NRT-INFEWS: UMD Global STEWARDS (STEM Training at the Nexus of Energy, WAter Reuse and FooD Systems)

我们的全球粮食、能源和水资源正受到各种因素的压力，如人口增长、气候变化和人与环境的相互作用。解决这些具有挑战性的问题需要科学家、工程师和政策专家共同努力，确保子孙后代的粮食、能源和水安全。然而，跨领域的、变革性的科学和政策发现只能通过跨学科的培训来实现，这些培训为我们未来的科学领导者在许多职业道路上取得成功做好了准备。为了满足这一需求，马里兰大学帕克分校（UMD）的国家科学基金会研究培训（NRT）奖将建立一个跨学科的STEM研究生教育项目，培养学生有效地跨学科工作和沟通，以解决从分子到社会层面、从地方到全球范围的食物/能源/水问题。UMD全球管家NRT计划将通过实践国内和国际经验，以及整合生物，物理，社会，行为和计算机科学的研究，培训和推广机会，为学生做好准备。该项目预计将培养60名博士生，包括30名受资助的受训者，他们来自生命科学、地球系统科学、工程学、计算科学、社会行为科学、自然资源管理研究和能源与环境政策等专业。UMD全球管家学员将重点关注三个综合粮食/能源/水研究领域的一系列主题：(1)通过节能水再利用的农业弹性；(2)不同气候情景下的食品安全和保障；(3)推进食物-能源-水适应战略的决策支持系统。学员将参加五个跨学科的培训要素：(1)介绍和高级体验课程，解决食物/能源/水的关系；(2)每年一次、为期两周的“冬季提升”强化讲习班；(3)国内非学术实习；(4)在以色列或尼泊尔的“全球夏令营”拓展经验；(5)参与食品/能源/水相关的外展和指导。通讯和专业发展活动将贯穿于全国培训内容。学员将通过参加学生领导的委员会和年度专题讨论会来掌握项目的所有权，并培养领导技能。UMD全球管家毕业生将从该计划中脱颖而出，成为平衡的终身学习者，一流的科学传播者和独特的专业人士，他们拥有将研究发现转化为食品/能源/水关系中可操作的科学所需的沟通和专业技能。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。

Our global food, energy and water resources are being stressed by diverse factors such as population growth, climate variability and human/environmental interfaces. Solutions to these challenging problems require scientists, engineers and policy experts working together to ensure food, energy and water security for future generations. However, cross-cutting, transformative science and policy discoveries can only come about through interdisciplinary training that prepares our future scientific leaders for success across a number of career pathways. To address this need, this National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award to the University of Maryland College Park (UMD) will establish an interdisciplinary, STEM graduate education program that trains students to effectively work and communicate across disciplines to address food/energy/water issues from molecular to societal levels and from local to global scales. The UMD Global STEWARDS NRT program will prepare students through hands-on domestic and international experiences, as well as research, training and outreach opportunities that integrate the biological, physical, social, behavioral and computer sciences. This project anticipates training sixty (60) PhD students, including thirty (30) funded trainees, from programs in the life sciences, earth system sciences, engineering, computational sciences, social behavioral sciences, natural resource management studies, and energy and environmental policy. UMD Global STEWARDS trainees will focus on a range of topics in three integrated food/energy/water research areas: (1) agricultural resilience through energy-efficient water reuse; (2) food safety and security in variable climate scenarios; and (3) decision support systems to advance food-energy-water adaptation strategies. Trainees will participate in five interdisciplinary training elements: (1) introductory and advanced experiential coursework addressing the food/energy/water nexus; (2) intensive, annual, two-week "Winter Boost" workshops; (3) a domestic internship based in a non-academic setting; (4) a "Global Summer Amp" broadening experience in Israel or Nepal; and (5) involvement in food/energy/water-related outreach and mentoring. Communication and professional development activities will be woven throughout the NRT training elements. Trainees will take ownership in the program and develop leadership skills by participating in student-led committees and annual symposia. UMD Global STEWARDS graduates will emerge from the program as well-balanced life-long learners, stellar science communicators and distinctive professionals armed with the communication and professional skills needed to translate research discoveries into actionable science at the food/energy/water nexus.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 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.