Abstract
Most National Science Foundation Coupled Human Natural Systems projects entail graduate training. This chapter discusses the complex terrain of training and mentorship for collaborative research that crosses disciplinary, transdisciplinary, and cultural/geographic boundaries. We argue that the training process itself entails many boundary-crossing challenges within the academic environment. We use as a case study the Integrative Conservation Ph.D. program at the University of Georgia, a unique program dedicated to advancing interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research in conservation and sustainability. We draw parallels to the thematic issues that cross-cut the contributions to this volume, and explore effective pedagogical innovations, organizational strategies, pitfalls, and insights for crossing intra-academic boundaries to provide Ph.D. training for the next generation of boundary-crossing scientists.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Throughout the chapter, when we make attributions to Perz, they are drawn from (Perz 2016), with page numbers cited where appropriate.
- 2.
While commonly used interchangeably, we have tried to use the adjective “epistemological” only when referring to the study or philosophy of knowledge acquisition, and otherwise use the (much shorter) adjective “epistemic” when referring the act or process of knowledge acquisition, rather than the formal study of it.
- 3.
Interestingly, two of ICON’s home unit disciplines, natural resources and geography, are not aligned with the divide between HS and NS domains, and ecology is the only discipline aligned with a single epistemology. This has contributed to the program’s careful attention to distinctions between epistemology, HS/NS domains, and academic departments when speaking of interdisciplinarity.
References
Adger, W. N., & Jordan, A. (2009). Governing Sustainability. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Armitage, D., & Plummer, R. (2010). Adapting and Transforming: Governance for Navigating Change. In R. Plummer & D. Armitage (Eds.), Adaptive Capacity and Environmental Governance (pp. 287–302). Berlin and Heidelberg: Springer.
Bosque-Pérez, N. A., Klos, P. Z., Force, J. E., Waits, L. P., Cleary, K., Rhoades, P., et al. (2016). A Pedagogical Model for Team-Based, Problem-Focused Interdisciplinary Doctoral Education. BioScience, 66(6), 477–488.
Brister, E. (2016). Disciplinary Capture and Epistemological Obstacles to Interdisciplinary Research: Lessons from Central African Conservation Disputes. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, 56, 82–91.
Eigenbrode, S. D., O’Rourke, M., Wulfhorst, J. D., Althoff, D. M., Goldberg, C. S., Merrill, K., et al. (2007). Employing Philosophical Dialogue in Collaborative Science. BioScience, 57(1), 55–64.
Epstein, A. W., & Stein, A. (2014). Rivers and Dams: A Multiplayer Role-Play Game That Promotes Learning in Collaboration and Team-Oriented Communication. Seventh Symposium on Engineering and Liberal Education, Union College, Schenectady, NY (abstract available at https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/muse.union.edu/dist/e/218/files/2014/2007/2014-ELE-Symposium-Program.pdf, p. 2021).
Evely, A. C., Fazey, I., Pinard, M., & Lambin, X. (2008). The Influence of Philosophical Perspectives in Integrative Research: A Conservation Case Study in the Cairngorms National Park. Ecology and Society, 13(2), 52.
Folke, C., Hahn, T., Olsson, P., & Norberg, J. (2005). Adaptive Governance of Social-Ecological Systems. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 30, 441–473.
Fortuin, K. P. J., & van Koppen, C. S. A. (2016). Teaching and Learning Reflexive Skills in Inter- and Transdisciplinary Research: A Framework and Its Application in Environmental Science Education. Environmental Education Research, 22(5), 697–716.
Hackett, E. J., & Rhoten, D. R. (2009). The Snowbird Charrette: Integrative Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Environmental Research Design. Minerva, 47, 407–440.
Kolata, G. (2016, July 14). So Many Research Scientists, So Few Professorships (p. A3). New York Times.
Kolb, A. Y., & Kolb, D. A. (2012). Experiential Learning Theory. In N. M. Seel (Ed.), Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning (pp. 1215–1219). Boston, MA: Springer US.
Lang, D. J., Wiek, A., Bergmann, M., Stauffacher, M., Martens, P., Moll, P., et al. (2012). Transdisciplinary Research in Sustainability Science: Practice, Principles, and Challenges. Sustainability Science, 7(1), 25–43.
Larson, R. C., Ghaffarzadegan, N., & Xue, Y. (2014). Too Many Ph.D. Graduates or Too Few Academic Job Openings: The Basic Reproductive Number R(0) in Academia. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 31(6), 745–750.
Lélé, S., & Norgaard, R. B. (2005). Practicing Interdisciplinarity. BioScience, 55(11), 967–975.
Lucas, J., Gora, E., & Alonso, A. (2017). A View of the Global Conservation Job Market and How to Succeed in It. Conservation Biology, 31(6), 1223–1231.
McShane, T. O., Hirsch, P. D., Tran Chi, T., Songorwa, A. N., Kinzig, A., Monteferri, B., et al. (2011). Hard Choices: Making Trade-Offs Between Biodiversity Conservation and Human Well-Being. Biological Conservation, 144(3), 966–972.
Miller, T. R., Baird, T. D., Littlefield, C. M., Kofinas, G., Chapin Iii, F. S., & Redman, C. L. (2008). Epistemological Pluralism: Reorganizing Interdisciplinary Research. Ecology and Society, 13(2), 46.
Moon, K., & Blackman, D. (2014). A Guide to Understanding Social Science Research for Natural Scientists. Conservation Biology, 28(5), 1167–1177.
Murphy, B. L. (2011). From Interdisciplinary to Inter-epistemological Approaches: Confronting the Challenges of Integrated Climate Change Research. The Canadian Geographer/Le Géographe Canadien, 55(4), 490–509.
National Science Board. (2016). Science and Engineering Indicators 2016. Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation.
NRC (National Research Council). (2014). Convergence: Facilitating Transdisciplinary Integration of Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Engineering, and Beyond. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
O’Rourke, M., & Crowley, S. J. (2013). Philosophical Intervention and Cross-Disciplinary Science: The Story of the Toolbox Project. Synthese, 190(11), 1937–1954.
Olsson, P., Gunderson, L. H., Carpenter, S. R., Ryan, P., Lebel, L., Folke, C., et al. (2006). Shooting the Rapids: Navigating Transitions to Adaptive Governance of Social-Ecological Systems. Ecology and Society, 11(1), 18.
Perz, S. G. (2016). Crossing Boundaries for Collaboration: Conservation and Development Projects in the Amazon. New York, NY: Lexington Books.
Popa, F., Guillermin, M., & Dedeurwaerdere, T. (2015). A Pragmatist Approach to Transdisciplinarity in Sustainability Research: From Complex Systems Theory to Reflexive Science. Futures, 65, 45–56.
Schwartz, M. W., Hiers, J. K., Davis, F. W., Garfin, G. M., Jackson, S. T., Terando, A. J., et al. (2017). Developing a Translational Ecology Workforce. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 15(10), 587–596.
Uhlenbrook, S., & de Jong, E. (2012). T-shaped Competency Profile for Water Professionals of the Future. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 16(10), 3475–3483.
Walker, B. H., Holling, C. S., Carpenter, S. R., & Kinzig, A. P. (2004). Resilience, Adaptability and Transformability in Social-Ecological Systems. Ecology and Society, 9(2), 5.
Weissmann, J. (2013). How Many Ph.D.’s Actually Get to Become College Professors? The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/02/how-many-phds-actually-get-to-become-college-professors/273434/.
Welch-Devine, M., Hardy, D., Brosius, J. P., & Heynen, N. (2014). A Pedagogical Model for Integrative Training in Conservation and Sustainability. Ecology and Society, 19(2), 10.
Acknowledgements
The ideas and views herein were inspired by stimulating collaboration and camaraderie with many individuals associated with the ICON Ph.D. program and the Center for Integrative Conservation Research (CICR) at the University of Georgia. Pete Brosius, Laura German, Nik Heynen, Cathy Pringle, Jenn Rice, and Meredith Welch-Devine have been at the core of ICON efforts, and many other ICON and CICR Affiliates have contributed immensely. We thank all the ICON students, who continue to the shape of the program through their experience and thoughtful feedback. We thank UGA’s leadership (deans and staff at several levels) for their generous support, guidance, and patience through the cross-boundary challenges. We also thank Talley Vodicka, for her expert program support, feedback, and intellectual contributions in all ICON endeavors. King extends gratitude to her collaborators at the intersection of ICON, CICR, and an NSF-sponsored CNH research project: Laura German, Ryan Unks, and Gabriele Volpato. Their project was supported by the US National Science Foundation (Grant No. 1313659) and conducted with permission of the Government of Kenya (Permit NCST/RRI/12/1/MAS/108). We also thank Arun Agrawal for the invitation to participate in the symposium at the 2017 Association of American Geographers meeting, which led to this edited volume, and Stephen Perz for spearheading its preparation.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
King, E.G., Nibbelink, N. (2019). Challenges of Boundary Crossing in Graduate Training for Coupled Human-Natural Systems Research. In: Perz, S. (eds) Collaboration Across Boundaries for Social-Ecological Systems Science. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13827-1_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13827-1_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-13826-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-13827-1
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)