Experiential Graduate Course Prepares Transdisciplinary Future Leaders to Innovate at the Food-Energy-Water Nexus

Abstract

Food, energy and water (FEW) systems are critically stressed worldwide. These challenges require transformative science, engineering and policy solutions. However, cross-cutting solutions can only arise through transdisciplinary training of our future science and policy leaders. The University of Maryland Global STEWARDS National Science Foundation Research Traineeship seeks to meet these needs. This study assessed a foundational component of the program: a novel, experiential course focused on transdisciplinary training and communication skills. We drew on data from the first two offerings of the course and utilized a mixed-method, multi-informant evaluation that included validated pre–post surveys, individual interviews and focus groups. Paired Mann–Whitney–Wilcoxon tests were used to compare pre- and post-means. After the course, students reported improvements in their ability to identify strengths and weaknesses of multiple FEW nexus disciplines; articulate interplays between FEW systems at multiple scales; explain to peers the most important aspects of their research; and collaborate with scientists outside their field. Students also reported improvements in their oral and written communication skills, along with their ability to critically review others’ work. Our findings demonstrate that this graduate course can serve as an effective model to develop transdisciplinary researchers and communicators through cutting edge, experiential curricular approaches.

Water, Resources, and Resilience: Insights from Diverse Environmental Studies

“…Water resources touch upon a multitude of aspects, encompassing public health, environmental conservation, energy production, and infrastructure engineering. These studies reflect the interconnected nature of water, emphasizing the need for cooperative efforts among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to develop holistic solutions [54][55][56][57][58][59][60].…”

Transdisciplinary approaches to graduate student training for food–energy–water challenges

“…These skills can be difficult to teach in a classroom setting, and graduate students in particular are a group that tends to be siloed into their specific fields with few opportunities to collaborate the outside of their discipline (Rodríguez et al, 2019). (Chang et al, 2020;Houser et al, 2021;Murray et al, 2021). The aim of these transdisciplinary programs is to help graduate students or early-career scientists to prepare for the depth and breadth necessary for future grand challenges and encourage coordination among governmental, professional, and academic organizations (Bergendahl et al, 2018;Rodríguez et al, 2019).…”

“…At the national level, there are several efforts underway to address this gap in expertise, such as the US (United States) National Science Foundation (NSF) National Research Traineeship formerly Integrated Graduate Research Traineeship (IGERT) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture National Needs Fellowship, both of which support interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary graduate research projects (NSF, 2020; USDA, 2022). There is also increasing attention to transdisciplinary education within academia through institutional structures such as transdisciplinary schools or research centers, cohort learning, and experiential coursework (Murray et al., 2021; O'Neill et al., 2019). In the US, some examples include Indiana University's Environmental Resilience Institute, the University of Maryland Global STEWARDS (STEM Training at the Nexus of Energy, Water, and Food Systems) program, and Portland State University's Ecosystem Services for Urbanizing Regions IGERT (Chang et al., 2020; Houser et al., 2021; Murray et al., 2021).…”

“…There is also increasing attention to transdisciplinary education within academia through institutional structures such as transdisciplinary schools or research centers, cohort learning, and experiential coursework (Murray et al., 2021; O'Neill et al., 2019). In the US, some examples include Indiana University's Environmental Resilience Institute, the University of Maryland Global STEWARDS (STEM Training at the Nexus of Energy, Water, and Food Systems) program, and Portland State University's Ecosystem Services for Urbanizing Regions IGERT (Chang et al., 2020; Houser et al., 2021; Murray et al., 2021). The aim of these transdisciplinary programs is to help graduate students or early‐career scientists to prepare for the depth and breadth necessary for future grand challenges and encourage coordination among governmental, professional, and academic organizations (Bergendahl et al., 2018; Rodríguez et al., 2019).…”

A curricular model to train doctoral students in interdisciplinary research at the food-energy-water nexus

“…The first course is a 3-credit course taught in the Spring semester that provides an experiential introduction to broad FEW nexus topics, focusing on how integration across the biological, physical, social, behavioral, computer and engineering sciences will be critical in solving FEW systems challenges. The course also emphasizes the development of interdisciplinary research skills and communication skills appropriate for diverse audiences (Murray et al, 2021). The course consists of lectures, expert guest speakers, student-led discussions, field trips, and case studies focused on domestic and international FEW challenges (Supplementary Table S1).…”