Catalyzing International Partnerships in Community-related Environmental and Sustainability Research and Education: Ethical, Structural and Institutional Issues of Collaboration

该项目将召集一群来自美国、非洲和亚洲的研究人员和学生，促进一种独特的国际教育和研究合作模式的扩展。它将支持环境、可持续性和社区参与研究人员和实践者的参与，重点关注东非和南部非洲发展中地区（乌干达、肯尼亚、莫桑比克、南非）以及尼泊尔、蒙古和缅甸/缅甸的亚洲高地的环境系统复原力的提高。现有的和潜在的国际同事将参加一个结构化的写作诊所，旨在专注于：1)关于国际合作的伦理，结构和制度问题的教育和研究最佳实践的综合；2)以环境变化和可持续性为重点的社区发展跨学科研究的协同生成。支持更大的研讨会的广泛环境研究和教育兴趣包括非洲和亚洲发展中地区森林生态系统的功能和复原力。研讨会将为国际合作者提供一个分享他们参与国际研究和教学伙伴关系的经验和观点的场所。是研究人员吗？经验表明，这种方法有助于促进所有合作伙伴在一个信任和平等的社区内的跨文化知识交流。与此同时，研讨会旨在为美国的科学家、研究人员、教育工作者和学生提供一个从这些互动中学习的机会，并通过开发一份特殊的高等教育期刊来传播这些知识。特刊将讨论和传播的文章和潜在主题包括：改进教学和方法方法，使学生能够参与国际环境研究和教育项目，衡量学生跨学科研究经验的学习成果，环境可持续性倡议中社区和教师合作的新教学法，跨学科和国际环境可持续性研究的伦理，协议和实践。传播还将包括在主要专题讨论会上的演讲。该研讨会将促进美国和国际同事之间的跨学科研究和教育合作，否则这些合作是不可能实现的。具体来说，它将支持研究生、初级研究人员以及主要来自四年制大学的专业人员的参与。预期讲习班将提供资料，以改进今后以环境可持续性、社区参与和可持续发展为重点的课程。会议的结果和建议将被传播，包括：跨学科合作的观点，关于学生准备进行道德和负责任的国际研究的最佳实践，在一个特殊的高等教育期刊上，以及通过我们的项目网站和其他数字媒体的扩展。

The project will convene a group of researchers and students from the U.S., Africa, and Asia to catalyze the expansion of a unique international collaborative model of education and research. It will support the participation of environmental, sustainability and community engagement researchers and practitioners focused on improved resilience of environmental systems in developing regions of eastern and southern Africa (Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa), as well as the Asian highlands of Nepal, Mongolia and Myanmar/Burma. Current and potential international colleagues will participate in a structured writing clinic that aims to focus on: 1) the synthesis of education and research best practices regarding ethical, structural and institutional issues of international collaborations; and 2) the collaborative generation of interdisciplinary research related to community development focused on environmental change and sustainability. Broad environmental research and education interests that underpin the larger workshop include the functioning and resilience of forested ecosystems in developing areas of Africa and Asia.The workshop will provide a venue for international collaborators to share their experiences and perspectives on participating in international research and teaching partnerships. It has been the researchers? experience that this approach helps to foster cross-cultural knowledge exchange within a community of trust and equity for all partners. At the same time, the workshop seeks to provide an opportunity for U.S. based scientists, researchers, educators and students to learn from these interactions and to disseminate this knowledge through the development of a special higher education journal issue. Articles and potential topics that will be addressed and disseminated in the special edition journal include: improved teaching and methodological approaches for preparing students to engage in international environmental research and education projects, measuring student learning outcomes from interdisciplinary research experiences, new pedagogies for community and faculty collaboration in environmental sustainability initiatives, and ethics, protocols and practices of cross-disciplinary and international environmental sustainability research. Dissemination will also include presentations at major symposia.This workshop will promote interdisciplinary research and education collaborations between U.S. and international colleagues that would have not been possible otherwise. Specifically, it will support the participation of graduate students, beginning investigators, as well as professionals from predominantly four-year institutions. It is anticipated that the workshop will yield information that improves future curricula focusing on environmental sustainability, community engagement and sustainable development. Meeting results and recommendations will be disseminated including: perspectives on interdisciplinary collaboration, best practices regarding student preparation to conduct ethical and responsible international research in a special higher education journal issue as well as through the expansion of our project website and other digital media.