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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lincoln, Nebraska » Agroecosystem Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #410201
Research Project: Managing Manure as a Soil Resource for Improved Biosecurity, Nutrient Availability, and Soil Sustainability

Location: Agroecosystem Management Research

Title: Perspective: Expanding transdisciplinary-collaborative research to graduate education

Author
item DEVINEY, ALISON - North Carolina State University
item CLASSEN, JOHN - North Carolina State University
item MARTIN-RYALS, ANA - University Of Florida
item CORTUS, ERIN - University Of Minnesota
item BIRD, KATE - Nebraska Department Of Environment And Energy
item BREWER, CATHERIN - New Mexico State University
item KALEITA, AMY - Iowa State University
item Miller, Daniel
item RODRIGUEZ, LUIS - University Of Illinois
item STONE, MARK - University Of Nebraska
item VANCE, CHERISH - The Ohio State University

Submitted to: Journal of the ASABE
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/8/2024
Publication Date: 3/1/2024
Citation: Deviney, A., Classen, J., Martin-Ryals, A., Cortus, E., Bird, K., Brewer, C., Kaleita, A., Miller, D.N., Rodriguez, L., Stone, M., Vance, C. 2024. Perspective: Expanding transdisciplinary-collaborative research to graduate education. Journal of the ASABE. 67(3):743-747. https://doi.org/10.13031/ja.15878.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13031/ja.15878

Interpretive Summary: To prepare graduate students to address today’s complex agri-food systems challenges in research, government, and industry, there is a need for a workforce already trained in collaborative transdisciplinary research skills such as systems thinking, teamwork, and communication across disciplines. This perspective addresses this need through three major themes - assessment, support and culture - identified from a panel discussion of academic and industry perspectives at the 2023 ASABE Annual International Meeting. Graduate student assessment (Theme 1) may include a diverse portfolio beyond the individual thesis demonstrating collaborative transdisciplinary competencies. Short-term grant-funded programs exist, but there needs to be longer-term programmatic support (Theme 2). Establishing cultural relevance (Theme 3) appears to be a scaffold that would support increasing programmatic support (Theme 2), and ultimately assessment methods (Theme 1). Keywords. graduate education, programmatic support, student assessment.

Technical Abstract: To prepare graduate students to address today’s complex agri-food systems challenges in research, government, and industry, there is a need for a workforce already trained in collaborative transdisciplinary research skills such as systems thinking, teamwork, and communication across disciplines. This perspective addresses this need through three major themes - assessment, support and culture - identified from a panel discussion of academic and industry perspectives at the 2023 ASABE Annual International Meeting. Graduate student assessment (Theme 1) may include a diverse portfolio beyond the individual thesis demonstrating collaborative transdisciplinary competencies. Short-term grant-funded programs exist, but there needs to be longer-term programmatic support (Theme 2). Establishing cultural relevance (Theme 3) appears to be a scaffold that would support increasing programmatic support (Theme 2), and ultimately assessment methods (Theme 1).