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This IGERT program in Ecosystem Informatics builds on synergies among ecosystem science, computer science, and mathematics in the context of regional, national and global natural resource management and policy. Informatics – which includes modeling, data analysis, interpretation, and management of information using computerized systems; combined with ecosystem science; and study… more »

This IGERT program in Ecosystem Informatics builds on synergies among ecosystem science, computer science, and mathematics in the context of regional, national and global natural resource management and policy. Informatics – which includes modeling, data analysis, interpretation, and management of information using computerized systems; combined with ecosystem science; and study of the biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) components of complex systems and their interactions – contributes to basic theory as well as natural resource policy and management. Practically every government agency, national and international organization involved in natural resources and ecosystem management is engaged in Ecosystem Informatics. The field is timely, participating scientists are successfully collaborating across these disciplines, and the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. has many pertinent issues and agencies.

Intellectual merit: The goals of the Ecosystem Informatics IGERT program are to: (1) train young scientists who will make basic contributions to ecosystem science, computer science, and mathematics; (2) promote discovery through team-based research and education; and (3) further ecosystem and natural resources management and policy. This IGERT enhances current efforts in eco-informatics, many involving NSF-sponsored efforts (e.g. LTER, NCEAS, SDSC). This program will train scientists who can work on interdisciplinary teams, supported by internships at national and international organizations. Research efforts integrate four ecosystem science areas of (1) diversity, stability, and invasion in communities; (2) carbon and nitrogen fluxes in watersheds and airsheds; (3) disturbance dynamics in landscapes, oceans, and coastal zones; and (4) fluxes of material and energy through physical networks, with five areas of informatics: (a) software engineering for model construction, experimentation, and replication; (b) representation and modeling of complex ecosystems; © information management and access; (d) spatio-temporal database systems; and (5) data mining and pattern recognition.

Broader impacts: Ecosystem Informatics is largely missing from graduate education today. The IGERT program will train students to become outstanding interdisciplinary scientists and effective contributors to ecosystem informatics research teams. Through cross-disciplinary team-based activities the program will improve diversity, recruitment and retention of Ph.D. students in computer science, mathematics, and ecosystem science. It will contribute to ecosystem management and policy at the regional, national and international levels through student-faculty team projects, presentations and symposia, and internships across the US, Europe, and the Pacific Rim.

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. In this sixth year of the program, awards are being made to institutions for programs that collectively span the areas of science and engineering supported by NSF « less