Training a new scientist to meet the challenges of a changing environment

Abstract

The transboundary nature of global environmental change demands collaborative, multiscale, interdisciplinary research [U.S. National Academy of Sciences, 2005]. This requires "a new kind of scientist" [Schmidt and Moyer, 2008]; collaborators must develop both sufficient understanding of one another's work and the skills to integrate data sets and expertise. Although numerous interdisciplinary academic programs have emerged to address this demand, success varies widely. While many address cultural and financial impediments to interdisciplinary research [Weingart, 2000; Rhoten, 2004], there is little discussion of the skills that facilitate interdisciplinary scholarship and how to obtain them.