NRT: Interdisciplinary Training in Complex Networks and Systems

了解复杂的网络系统是解决人类面临的一些最令人烦恼的问题的关键，从发现动态的大脑连接如何引发思想和行为，到检测和防止错误信息或不健康行为在整个群体中的传播。然而，研究生培训通常发生在两个维度之一：特定领域的实验和观察方法，如生物学和社会学，或一般方法，如机器学习和数据科学。随着越来越多的学生寻求在特定领域的实验室和社会分析方法的基础上获得足够的数学和计算方法方面的专业知识，对更有效的培训的需求也越来越大。这项授予印第安纳大学的国家科学基金会研究培训(NRT)奖将通过一个整合的双博士项目来满足这一日益增长的需求，该项目将培养学生成为复杂网络和系统(CNS)的“双学科”，以及他们从自然和社会科学中选择的另一个学科。它将在学术和人文多样性的文化中，将传统教育与跨学科实践研究无缝结合。该计划将为三十四(34)名博士生提供独特的跨学科培训，其中包括二十二(22)名资助的学员。该计划将为40名暑期附属学生和300多名参与博士计划的参与者提供额外的培训体验。该培训计划利用了新成立的印第安纳大学网络科学研究所(IUni)。该研究所的165多名教职员工将在跨学科博士项目委员会中服务，这些委员会将由来自CNS和目标经验领域的研究导师共同担任主席。IUni以项目为导向，以团队为基础的研究将把学术教育与跨学科的实践科学和工业研究无缝地结合在一起。学员将学习将CNS的通用计算专业知识与自然、行为和社会科学的深入、特定领域的研究方法联系起来，从而弥合不同培训文化之间的差距。他们将是新一代的STEM科学家，他们将摆脱学科培训的竖井，以解决21世纪的复杂问题。具体地说，培训活动的四个目标是：1)提供双重研究能力；2)通过早期整合到以问题为导向的跨学科研究中发展协作技能；3)通过从广泛的学科和不同背景的学生中招募学生在团队文化中接受培训，培养多样化的劳动力队伍；4)通过扩大信息学和自然及社会科学之间建立的机构渠道，将其扩展到印第安纳大学的其他院系和机构，建立可持续的跨学科培训模式。在整个NRT项目中进行的一项科学研究将评估该项目中学生的跨学科培训的效果。该项目将开发灵活的双博士项目和最佳实践，以允许印第安纳大学更多的系未来加入该项目，并允许其他机构开发类似的项目。NSF研究培训(NRT)项目旨在鼓励开发和实施大胆的、新的、潜在的变革性STEM研究生教育培训模式。Traineesship Track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培训模式，在高度优先的跨学科研究领域对STEM研究生进行有效培训。

Understanding complex networked systems is key to solving some of the most vexing problems confronting humankind, from discovering how dynamic brain connections give rise to thoughts and behaviors, to detecting and preventing the spread of misinformation or unhealthy behaviors across a population. Graduate training, however, typically occurs in one of two dimensions: experimental and observational methods in a specific area such as biology and sociology, or in general methodologies such as machine learning and data science. With more and more students seeking to gain sufficient expertise in mathematical and computational methods on top of domain-specific laboratory and social analysis methodologies, a greater demand for more efficient training is emerging. This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award to Indiana University will address this growing need with an integrated dual PhD program that trains students to be "bidisciplinary" in Complex Networks and Systems (CNS) and another discipline of their choosing from the natural and social sciences. It will seamlessly integrate traditional education with interdisciplinary hands-on research in a culture of academic and human diversity. This program will provide unique interdisciplinary training for thirty-four (34) PhD students, including twenty-two (22) funded trainees. The program will provide additional training experience to 40 summer affiliate students and a population of more than 300 participants across the participating PhD programs.The training program capitalizes on the new Indiana University Network Science Institute (IUNI). The Institute's 165+ faculty members will serve in interdisciplinary PhD program committees to be co-chaired by research mentors from both CNS and the target empirical domain. Project-driven, team-based research at IUNI will seamlessly integrate academic education with interdisciplinary hands-on scientific and industrial research. Trainees will learn to connect the general-purpose, computational expertise of CNS to the deep, domain-specific research methodologies of the natural, behavioral, and social sciences thus bridging the gap between distinct training cultures. They will be a new breed of STEM scientists that escapes the silos of disciplinary training to address the complex problems of the 21st century. Specifically, the four goals of training activity are: 1) provide dual research proficiency; 2) develop collaborative skills via early integration into problem-driven, interdisciplinary research; 3) produce a diverse workforce by recruiting student cohorts from a broad set of disciplines and varied backgrounds to be trained within a team culture; 4) establish a sustainable interdisciplinary training model by enlarging the institutional channels created between informatics and natural and social sciences to other Indiana University departments and institutions. A science-of-science study conducted throughout the NRT project will evaluate the efficacy of interdisciplinary training of the students in this program. This project will develop a flexible dual PhD program and best-practices to allow additional departments at Indiana University to join the program in the future, as well as other institutions to develop similar programs.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 Traineeship Track is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary research areas, through comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.