Use-inspired research often addresses critical societal needs more directly than traditional curiosity-driven research, and industrial research efforts are generally more closely aligned with use-inspired research. While many of the skills and competencies needed for both types of research are overlapping or complementary, graduate students may not have the opportunity to fully explore industry-related skillsets and mindsets in a traditional academic setting. Stronger collaboration between industry and academia can bridge this gap, with most institutional approaches involving a short-term industry internship. This National Science Foundation Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) award to Lehigh University will test a graduate training model that represents a student-centered, holistic approach that gives students long-term, hands-on industry experience. A key feature of the approach is early and sustained industry engagement, with industry partners involved in identification of the research question that forms for the basis for the student's thesis, mentoring, delivery of professional development modules, and supervision of students during a company residency (similar to medical school training). This approach is patterned after successful programs in France, Germany and the UK, with the intent of testing the model in the United States. It is hypothesized that the approach will train graduate students more effectively to engage in use-inspired research and prepare them with the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in an industrial setting.
The project will pilot and test several key features of this use-inspired research training model: (a) a pre-program summer experience with a company to identify a research topic; (b) co-advisers from the university and partner company; (c) modular, graduate-level professional development co-taught by faculty and industry researchers; and (d) a one to two semester company residency. The effectiveness of these four elements will be assessed using a mixed-methods approach, with an eye toward critical student skillsets identified through a gap analysis with industry partners. The study will use both longitudinal data from individual students as well as comparisons to non-participatory control groups. The findings will inform our understanding of the most effective ways to experientially open industry career paths for STEM graduate students.
The Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) program is focused on research in graduate education. The goals of IGE are to pilot, test and validate innovative approaches to graduate education and to generate the knowledge required to move these approaches into the broader community.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
