Achievement

IGERT-MNM features an iterative cycle of delivery, assessment, and redesign of activities in which trainees take the leadership role. The activities are structured in four multi-week training modules and two project retreats each year. By design, the general framework of the training program remains the same, but the activities are redesigned in response to very intentional ongoing assessment. At the end of the second year of the project’s collaborative programmatic redesign, we are confident that we have created an exceptional model for interdisciplinary training. The model provides trainees a safe environment in which to practice creative, cross-disciplinary scientific thinking, and to express it in a variety of forms, and to a variety of audiences. The interdisciplinary proposals trainees design in the fall serve as the basis for oral presentations, proposal writing, video production, and ethical and IP discussions, meaningfully contextualizing their professional skills development.