NRT-INFEWS: Integrated Urban Solutions for Food, Energy, and Water Management

到2030年，世界上60%的人口将生活在城市，需要从目前远离城市中心的地方供应大量的食物、水和能源。食物、能源和水之间复杂而密切的联系正日益成为社会经济和城市规划决策的核心。不幸的是，对于这些复杂的社会问题，在劳动力和领导层中存在着一个具有广泛的技术、经济和社会视角的空白。这项授予加州大学洛杉矶分校（UCLA）的国家科学基金会研究培训（NRT）奖将把研究、教育和交流培训结合起来，培养未来的领导者，他们能够提供创新的解决方案，在全球气候变化的压力下，为不断增长的城市中心实现食物、能源和水的可持续供应。该项目预计将培养110名硕士或博士研究生，其中包括33名受资助的学员，他们来自工程、物理和生命科学、社会科学、公共事务和公共卫生。该项目将为研究生提供以城市系统为重点的课堂和实践培训。将采用基于项目和点对点的方法开发三个新的少数研究生课程和一个商业和创业研讨会系列。实践培训将包括学术研究和与国内合作伙伴制度化的非学术毕业生实习。三个主要的跨学科研究重点将进行：(1)减少和扩大少数废物，(2)城市可持续性，(3)洛杉矶少数废物系统管理的综合解决方案。研究工作将产生一个全面的科学和技术组合，解决高优先级需求，包括：(1)减少食物浪费的腐烂食物传感器和行为科学，(2)增强土壤水化作用的新型聚合物凝胶，(3)城市农业、水处理、生物燃料生产和零净能源建筑的综合技术解决方案。(4)将加州大学洛杉矶分校和洛杉矶分校作为测试平台的系统级理解，为利益相关者提供实用的想法和可操作的建议。此外，学员将通过(1)开发社交媒体系列《FEW and Far Between》，(2)组织加州大学洛杉矶分校可持续发展日，以及(3)通过Urban FEW sing©外展活动，在洛杉矶的城市农场和食物沙漠中与公众互动，获得科学技术传播艺术的经验。这种方法将使加州大学洛杉矶分校和当地工业和社区合作伙伴的重点放在FEWS的创新上，与校园和城市范围内的倡议保持一致。该项目将在资助期内对加州大学洛杉矶分校和更广泛的社区产生影响，因为加州大学洛杉矶分校环境与可持续发展研究所将为新批准的博士项目采用新的研究生课程，加州大学洛杉矶分校扩展部将在网上提供这些课程。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。

By 2030, 60% of the world's population will live in cities requiring the supply of large amounts of food, water, and energy (FEW) from locations currently far from urban centers. The complex and intimate connection between food, energy, and water is becoming increasingly central in socioeconomic and urban planning decisions. Unfortunately, there exists a void in the workforce and leadership with broad technical, economic, and social perspectives on such complex societal problems. This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) will combine research, education, and communication training to educate future leaders who can deliver innovative solutions to achieve sustainable supply of food, energy, and water to growing urban centers under the pressure of global climate change. The project anticipates training 110 MS or PhD students, including 33 funded trainees, from engineering, physical and life sciences, social sciences, public affairs, and public health. This program will provide graduate students with classroom and hands-on training with a focus on urban systems. Three new FEW graduate courses and a Business and Entrepreneurship Seminar Series will be developed using project-based and peer-to-peer methodology. Hands on training will consist of academic research and institutionalized non-academic graduate internships with domestic partners. Three main interdisciplinary research thrusts will be pursued: (1) FEW wastes reduction and up-scaling, (2) urban sustainability, and (3) integrated solutions for FEW systems management in Los Angeles. The research effort will result in a comprehensive scientific and technological portfolio addressing high priority needs including (1) decaying food sensors and behavioral science to reduce food waste, (2) novel polymeric gels for enhancing soil hydration, (3) integrated technology solutions for urban agriculture, water treatment, biofuel production, and zero-net energy buildings, and (4) system-level understanding of UCLA and LA as testbeds to provide practical ideas and actionable recommendations to stakeholders. Moreover, trainees will gain experience in the art of communicating science and technology by (1) developing the social media series FEW and Far Between, (2) organizing the UCLA Sustainability Day, and (3) through the Urban FEWSing© outreach activity, in which they will interact with the general public at urban farms and food deserts in LA. This approach will align the focus of UCLA and local industrial and community partners on delivering innovation in FEWS, in line with campus and city wide initiatives. This program will impact UCLA and the broader community beyond its funded period, as the UCLA Institute of Environment and Sustainability will adopt the new graduate courses for a newly approved Ph.D. program and UCLA Extension will offer the courses online.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.