Preparing the next generation of sustainability scientists
Graduate programs emerging in universities over recent decades support the advanced study of sustainability issues in complex socio-environmental systems. Constructing the problem-scope to address these issues requires graduate students to integrate across disciplines and synthesize the social and n...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Resilience Alliance
2018-12-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Society |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol23/iss4/art39/ |
| _version_ | 1818406392621432832 |
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| author | Alexander K. Killion Kelley Sterle Emily N. Bondank Jillian R. Drabik Abhinandan Bera Sara Alian Kristen A. Goodrich Marcia Hale Rachel A. Myer Quang Phung Aaron M. Shew Anastasia W. Thayer |
| author_facet | Alexander K. Killion Kelley Sterle Emily N. Bondank Jillian R. Drabik Abhinandan Bera Sara Alian Kristen A. Goodrich Marcia Hale Rachel A. Myer Quang Phung Aaron M. Shew Anastasia W. Thayer |
| author_sort | Alexander K. Killion |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Graduate programs emerging in universities over recent decades support the advanced study of sustainability issues in complex socio-environmental systems. Constructing the problem-scope to address these issues requires graduate students to integrate across disciplines and synthesize the social and natural dimensions of sustainability. Graduate programs that are designed to foster inter- and transdisciplinary research acknowledge the importance of training students to use integrative research approaches. However, this training is not available in all graduate programs that support integrative research, often requiring students to seek external training opportunities. We present perspectives from a group of doctoral students with diverse disciplinary backgrounds conducting integrative research in universities across the United States who participated in a 10-day, National Science Foundation-funded integrative research training workshop to learn and develop socio-environmental research skills. Following the workshop, students conducted a collaborative autoethnographic study to share pre- and postworkshop research experiences and discuss ways to increase integrative research training opportunities. Results reveal that students, regardless of disciplinary background, face common barriers conducting integrative research that include: (1) lack of exposure to epistemological frameworks and team-science skills, (2) challenges to effectively include stakeholder perspectives in his/her research, and (3) variable levels of committee support to conduct integrative research. To overcome the identified barriers and advance integrative research, students recommend how training opportunities can be embedded within existing graduate programs. Students advocate that both internal and external training opportunities are necessary to support the next generation of sustainability scientists. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T09:11:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-09ed08fbd27245968f19f41596b9800e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1708-3087 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T09:11:13Z |
| publishDate | 2018-12-01 |
| publisher | Resilience Alliance |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Society |
| spelling | doaj.art-09ed08fbd27245968f19f41596b9800e2022-12-21T23:08:33ZengResilience AllianceEcology and Society1708-30872018-12-012343910.5751/ES-10395-23043910395Preparing the next generation of sustainability scientistsAlexander K. Killion0Kelley Sterle1Emily N. Bondank2Jillian R. Drabik3Abhinandan Bera4Sara Alian5Kristen A. Goodrich6Marcia Hale7Rachel A. Myer8Quang Phung9Aaron M. Shew10Anastasia W. Thayer11Human-Environment Systems Center, Boise State UniversityGraduate Program of Hydrologic Sciences and Cooperative Extension, University of Nevada, RenoSchool of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State UniversityAbess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy, University of Miami, FloridaDepartment of Architecture, Pennsylvania State UniversityDepartment of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering , Oklahoma State UniversitySchool of Social Ecology, University of California, IrvineDepartment of Peace and Conflict Studies, University of North Carolina GreensboroDepartment of Psychology, Temple UniversityBioengineering Department, University of MissouriEnvironmental Dynamics Program, University of ArkansasDepartment of Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M UniversityGraduate programs emerging in universities over recent decades support the advanced study of sustainability issues in complex socio-environmental systems. Constructing the problem-scope to address these issues requires graduate students to integrate across disciplines and synthesize the social and natural dimensions of sustainability. Graduate programs that are designed to foster inter- and transdisciplinary research acknowledge the importance of training students to use integrative research approaches. However, this training is not available in all graduate programs that support integrative research, often requiring students to seek external training opportunities. We present perspectives from a group of doctoral students with diverse disciplinary backgrounds conducting integrative research in universities across the United States who participated in a 10-day, National Science Foundation-funded integrative research training workshop to learn and develop socio-environmental research skills. Following the workshop, students conducted a collaborative autoethnographic study to share pre- and postworkshop research experiences and discuss ways to increase integrative research training opportunities. Results reveal that students, regardless of disciplinary background, face common barriers conducting integrative research that include: (1) lack of exposure to epistemological frameworks and team-science skills, (2) challenges to effectively include stakeholder perspectives in his/her research, and (3) variable levels of committee support to conduct integrative research. To overcome the identified barriers and advance integrative research, students recommend how training opportunities can be embedded within existing graduate programs. Students advocate that both internal and external training opportunities are necessary to support the next generation of sustainability scientists.http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol23/iss4/art39/graduate educationintegrative researchinterdisciplinaryteam sciencetrainingtransdisciplinary |
| spellingShingle | Alexander K. Killion Kelley Sterle Emily N. Bondank Jillian R. Drabik Abhinandan Bera Sara Alian Kristen A. Goodrich Marcia Hale Rachel A. Myer Quang Phung Aaron M. Shew Anastasia W. Thayer Preparing the next generation of sustainability scientists Ecology and Society graduate education integrative research interdisciplinary team science training transdisciplinary |
| title | Preparing the next generation of sustainability scientists |
| title_full | Preparing the next generation of sustainability scientists |
| title_fullStr | Preparing the next generation of sustainability scientists |
| title_full_unstemmed | Preparing the next generation of sustainability scientists |
| title_short | Preparing the next generation of sustainability scientists |
| title_sort | preparing the next generation of sustainability scientists |
| topic | graduate education integrative research interdisciplinary team science training transdisciplinary |
| url | http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol23/iss4/art39/ |
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