Engendering the Spirit of Gadugi at the Food-Energy-Water Nexus

该奖项的全部或部分资金来自《2021年美国救援计划法案》(公法117-2)。为了满足人类技术前沿未来的劳动力需求，需要能够有效地发现和解决问题的专业人员。传统的研究生培养方法在培养创新者应对新出现的社会挑战方面受到限制。在这些模型中，专家往往定义要解决的问题，剥夺了学生在识别问题方面的关键学习机会。相反，该项目将研究一种潜在的变革性研究生教育模式，该模式通过沉浸式、跨学科和跨文化的体验使学生成为创新的中心。将培训学生通过以研究生为中心的文艺复兴铸造教育模式(RFM)的改编来识别和解决问题。这一模式以前已经在本科生水平上得到了证明，可以有效地培养具有强大的问题识别和深入解决问题能力的整体、“T”型专业人员，并辅之以广泛的协作和跨学科特征。学生们将学习如何在阿巴拉契亚、美洲原住民和其他农村社区的食物-能量-水关系中协作发现和应对挑战，这些社区是田纳西理工大学(TTU)使命的中心。该项目将直接支持20名学生(8名博士；12名硕士)作为NRT实习生，并提供津贴。将包括不少于60名额外的研究生实习生，以及本科生和K-12学生。四个目标将指导这一项目的实施。首先是修改和调整RFM，使之成为跨学科、研究生水平的STEM教育模式。第二是建立本科生级别的组织外展、支持和能力，以实施和维持区域管理。三是在研究生中实施和测试该模式，四是支持和指导学生从教育过渡到自主研究和早期STEM职业道路。这一培训模式的关键要素包括：有机会沉浸在伙伴关系社区中，以便发现问题，并通过文化培训课程为这种体验做准备；以及指导如何确保发现的问题和制定的基于研究的解决办法符合社区的需要。受训者将由一组共同提供技术和社会文化专业知识的研究人员共同指导，每个受训者将完成与他们的学位计划目标一致的学习计划，在少数几个结点接受研究方法和研究的广泛和指导培训，以及职业培训和实习机会。NSF研究培训(NRT)计划旨在鼓励开发和实施大胆的、具有潜在变革意义的STEM研究生教育培训模式。该计划致力于通过创新的、基于证据的、与不断变化的劳动力和研究需求保持一致的综合实习生模式，在高度优先的跨学科或趋同研究领域对STEM研究生进行有效培训。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).To address the future workforce needs at the Human-Technology Frontier, professionals are needed who are effective at both finding and solving problems. Traditional approaches to graduate student training are constrained in preparing innovators for emerging societal challenges. In these models, experts often define the problems to be solved, depriving students of critical learning opportunities in problem identification. Instead, this project will investigate a potentially transformative model of graduate education that makes students the center of innovation through immersive, interdisciplinary, and cross-cultural experiences. Students will be trained to identify and solve problems through a graduate-student-focused adaptation of the Renaissance Foundry educational Model (RFM). This model has been previously demonstrated at the undergraduate level for effective development of holistic, "T-shaped" professionals with strong problem identification and problem-solving skills in depth, complemented by broad collaborative and interdisciplinary traits. Students will learn to apply their training as they collaboratively find and address challenges at the food-energy-water nexus in Appalachian, Native American, and other rural communities, which are at the center of the mission of Tennessee Tech University (TTU). The project will directly support 20 students (8 PhD; 12 MS) as NRT trainees with stipends. No fewer than 60 additional graduate student trainees will be included, along with undergraduate and K-12 students. Four objectives will guide the implementation of this project. First is to modify and adapt the RFM as an interdisciplinary, graduate-level STEM educational model. Second is to build graduate level organizational outreach, supports, and capacities to implement and sustain the RFM. Third is to implement and test the model with graduate students, and fourth is to support and mentor students' transition from education to independent research and early STEM career pathways. Key elements of this training model include opportunities for immersion in partnering communities for problem identification as well as preparation for such experiences through a cultural training course; and guidance in ensuring that the problems identified and the research-based solutions developed are aligned with community needs. Trainees will be co-mentored by a team of researchers collectively providing technical and socio-cultural expertise, and each trainee will complete a program of study consistent with their degree program objectives, receive extensive and guided training in research methods and research at the FEW nexus, as well as career training and opportunities for internship experiences.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 program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas through comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.