This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) award supports an interdisciplinary, international graduate research and education program on resilience of ecological and social systems in fragmented landscapes that are subject to human-induced and natural change. The program is being implemented jointly by the University of Idaho and the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), in Costa Rica. The aim of the program is to offer doctoral students the skills necessary to work in interdisciplinary teams that address research questions relevant to the social, political, economic, biological, and physical factors that influence change in ecological and social systems, and to manage the ecological and social challenges arising from such change. Students in the program work in interdisciplinary teams in six geographic regions in Idaho and Costa Rica characterized by human-induced landscape change. These regions illustrate conditions worldwide. The program builds upon the expertise of numerous educators and researchers in diverse disciplines at the University of Idaho and CATIE. It offers a unique graduate experience that includes faculty mentors and course work at two institutions, interdisciplinary student teams that address similar research questions in temperate and tropical ecosystems, jointly-authored publications, and professional development activities including international research experience, annual meetings, interaction with stakeholders, and interdisciplinary training workshops. The program will advance theory and develop new methods and tools for interdisciplinary education, and broaden participation from underrepresented groups. It will also produce future professionals with expertise to address scientific problems concerning landscape change, and the cross-cultural experience required to enhance their global perspective. 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.
