Project Profile
IGERT - Integrative Bioscience: Genes to Environment
Northern Arizona University
Abstract
This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) award supports the establishment of a unique doctoral training program in Integrative Bioscience at Northern Arizona University. The purpose of this program is to provide students with a robust multidisciplinary curriculum and research training that spans disciplines from molecular genetics to ecosystem… more »
This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) award supports the establishment of a unique doctoral training program in Integrative Bioscience at Northern Arizona University. The purpose of this program is to provide students with a robust multidisciplinary curriculum and research training that spans disciplines from molecular genetics to ecosystem sciences to spatial and temporal modeling. All students will receive training in each of these areas, so that program graduates will have the skills to address fundamental and applied questions of how genes affect ecosystem function and response.
The NAU-IGERT program will provide students with many opportunities to pursue these questions in the context of strong research programs in the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences and the School of Forestry. Students from under-represented minority populations will be actively recruited in order to build on the success of undergraduate minority student programs already in place at Northern Arizona University.
Unique aspects of this program will include: 1) multidisciplinary environmental bioscience research with a special emphasis on scaling phenomena, 2) inclusion of molecular methodology and applied statistics coursework in all programs of study, 3) specially designed seminar courses covering scientific ethics, statistics and modeling, student research, and guest speakers from integrative disciplines, 4) unique internships to broaden the graduate experience and enhance connections between the research and the broader community. Specialized internship opportunities will be available working with community colleges, federal agencies, and Native American high schools. The NAU-IGERT program will prepare innovative and creative scientists to become leaders not only in research, but also in science outreach and communication and in environmental problem solving.
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. « less
Contributions[?]
Project members' contributions to the library and showcase are listed here.
