Spring Break
A&M initiates doctoral program
By: Stephanie McMillen
Issue date: 10/24/07 Section: News
Texas A&M has been awarded a $3 million grant, funded by the National Science Foundation, to support a program for prospective doctoral students to begin in the fall.
The Integrated Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT), within Applied Biodiversity Science (ABS), was brought to A&M through the effort of 20 faculty members from 10 departments and five colleges.
The ABS-IGERT will produce scientists prepared to understand ecological functions of local ecosystems by focusing on social, economical and political contexts within the surrounding communities.
"The ABS-IGERT is the second IGERT at A&M and the first one that is a single-institution IGERT," Fitzgerald said. "Texas A&M has one in engineering that began last year and it is a multi-institutional IGERT with Prairie View A&M and Texas State University."
The program will serve to support integrated research in social and biological sciences, cross-disciplinary research with conservation institutions and their actors, and the application of conservation theory and practice.
The program's emphasis will be to train students to think innovatively, professionally and technically, and to build personal skills so that they can become leaders and active members of their communities.
"This traineeship will allow students to interact with local and international institutions in order to make conservation happen," Fitzgerald said.
Research teams of faculty mentors and students will work with international partners to develop dissertations related to one of two research themes: ecological functions and biodiversity, or communities and governance.
In addition to their dissertations, students will be required to conduct research in four areas including the U.S.-Mexico transboundary, Mesoamerica, the Western Amazon and Gran Chaco.
Students interested in the ABS-IGERT program will receive their doctoral degree in one of 10 participating departments at A&M including: agricultural economics, agricultural leadership, education and communications, entomology, anthropology, biology, ecosystem science and management, geography, recreation, park and tourism sciences, veterinary pathobiology and wildlife and fisheries sciences.
To enroll in the ABS-IGERT program students will apply to both their selected department and for the traineeship.
"No matter which of the 10 departments they come from, students are assigned a core set of mechanisms related to applied biodiversity sciences," Fitzgerald said.
Amanda Stronza, a professor in the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences, is a co-director of the program and was part of the two-year effort to bring the ABS-IGERT to A&M.
"This is a completely new type of doctoral program at A&M," Stronza said. "It allows students to get their doctorate in one of the 10 different departments while at the same time getting interdisciplinary experience in applied biodiversity science."
Students enrolled in the ABS-IGERT program will be required to interact with the other participating departments to work towards the purpose of the ABS program, which is to achieve integration between biodiversity research and on-the-ground conservation practices.
"It's like an umbrella that spreads over the 10 departments to bring students together into one super program," Stronza said.
The ABS-IGERT will produce 35 cross-trained Ph.D. scientists skilled in conservation research by requiring them to engage in hands-on, real world experiences.
Professor and head of the Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Department Thomas Lacher, Jr. helped with the proposal by bringing in contacts from conservation organizations after working for Conservation International in Washington D.C.
"The IGERT is a highly competitive, prestigious federal grant," Lacher said. "It will enhance the national standing of our conservation science programs and help us to attract outstanding graduate students from all over the country."
Lacher said the IGERT program places a strong emphasis on developing practical skills for students and will fund internships at these conservation organizations so that students will gain real world work experience.
"We don't want to make this sound like some elite group," Stronza said. "No matter what department students are interested in, they can find a place in the ABS-IGERT program to help work towards conservation."
The IGERT program was started by the National Science Foundation in 1997 to train doctoral scientists, engineers and educators using a new wave of interdisciplinary education.
"As conservation becomes increasingly important, the ABS-IGERT will help Texas A&M assume a leadership role in graduate training in the field," Lacher said.
- For more information on A&M's new Integrated Graduate Education and Research Traineeship in Applied Biodiversity Science go to: http://biodiversity.tamu.edu
The Integrated Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT), within Applied Biodiversity Science (ABS), was brought to A&M through the effort of 20 faculty members from 10 departments and five colleges.
The ABS-IGERT will produce scientists prepared to understand ecological functions of local ecosystems by focusing on social, economical and political contexts within the surrounding communities.
"The ABS-IGERT is the second IGERT at A&M and the first one that is a single-institution IGERT," Fitzgerald said. "Texas A&M has one in engineering that began last year and it is a multi-institutional IGERT with Prairie View A&M and Texas State University."
The program will serve to support integrated research in social and biological sciences, cross-disciplinary research with conservation institutions and their actors, and the application of conservation theory and practice.
The program's emphasis will be to train students to think innovatively, professionally and technically, and to build personal skills so that they can become leaders and active members of their communities.
"This traineeship will allow students to interact with local and international institutions in order to make conservation happen," Fitzgerald said.
Research teams of faculty mentors and students will work with international partners to develop dissertations related to one of two research themes: ecological functions and biodiversity, or communities and governance.
In addition to their dissertations, students will be required to conduct research in four areas including the U.S.-Mexico transboundary, Mesoamerica, the Western Amazon and Gran Chaco.
Students interested in the ABS-IGERT program will receive their doctoral degree in one of 10 participating departments at A&M including: agricultural economics, agricultural leadership, education and communications, entomology, anthropology, biology, ecosystem science and management, geography, recreation, park and tourism sciences, veterinary pathobiology and wildlife and fisheries sciences.
To enroll in the ABS-IGERT program students will apply to both their selected department and for the traineeship.
"No matter which of the 10 departments they come from, students are assigned a core set of mechanisms related to applied biodiversity sciences," Fitzgerald said.
Amanda Stronza, a professor in the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences, is a co-director of the program and was part of the two-year effort to bring the ABS-IGERT to A&M.
"This is a completely new type of doctoral program at A&M," Stronza said. "It allows students to get their doctorate in one of the 10 different departments while at the same time getting interdisciplinary experience in applied biodiversity science."
Students enrolled in the ABS-IGERT program will be required to interact with the other participating departments to work towards the purpose of the ABS program, which is to achieve integration between biodiversity research and on-the-ground conservation practices.
"It's like an umbrella that spreads over the 10 departments to bring students together into one super program," Stronza said.
The ABS-IGERT will produce 35 cross-trained Ph.D. scientists skilled in conservation research by requiring them to engage in hands-on, real world experiences.
Professor and head of the Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Department Thomas Lacher, Jr. helped with the proposal by bringing in contacts from conservation organizations after working for Conservation International in Washington D.C.
"The IGERT is a highly competitive, prestigious federal grant," Lacher said. "It will enhance the national standing of our conservation science programs and help us to attract outstanding graduate students from all over the country."
Lacher said the IGERT program places a strong emphasis on developing practical skills for students and will fund internships at these conservation organizations so that students will gain real world work experience.
"We don't want to make this sound like some elite group," Stronza said. "No matter what department students are interested in, they can find a place in the ABS-IGERT program to help work towards conservation."
The IGERT program was started by the National Science Foundation in 1997 to train doctoral scientists, engineers and educators using a new wave of interdisciplinary education.
"As conservation becomes increasingly important, the ABS-IGERT will help Texas A&M assume a leadership role in graduate training in the field," Lacher said.
- For more information on A&M's new Integrated Graduate Education and Research Traineeship in Applied Biodiversity Science go to: http://biodiversity.tamu.edu
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