| PI | Institute/Department | |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia, Ross |
Dartmouth College, Institute of Arctic Studies
|
| Program Manager | Funding Agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Tankersley, Dr. Richard |
NSF
|
This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) award supports the development of an interdisciplinary graduate program in polar sciences and engineering by merging expertise and facilities from Dartmouth College with the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory and institutions in Greenland. The purpose of this program is to train doctoral students to have an interdisciplinary view of polar systems and to understand the social and ethical implications of their research. Broader impacts include training and research focused on the components of polar systems that respond to and contribute to rapid environmental change, including the cryosphere (glacial ice, snow, and sea ice systems) and the biogeochemical linkages between plants, soils, and animals. The core curriculum includes an Introduction to Polar Systems and a second course on Sustainability Science, Policy and Ethics that will train students to frame research questions that will have relevance to Arctic residents and policy by using perspectives from western science and traditional ecological knowledge. Depending on their research interests, students will be trained during the Greenland Field Seminar in either terrestrial ecosystem or cryosphere dynamics, followed by instruction in the human dimensions of Arctic change in Nuuk, the site of the University of Greenland and the Inuit Circumpolar Council. IGERT students will receive continuing interdisciplinary training through a seminar series and other related events on polar science and policy organized with the Dickey Center Institute of Arctic Studies, a workshop on preparing grant proposals, an annual program evaluation and research symposium, cross-IGERT activities, and opportunities for specialized training at other institutions or field sites. A special effort will be made to engage with Native American students. 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.
This grant supports a graduate program with a field course designed to offer students hands-on research opportunities. Beginning in 2010, up to 12 students and instructors will travel to Greenland each year for coursework. In 2009, students will complete core introductory courses during the 2009-10 academic year before taking the Greenland course. Six members will travel to Greenland during summer 2009 for planning purposes and will work on curriculum development with Greenlandic colleagues. They plan to spend a few days in Kangerlussuaq and time in Nuuk to meet with faculty at the University and with researchers at the ICC. During the summers of 2010 through 2014, the field course will be carried out with two distinct parts: a two-to-three-week field study effort based from Kangerlussuaq and Summit; and a two-week exploration of policy issues--specifically the human dimensions of climate change--based from Nuuk. For the field study component, students will be grouped into two disciplines: one will focus on terrestrial studies of soil-plant-animal interactions in tundra ecosystems based from Kangerlussuaq; the other will focus on firn/ice studies based from Summit Station. For each year of field work, IGERT team members may deploy to Kangerlussuaq to begin experiments in advance of the field team's arrival. In addition, IGERT students may engage in additional research activities. In 2013, these activities include early season research activities for one student at Summit and four students at Kangerlussuaq. Additionally, a subset of the main field team will visit Ilulissat in 2013 to study and see the rapidly advancing outlet glacier at Ilulissat, and investigate topics related to ecotourism and its environmental and cultural impacts. The 2014 field season will be broken up into three separate segments. Early season Kanger work will consist of three research students and a PolarTREC teacher, Emily Dodson (1345146ED), in June. The mid-season work will include an eight person team that will split into three different field groups in July. During this period two participants will take a short trip to Nuuk while one participant will visit Summit to overlap with the JSEP group. The late season work based out of Kanger will have two participants from late July to August. In 2015, a team of 6 will return to Kangerlussuaq to continue studies/sampling. Based from the KISS, they will make day trips to or camp at sampling sites.
For all years of the grant, CPS will arrange Air National Guard (ANG) flights to and from Kangerlussuaq, field and communications gear, user days and classroom space at the KISS facility, and Kangerlussuaq vehicle rentals. From 2010 – 2014, CPS will pay for all costs associated with this support; in 2015, the PI will pay for lodging and vehicle rentals. In addition, from 2010 to 2014, CPS will provide commercial airline tickets to/from Nuuk and/or Ilulissat, ANG arrangements to/from Summit, and Summit user days. ANG flights are scheduled in advance; if the timing of flights is not suitable, the PI will be responsible for commercial airline tickets. The research team will make all other arrangements and pay for them via the grant.
| Season | Field Site | Date In | Date Out | #People |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2009
|
Greenland - Summit
|
|
|
6
|
|
2010
|
Greenland - Summit
|
|
|
8
|
|
2011
|
Greenland - Summit
|
|
|
9
|
|
2012
|
Greenland - Summit
|
|
|
9
|
|
2013
|
Greenland - Summit
|
|
|
5
|
|
2014
|
Greenland - Summit
|
|
|
1
|