| NSF Org: |
DGE Division Of Graduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | March 31, 2015 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 7, 2019 |
| Award Number: | 1449617 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Vinod Lohani
DGE Division Of Graduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | April 1, 2015 |
| End Date: | March 31, 2022 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $2,965,339.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $3,113,717.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2017 = $92,668.00 FY 2018 = $30,710.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
900 S CROUSE AVE SYRACUSE NY US 13244-4407 (315)443-2807 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
Syracuse NY US 13244-1200 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
IGERT FULL PROPOSALS, NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) |
| Primary Program Source: |
04001415DB NSF Education & Human Resource 04001718DB NSF Education & Human Resource 04001819DB NSF Education & Human Resource |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
Research at the interface of water and energy cycles is critical to inform solutions to meet human needs for water and energy. This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award will prepare master?s and doctoral students at Syracuse University with the tools needed to advance understanding of hydrocarbons, the primary energy source for current societies, and linkages to water quality and availability. The domestic and international field components of this program promote integrated technical training and global awareness of research with significant societal impact. In addition to technical knowledge, students will develop the professional skills in communication, public policy, management, and law that will prepare them to share the science and engineering discoveries with diverse audiences. The program will produce a cadre of highly skilled trainees in a field where graduates often pursue a wide range of non-academic careers as well as research careers. By filling critical gaps in knowledge on the complete pathway of hydrocarbon production and interconnections with the water cycle, this training program contributes to our national competitiveness and environmental security.
This NRT program bridges chemistry, engineering, and earth science to tackle issues at the water-energy nexus. The research theme spans the complete pathway of hydrocarbon energy production, from deposition and origin of hydrocarbons, to production from shale, to environmental effects of hydrocarbon use, and the linkages of the energy and water cycles. Trainees will address knowledge gaps on hydrological and geological controls on the development of productive shale plays, characterization of produced water and gas from shale, and how changes in emissions, fuel sources, and infrastructure for hydrocarbon transport impact the environment. The program provides training beyond core academic competency with comprehensive technical and professional development training that will develop student understanding of how knowledge in one area can be applied to another.
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
For the EMPOWER (Education Model Program on Water-Energy Research), the NRT program at Syracuse University, we developed a new, interdisciplinary approach to graduate education for students interested in careers at the water-energy nexus. Our overarching goal for EMPOWER was to develop a graduate program which combines rich regional and international research opportunities with comprehensive professional training in skills needed for the diverse careers available to students broadly trained in water and energy. We developed a comprehensive graduate research training program that prepared students with the content knowledge and professional skills necessary to pursue academic and non-academic careers at the water-energy nexus.
The water-energy nexus, the interrelationship between human needs for water and energy, is a national research priority. A goal for EMPOWER was to empower cohorts of graduate students to conduct research spanning the complete hydrocarbon energy cycle: from deposition and origin of hydrocarbons; to hydrocarbon production from shale; to use and effects of hydrocarbons in energy, industry and transportation; how these phases of the energy cycle interface with the hydrologic cycle, in terms of both water quality and quality; and societal impacts of associated energy and water use. We found that the water-energy research theme produces STEM graduates interested in pursuing non-academic career paths. Moreover, there are few graduate programs that bridge interdisciplinary research at the water-energy interface with professional development needed for careers in business, government, and non-profits.
New models are needed for graduate education in STEM that address the changing trajectory of postgraduate careers that are increasingly non-academic. Our NRT program was built on a review of the most promising academic and non-academic careers for advanced degree holders with research expertise at the interface of water and energy cycles. Graduate programs that provide students with professional development, mentoring opportunities, and a broad exposure to non-academic career paths serve the needs of all students. Our final goal was to produce STEM graduates with not only the in-depth content knowledge, but also strong oral and written communication skills, a multidisciplinary perspective, entrepreneurial and project management skills, a sense of professionalism, and an understanding of how knowledge in one area can be applied across broad context.
Research and training opportunities were provided for 53 students through EMPOWER. 22 MS students and 31 PhD students obtained degrees in environmental engineering, geosciences, biology, chemistry, anthropology, public administration, political science and mechanical engineering. Graduates of EMPOWER are pursuing careers in four sectors: business, government, not-for-profits and academia, each requiring specialized professional skills. To this end, we designed a T-shaped educational program that combined broad training across management, policy, communication, and law with in-depth training in a self-designed focus areas most applicable to the interests and career objectives of individual trainees. We also adopted a T-shaped approach to research, with students obtaining training in the three research themes while pursuing a focused dissertation research topic.
The training elements of our program include:
(1) The Water-Energy Seminar: a 1-cr seminar that featured current research and training activities at the water-energy nexus, which was integrated with a visiting lecture series.
(2) The Professional Development Specialization Area (PDSA): coursework provided focused training in professional skills tailored to students self-identified career trajectory. PhD students were required to take 12 credits and MS students were required to take 6 credits in PDSA.
(3) A Science Communication course: a 3-cr course designed to improve comprehension among trainees in public communication of science.
(4) A Career Pathway Experience: an experience to give NRT trainees an opportunity to focus research activities on a particular aspect of their studies that integrates professional development in support of their career goals.
(5) Summer Domestic and International Field Experiences: NRT trainees and faculty learn to conduct research under challenging conditions as a unifying capstone experience, which is especially useful preparation for careers requiring intensive collaboration. We developed a three-course integrated field program in the northeastern U.S., the Great Basin in the western U.S. and Rwanda that weaved together the three EMPOWER research themes.
(6) A Seed Grant Program: trainees were eligible to apply for small grants to support specific lines of emerging research and professional development activities not supported by traditional research grants or assistantships.
Last Modified: 07/12/2022
Modified by: Charles T Driscoll
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