From Source to Sea: Case Study of a Watershed-Scale, Transdisciplinary Field Program in Coastal and Marine Graduate Education

Résumé fourni par la source

The National Science Foundation-funded Research Traineeship on Stakeholder-Guided Environmental Science (STAGES) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi aims to improve interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaborative science and communication through a combination of hands-on, experiential training and coursework for graduate students. A core feature of this program is the Headwaters to the Ocean (H2O) field trip, which immerses students in practical interdisciplinary research and data collection within the Nueces River watershed. The field trip spans the river from its headwaters near Uvalde, Texas, to Nueces Bay, with students studying various environmental indicators such as water chemistry, air pollution, hydrogeologic setting, and microplastics to assess the impacts of human activities. Through these experiences, STAGES seeks to build a common language among participants from diverse scientific backgrounds, ultimately fostering more effective research collaborations and preparing students for complex environmental science challenges. The STAGES program also offers recommendations for improving interdisciplinary teamwork, enhancing communication, and refining project planning, making it a model for training future scientists in integrated environmental science approaches.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.