NRT-HDR: Transdisciplinary Research and Education for Air and Water Resources Solutions in Coastal Communities

沿海社区面临着前所未有的环境挑战，如频繁和加剧的洪涝和干旱、不确定的水资源供应、有害的藻华以及不断恶化的水和空气质量。由于人口快速增长、工业发展、城市化和气候变化等复杂的社会和环境因素，寻找与空气和水资源相关的管理挑战的解决方案是困难的。为了有效地应对这些挑战，未来的环境专业人士，包括工程师、科学家、政策制定者、社会科学家和教育工作者，因此必须对自然、社会和工程系统之间的动态关系有深入的了解，并具有超越传统学科界限的能力。这项授予德州农工大学金斯维尔分校的国家科学基金会研究培训奖将开发一种新的研究生培训模式，以培养具有深入知识和技能的下一代环境专业人员，以解决沿海环境可持续性问题。该项目将培养78名硕士和博士研究生，其中包括24名nrt资助的学员，他们来自工程、计算机科学、地球科学、农业科学、环境科学、植物和土壤科学、教育和社会学。新的研究生教育模式采用跨学科方法进行研究生培训和融合研究，为有效的空气和水资源管理提供信息。NRT将集中研究三个主题，包括：1)沿海水文和防洪；2)沿海水质可持续发展；3)沿海空气质量管理。该计划开发的模型包括：1)通过新的数据科学课程，网络研讨会/研讨会系列和跨学科数据驱动研究来准备学术技能，以解决沿海地区与空气和水资源相关的问题；2)通过新的实验课程，培养学员的专业技能，提高他们在沟通、团队合作、道德和领导方面的技能和能力；3)人道主义服务学习经验，让学员积极参与现实世界的经验，并与社区利益相关者合作，寻求积极的解决方案。学员将发展和综合数据科学应用、跨学科研究、沟通、团队合作、研究伦理和领导方面的技能。该项目将采用新的课程材料和框架设计新的跨学科环境可持续性和弹性硕士和博士课程，以便其他机构可以实施类似的研究生教育计划。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，在高优先级跨学科或融合研究领域对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。

Coastal communities face unprecedented environmental challenges such as frequent and intensified floods and droughts, uncertain availability of water resources, harmful algal blooms, and deteriorating water and air quality. Finding solutions to the management challenges associated with air and water resources is difficult due to complex social and environmental factors such as rapid population growth, industrial development, urbanization, and climate change. To effectively address these challenges, future environmental professionals, including engineers, scientists, policymakers, social scientists, and educators, must therefore have in-depth knowledge of the dynamic relationships between the natural, social, and engineering systems and an ability to transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries. This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship award to Texas A&M University-Kingsville will develop a new graduate training model to educate the next generation of environmental professionals with in-depth knowledge and skills to address coastal issues of environmental sustainability. The project will train seventy-eight (78) M.S. and Ph.D. students, including 24 NRT-funded trainees, from engineering, computer science, geosciences, agriculture science, environmental science, plant and soil science, education, and sociology.The new graduate education model adopts a transdisciplinary approach to graduate training and convergence research that will inform effective air and water resources management. The NRT will focus on three research themes including: 1) coastal hydrology and flood prevention, 2) coastal water quality sustainability, and 3) coastal air quality management. The model developed by this program includes: 1) academic skills preparation via a new data science course, a webinar/seminar series, and transdisciplinary data-driven research to solve problems associated with air and water resources in the coastal regions; 2) professional skills development via a new lab course to enhance trainees’ skills and competencies in communication, teamwork, ethics, and leadership; and 3) humanitarian service-learning experience to actively involve trainees in real-world experiences and collaborations with community stakeholders toward active solutions. Trainees will develop and synthesize skills in data science applications, transdisciplinary research, communication, teamwork, research ethics, and leadership. The project will design new interdisciplinary M.S. and Ph.D. tracks in Environmental Sustainability and Resilience with new curricular materials and frameworks so that other institutions can implement similar graduate education 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 program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent 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.