IGERT: Nitrogen Systems: Policy-oriented Integrated Research & Education (NSPIRE)

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)提供资金的。管理活性氮是21世纪的重大科学和社会挑战之一。将技术理解转化为公共政策可能更具挑战性。这一综合性研究生教育和研究培训(IGERT)奖项的目标是培养出在氮循环方面接受过严格培训并对氮素科学有综合看法的毕业生，以促进与公共政策制定者的有效沟通。该课程包括一个氮素循环综合课程；一个跨学科氮素方法讲习班；一个系统动力学建模课程；一个新的和独特的公共政策工作室课程；在一个政策制定组织的四个月实习；以及个人综合论文研究。工作室课程将通过将系统模型应用于政策评估，同时与政策利益相关者直接互动，使学生沉浸在重大政策问题中。实习将成为一次顶峰体验，并允许将跨学科培训应用于现实世界的情况。该计划将通过对学生学习的研究、学生将参与正在进行的研究项目的方法研讨会以及为政策应用开发和应用系统模型来将研究和教学结合起来。将积极招募代表性不足的群体，以使科学和工程领域的研究生培训计划多样化。随着这些学生和他们的导师发展将他们的研究纳入更广泛的政策背景的能力，随着公共政策决策开始反映对综合氮循环的最佳可用科学理解，整个社会将受益。IGERT是一个NSF范围内的项目，旨在应对培养具有跨学科背景、所选学科的深厚知识以及满足未来职业需求所需的技术、专业和个人技能的美国博士科学家和工程师的挑战。该项目旨在通过建立创新的研究生教育和培训新模式，在超越传统学科界限的合作研究的肥沃环境中，催化研究生教育的文化变革。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Managing reactive nitrogen is one of the great scientific and social challenges of the 21st century. Translating technical understanding to public policy may be even more challenging. The goal of this Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) award is to produce graduates who have rigorous training in nitrogen cycling and an integrated view of nitrogen science to promote effective communication with public policy makers. The curriculum consists of an integrated nitrogen cycle course; an interdisciplinary nitrogen methods workshop; a systems dynamics modeling course; a new and unique public policy studio course; a four month internship with a policy formulating organization; and individual integrated dissertation research. The studio course will immerse students in major policy issues by applying system models to policy evaluation while interacting directly with policy stakeholders. The internship will serve as a capstone experience and allow application of interdisciplinary training to real world situations. This program will integrate research and teaching through research on student learning, the methods workshop in which students will participate in ongoing research projects, and the development and application of systems models for policy applications. Underrepresented groups will be aggressively recruited to diversify graduate training programs within sciences and engineering. As these students and their mentors develop the ability to integrate their research within a broader policy context, society as a whole will benefit as public policy decisions begin to reflect the best available scientific understanding of the integrated nitrogen cycle. IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries.