NSF’s new strategy features interdisciplinary research (and, oddly, me).
It was an honor to find my Ph.D. research featured on page 6 of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) new strategic plan. More than my personal excitement, is the broader excitement that NSF is putting inter-disciplinary research and sustainable management of fishing forward so prominently.
A large majority of my graduate schooling was supported by funds from NSF — both a Graduate Research Fellowship, and, as highlighted here, an Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT). THANK YOU National Science Foundation! The IGERT program in the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (CMBC) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography included training in ecology, policy, economics, communications, and law. That program is a key reason I feel brave enough to embark on projects like Barbuda Blue Halo, a community-driven ocean management initiative funded by the Waitt Institute, which requires me to draw on the full breadth of my CMBC training daily. THANK YOU Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation!
As for the priorities identified in the plan, the devil is always in the details, but they seem on the right track:
- The NSF portfolio fully incorporates emerging areas with transformative potential, including those forming at disciplinary boundaries [Yay interdisciplinary research!]
- NSF STEM workforce development programs, models, or strategies have rigorous evidence about the impact on diversity and innovation in the workforce [Yay diversity!]
- NSF programs increasingly establish international partnerships that advance the frontiers of knowledge [Yay international collaboration!]
Looking forward to seeing what pans out as steps are taken to meet these goals.