NRT INFEWS: computational data science to advance research at the energy-environment nexus

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In the near future, humanity will be confronted with unprecedented challenges as we seek to maintain the economic growth that drives prosperity while managing increasing environmental stresses. In particular, continuing development is necessarily accompanied by rising demand for food, energy, and water. Advancing the understanding of these complex and interacting systems requires training a next generation of interdisciplinary scientists with the computational skills required to exploit growing torrents of relevant data. This National Science Foundation Traineeship (NRT) award to the University of Chicago will produce students who are fully grounded in their respective disciplines and who have the computational skills and breadth of knowledge needed to address and communicate the food-energy-water system in all of its complexity. This project anticipates providing training for thirty (30) MS and PhD students, including fifteen (15) funded trainees, from across the physical, biological, and social sciences, uniting them with a common focus on computation and data analysis. The project's vision is to create a new model for interdisciplinary training that gives students the ability to collaborate and work across fields and to apply cutting-edge computational methods. The trainees' educational program is structured to generate a cohesive community of young researchers who have regular, in-depth interactions and opportunities to share expertise across disciplines. Program components include: (1) two-week bootcamps prior to the start of each Fall quarter that provide skills training and introduce cross-disciplinary material, including modules on computing, data analysis, and statistics; (2) a year-long core course sequence consisting of an introduction to the food-energy-water system followed by a data analysis practicum in which students work in interdisciplinary teams to analyze datasets; (3) communication and professional development training; (4) international experience opportunities; and (5) community building activities. All educational elements will be opened to students across the University of Chicago whenever possible. An important goal of the program is to improve the recruitment and retention of graduate students from underrepresented groups. Finally, to enable dissemination of the educational model to other institutions, the project will quantitatively evaluate the benefits of the education program and publicly disseminate all educational material to facilitate its use. 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.