TY - CONF
T1 - Lessons Learned by INFEWS-ER's virtual resource center for transdisciplinary graduate student training at the nexus of food, energy, and water
AU - Koelsch, Richard
AU - Rodríguez, Luis F.
AU - Banner, Shannon
AU - Classen, John
AU - Cotton, Dan
AU - Deviney, Alison
AU - Heemstra, Jill
AU - Koziel, Jacek
AU - Meyer, Deanne
AU - Marshall, Anna Maria
AU - Padmanabhan, Anand
AU - Steward, Daniel
N1 - Funding Information:
1 This work has been generously funded by the National Science Foundation via grant numbers: 1639340 and 1833225. This work was further supported by the National Institute for Food and Agriculture via the S-1074 Multistate Research Group Project entitled Future Challenges in Animal Production Systems: Seeking Solutions through Focused Facilitation.
Funding Information:
A National Science Foundation project1 funded a multi-institutional project led by the University of Illinois to develop the Innovations at the Nexus of Food Energy and Water Systems – Educational Resources (INFEWS-ER): A Virtual Resource Center for Transdisciplinary Graduate Student Training at the Nexus of Food, Energy, and Water. The early stages of developing the INFEWS-ER concept are presented elsewhere (Rodriguez et al., 2019). The purpose of this paper is to introduce the model FEWS graduate student experience piloted in 2018-19 and the early design of our virtual resource center to the ASABE community. The project team piloted two “Cohort Challenges” that assembled graduate students from multiple disciplines in a transdisciplinary learning experience. The graduate students enrolled in a FEWS challenge addressing “Dairy Carbon” or “Nutrient Reduction, Recycle, or Reuse.” The curricula introduced multiple technical aspects of the FEWS challenge (see later discussion). In addition, cohorts experienced multiple toolbox modules designed to develop the critical skills for successfully functioning in this transdisciplinary environment. These toolbox modules encouraged students to use transdisciplinary practices throughout the cohort challenge.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 ASABE Annual International Meeting. All rights reserved.
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - The intersection of food, energy and water systems (FEWS) produces many of the wicked problems our students will face during their careers. These challenges present unique opportunities for educators preparing students who will build and implement the solutions. While the technical competencies of these students continue to be important, the ability for this next generation to be skilled in working with multi-disciplinary teams towards trans-disciplinary solutions is essential. Successful solutions require students to have a broader set of competencies for working on these wicked problems. A student's transdisciplinary tool box may need to include competencies such as systems thinking, high performing teams, networking with a diverse group of stakeholders, and communicating science across disciplines and with lay audiences. Our goal is to create a virtual resource center, the INFEWS-ER, which provides educational opportunities to supplement graduate students' education in the development of these transdisciplinary competencies. A National Science Foundation Project engaging faculty and graduate students from multiple institutions has hosted two symposiums to define critical transdisciplinary competencies, conducted two surveys to further refine our ideas, developed educational modules around several previously mentioned transdisciplinary skills, and piloted two graduate student “cohort challenges” that combined these educational modules with a FEWS challenge. These experiences are designed to be delivered through the web environment allowing graduate students from multiple institutions and disciplines to assemble around a FEWS challenge of common interest. The purpose of this paper is to share our early experiences relative to delivering a transdisciplinary learning experience for graduate students.
AB - The intersection of food, energy and water systems (FEWS) produces many of the wicked problems our students will face during their careers. These challenges present unique opportunities for educators preparing students who will build and implement the solutions. While the technical competencies of these students continue to be important, the ability for this next generation to be skilled in working with multi-disciplinary teams towards trans-disciplinary solutions is essential. Successful solutions require students to have a broader set of competencies for working on these wicked problems. A student's transdisciplinary tool box may need to include competencies such as systems thinking, high performing teams, networking with a diverse group of stakeholders, and communicating science across disciplines and with lay audiences. Our goal is to create a virtual resource center, the INFEWS-ER, which provides educational opportunities to supplement graduate students' education in the development of these transdisciplinary competencies. A National Science Foundation Project engaging faculty and graduate students from multiple institutions has hosted two symposiums to define critical transdisciplinary competencies, conducted two surveys to further refine our ideas, developed educational modules around several previously mentioned transdisciplinary skills, and piloted two graduate student “cohort challenges” that combined these educational modules with a FEWS challenge. These experiences are designed to be delivered through the web environment allowing graduate students from multiple institutions and disciplines to assemble around a FEWS challenge of common interest. The purpose of this paper is to share our early experiences relative to delivering a transdisciplinary learning experience for graduate students.
KW - Cohort challenge
KW - Collaborative learning
KW - Energy
KW - FEWS
KW - Food
KW - Multi-disciplinary
KW - Online learning
KW - Transdisciplinary
KW - Virtual learning
KW - Water
KW - Wicked problems
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85084013880&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85084013880&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.13031/aim.201900876
DO - 10.13031/aim.201900876
M3 - Paper
AN - SCOPUS:85084013880
T2 - 2019 ASABE Annual International Meeting
Y2 - 7 July 2019 through 10 July 2019
ER -