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This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) award supports the development of an interdisciplinary graduate training program at Tufts University, focused on water diplomacy. The goal is to prepare students who can think across natural and societal boundaries and generate actionable knowledge to help resolve water problems with competing… more »

This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) award supports the development of an interdisciplinary graduate training program at Tufts University, focused on water diplomacy. The goal is to prepare students who can think across natural and societal boundaries and generate actionable knowledge to help resolve water problems with competing needs.

The origin of many water problems is a dynamic consequence of competition, interconnections, and feedback among variables in the natural and societal domains. While scientific formulation and engineering solutions are necessary to address these needs, societal and political contexts must be an integral part of long-term solutions. Formulation and framing of water problems are intricately linked; consequently, variables in natural and societal domains cannot be treated independently. A main feature of this IGERT is the synthesis of these viewpoints—through integration of knowledge from science, engineering, policy and diplomacy—critical to effective water management solutions. This IGERT will prepare a new cadre of water professionals with strong disciplinary grounding and experience as problem solvers with interdisciplinary expertise and negotiation skills. Strong institutional support and proposed innovations—e.g., integrating scientific assessment and policy relevance to create actionable knowledge, exploratory research experience in real world settings, opportunities for national and international field work, and engaging students in synergistic interdisciplinary activities—will transform this IGERT project into a process that will continue to produce a new generation of water professionals with the skills and aptitude to cross boundaries and create an impact far beyond this grant.

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. « less