This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) project represents an interdisciplinary, dual-institution (Kent State and Miami University) program focused on environmental aquatic resource sensing. The purpose of the program is to train doctoral students in environmental sensing, focused on freshwater resources, accentuated with business experiences, in order to develop professionals equipped for diverse careers. Because freshwater resources are critical for global function and human survival there is a critical need to understand their vulnerability. Threats to aquatic systems are diverse; understanding and meeting these challenges requires new tactics and technologies. In response, there is increasing use of automated sensors to collect environmental data creating a new need for training of environmental scientists. Training doctoral students in materials science, aquatic science, environmental sensors and business is thus the primary goal of this project. The curriculum emphasizes concentrated courses coupled with hands-on experiences to accomplish the main educational goals: environmental research education based on hypothesis testing and exposure of students to sensor development and business principles. To foster community development, cohorts will participate in multi-disciplinary workgroups. The training provided by this project will prepare graduate students for a variety of future careers relevant to freshwater resources. Results of the research will be disseminated to stimulate K-16 and public interest in environmental science. Development of a diverse research community will be facilitated via a combination of recruitment and ongoing program connections. 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.
