的能力有限或多变。对病原体/害虫抗性和恢复力机制的重要见解将需要将进化原理应用于大数据分析和可视化的合作努力。然而，学员很少有机会发展相关的进化、定量和团队合作技能的独特组合。这项授予佛蒙特大学的国家科学基金会研究培训（NRT）奖将通过一个名为定量与进化STEM培训（QUEST）的跨学科博士培训项目来满足这一需求。该项目预计将培养36名博士生作为核心学员，其中18人将获得nrt资助的津贴，他们来自生物学、数学和统计学、工程学、农业科学、环境研究和健康科学等一系列学科。QUEST项目在强调进化训练、预测建模和文化敏感的团队合作方面是独一无二的。主要的研究工作将集中在三个领域：(i)新出现的传染病和预测建模；（ii）对抗生素、农药和全球变化条件作出反应的快速进化；（iii）影响粮食安全和生态系统健康的病原体相互作用。通过共享的物理空间、一套核心课程（受训者在其中以团队形式解决现实问题）、包括邀请演讲者和专业发展活动的研讨会，将培养一个支持性和协作性的培训环境。此外，QUEST学员将从政府、非营利组织、行业和国际合作伙伴中挑选，完成一项应用实习。通过对教职员工和学员进行文化敏感性和包容性培训，以及创新的招聘工作，培训生计划旨在增加STEM中代表性不足的群体。项目成果将是(1)学员是应用深度进化和定量知识开发环境和全球卫生系统弹性解决方案的专家，(2)学员可以创造性地协同工作，将他们的技能转化为非学术部门的实际解决方案，以及(3)可扩展，可转移的研究生培训计划，增加STEM领域的多样性。美国国家科学基金会研究实习生（NRT）计划旨在鼓励开发和实施大胆的、具有潜在变革性的STEM研究生教育培训新模式。通过创新的、基于证据的、与不断变化的劳动力和研究需求相一致的综合培训模式，培训项目致力于在高优先级跨学科研究领域对STEM研究生进行有效培训。

Major environmental and global health problems, such as emerging infectious diseases, antibiotic and pesticide resistance, reduced crop yields, and the loss of biodiversity, can be addressed through the integration of evolutionary principles with the massive amounts of available climate, genomic, and public health data. For example, pathogens, pests, and invasive species often quickly evolve resistance to control measures, while important crops and wild populations have limited or variable capacity to adapt to rapidly changing global conditions. Important insights into the mechanisms of pathogen/pest resistance and resilience will require collaborative efforts that apply evolutionary principles to big data analyses and visualization. However, few opportunities exist for trainees to develop the unique combination of relevant evolutionary, quantitative, and teamwork skills. This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award to the University of Vermont will meet this demand with an interdisciplinary PhD training program called QUantitative & Evolutionary STEM Training (QUEST). The project anticipates training 36 PhD students as core trainees, 18 of whom will receive NRT-funded stipends, from a range of disciplines including biology, mathematics and statistics, engineering, agricultural sciences, environmental studies, and health sciences. The QUEST program is unique in its emphasis on evolutionary training, modeling for prediction, and culturally sensitive teamwork. Major research efforts will focus on three areas: (i) emerging infectious diseases and modeling for prediction, (ii) rapid evolution in response to antibiotics, pesticides, and global change conditions, and (iii) pathogen interactions that affect food security and ecosystem health. A supportive and collaborative training environment will be cultivated by cohort building via a shared, physical space, a set of core courses in which trainees work in teams to solve real-world problems, and a seminar that includes invited speakers and professional development activities. In addition, QUEST trainees will complete an applied internship, selected from government, non-profit, industry, and international partners. Through cultural sensitivity and inclusion training for faculty, staff and trainees, and innovative recruitment efforts, the traineeship aims to increase underrepresented groups in STEM. Project outcomes will be (1) trainees that are experts in the application of deep evolutionary and quantitative knowledge to develop solutions for resilience in environmental and global health systems, (2) trainees that can work creatively and collaboratively to translate their skills to practical solutions in non-academic sectors, and (3) a scalable, transferable graduate training program that increases diversity in STEM fields. The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The Traineeship Track is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary research areas, through comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.