Conference: Nature-based Solutions for Resilient Communities: Preparing Students to Address Grand Challenges in Ecological Engineering

NSF对这次会议的部分支持的主要目标是加深学生对生态工程学科的参与和所有权。NSF将主要用于支持在佛罗里达州坦帕市南佛罗里达大学(USF)举行的美国生态工程学会(AEES)2023年年会上的学生活动。预计将有80-125名学生参加，他们将直接接触到最先进的研究，关于多样性公平和包容性在工程实践中的作用的新兴对话，以及国际公认的生态工程师网络，以激励他们在生态工程领域的发展和职业生涯。本次会议将提供针对学生的重要机会，包括基于需求的住房奖学金、职业发展会议、网络社交活动、海报竞赛以及多样性、包容性和环境正义工作会议。生态工程被定义为“将人类社会与自然环境相结合，造福于两者的可持续生态系统的设计”。生态工程结合了生态学和工程学的学科，以解决环境问题，设计、建造和恢复可提供长期经济、环境和社会效益的系统。作为一个寻求整合来自不同领域的知识以应对当今挑战的领域，生态工程是NSF十大想法之一的日益融合研究的一个例子。来自NSF的会议支持将允许更多的学生参加会议，特别是来自不同背景的学生，并将允许更多的学生参加学生设计比赛，与该领域的专业人士建立网络，并成为即将举行的职业和司法公平多样性和包容性小组的一部分。通过为学生提供住宿奖学金、职业发展会议、演讲机会、公平多样性和包容性参与以及职业网络机会，本次会议将直接有助于扩大对STEM的参与。此外，会议的主题是“基于自然的弹性社区解决方案”，预计这一主题将为学生提供一个深刻的机会，让他们了解该领域对于解决一些最紧迫的社会问题是如何至关重要的。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。

The primary objective of NSF partial support of this conference is to deepen student engagement and ownership in the Ecological Engineering discipline. NSF will be used primarily to support student activities at the 2023 annual meeting of the American Ecological Engineering Society (AEES) at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, Florida. It is expected that 80 - 125 students will attend, and they will be directly exposed to state-of-the-art research, emerging dialogue about the role of diversity equity and inclusion in the engineering practice, and to an internationally recognized network of ecological engineers to inspire their development and careers in Ecological Engineering. This conference will provide critical student-targeted opportunities, including need-based housing scholarships, career development sessions, networking social events, a poster competition, and a diversity, inclusion, and environmental justice working session. Ecological Engineering has been defined as "the design of sustainable ecosystems that integrate human society with the natural environment for the benefit of both". Ecological Engineering incorporates the disciplines of ecology and engineering to solve environmental problems and to design, build, and restore systems that provide long-term economic, environmental, and social benefits. As a field that seeks to integrate knowledge from across diverse fields to address today's challenges, Ecological Engineering is an example of Growing Convergence Research, one of NSF's 10 Big Ideas. Conference support from NSF will allow more students to attend the conference, especially students from diverse backgrounds, and will permit more students to participate in the student design competition, network with professionals in the field, and be a part of the career and Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion panel that will take place. By providing students with accommodation scholarships, career development sessions, presentation opportunities, Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion engagement, and professional networking opportunities, this conference will directly contribute to Broadening Participation in STEM. Moreover, the conference theme is "Nature-based Solutions for Resilient Communities", and it is anticipated that this topic will provide a profound opportunity for students to learn how the field is critical to addressing some of the society's most pressing issues.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.