NRT: Alabama Collaborative for Contemporary Education in Precision Timing (ACCEPT)

超过三分之一的美国经济（每年11万亿美元）直接依赖于精确的计时。精确计时（PT）是我们国家安全不可或缺的一部分。令人难以置信的是，美国没有专门培养年轻人才的学位课程，而这正是我们社会的基础。作为回应，阿拉巴马大学（UA）通过与企业和政府合作伙伴的直接对话，创建了第一个精确计时的硕士和博士学位，结合了物理、工程和数学课程。这些对话清楚地表明，精确时间和频率领域需要能够在考虑商业和国家安全利益的同时，在多个STEM学科中应用大规模沟通和谈判技巧的人才。这个国家科学基金会研究培训（NRT）奖，阿拉巴马州当代精确计时教育合作（ACCEPT），将开发一种创新的研究生（硕士，博士）教育模式，以满足精确计时劳动力发展的独特需求。ACCEPT将为160名硕士和博士学生提供全面的培训和教育机会，其中包括24名来自物理、数学、电气和计算机工程的资助学员。学员将把这三个部门的课程与精确计时专家确定的关键领域（团队合作、领导力、道德、沟通）的专业发展结合起来，并通过与ACCEPT合作伙伴的研究经验、学生主导的倡议以及会议和研讨会上的网络，将他们的培训付诸实践。精密计时（PT）是一个高度跨学科的领域，需要广泛的学术和专业技能。整合它们需要大量的实践投入，包括学习、实践和成长经历。NRT项目团队将建立一个培训计划，培养多才多艺的STEM专业人士，使他们能够在精确计时方面发挥领导作用，该计划基于三大支柱：1)跨学科课程，其中基础STEM课程引导以PT为重点的课程，融合了动手技术沉浸和基于讨论的PT研讨会；2)全面的劳动力发展（专业，沟通，科学），从第一天开始集成应用；3)持续的专业沉浸式体验，让学生在现实用例场景中培养技术和劳动力技能。学员将从强大的学科基础到成功的跨学科工作，同时整合现实世界的培训和发展。受训者将学习经营一所时间服务机构；分析、调查和优化时间信号；并不断创新，使时钟更加坚固、可靠和紧凑。同时，他们将获得与商业、政府和国防利益相关者沟通所必需的经验和技能。这就要求他们了解心理治疗在我们社会中的重要性，了解在心理治疗领域广泛的人际网络中导航的重要性，以及接受道德训练和扎根的重要性。该项目将通过创建一个可扩展、可转移的PT跨学科学位课程模板，促进研究和教育基础设施的发展。全国的学术部门将受益，因为该项目易于扩展，可转移到任何STEM研究生项目，并采用总结性和形成性评估方法，为项目的稳定性提供信息。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。该项目致力于通过创新、循证、适应不断变化的劳动力和研究需求的综合培训模式，在高优先级跨学科或融合研究领域对STEM研究生进行有效培训。  该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Over one-third of the U.S. economy ($11 Trillion annually) directly depends on precision timing. Precision timing (PT) is an integral part of our national security. Incredibly, there is no degree program in the US dedicated to training young talent in the timekeeping technologies that underpin our society. In response, the University of Alabama (UA) has created the first MS and PhD concentrations in precision timing, incorporating courses in physics, engineering, and mathematics, developed through direct conversation with corporate and government partners. These conversations made clear that the field of precision time and frequency requires talent that can apply large-scale communication and negotiation skills across multiple STEM disciplines while considering business and national security interests as well. This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award, the Alabama Collaborative for Contemporary Education in Precision Timing (ACCEPT), will develop an innovative graduate (MS, PhD) education model responsive to the unique needs for precision timing workforce development. ACCEPT will provide a comprehensive training and educational opportunity for one hundred and sixty (160) MS and PhD students, including twenty-four (24) funded trainees from physics, mathematics, and electrical and computer engineering. Trainees will combine coursework across these three departments with professional development in critical areas identified by precision timing experts (teamwork, leadership, ethics, communication), and put their training into practice via research experiences with ACCEPT partners, student-led initiatives, and networking at conferences and workshops.Precision timing (PT) is a highly interdisciplinary field that requires a wide range of academic and processional skillsets. Integrating them requires significant practical immersion that includes learning, practice, and growth experiences. The NRT program team will build a training program for versatile STEM professionals equipped to take on leadership roles in precision timing based on three pillars: 1) an interdisciplinary curriculum where foundational STEM courses lead to PT-focused courses blending hands-on technology immersion and discussion-based PT seminars; 2) holistic workforce development (professional, communication, scientific) with integrated application from day one, and 3) a sustained professional immersion experience for students to grow technical and workforce skills in realistic use-case scenarios. Trainees will build from a strong disciplinary foundation to successful interdisciplinary work while integrating real-world training and development. Trainees will learn to run a time service facility; analyze, investigate, and optimize time signals; and innovate to make clocks more robust, reliable, and compact. In parallel, they will gain the experience and skills necessary to communicate with stakeholders in business, government, and defense. This requires them to understand the importance of PT in our society, the importance of navigating the extensive interpersonal network that is the PT field, and to be ethically trained and grounded. The program will boost research and education infrastructure through the creation of a scalable, transferable template for interdisciplinary degree programs in PT. Academic departments nationally will benefit as the program is readily scalable and transferable to any STEM graduate program, with summative and formative evaluation approaches informing programmatic stability. 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.