Performing Department
Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Science
Non Technical Summary
An increase in production and equitable access to healthy, safe, and affordable seafood is needed to feed a growing human population. NNF-MAR will recruit a cohort of three doctoral fellows interested in collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches to questions in seafood production through mariculture. NNF-MAR will: (1) Train the next generation of seafood systems professionals to advance seafood production by tapping complex datasets using transdisciplinary modes of analysis (education and training; skills development); (2) Conduct original intra- and inter-disciplinary research projects where students gain hands-on experience at local to global scales (collaborative research); and (3) Train, mentor, and support students to be able to effectively: visualize complex concepts and datasets, communicate across disciplinary and cultural boundaries; be effective mentees/mentors by cultivating inclusion and a sense of belonging; and collaborate with stakeholders to develop and implement solutions (communication, leadership, extension, and other professional skills). Existing strengths in student leadership and support, intra- and interdisciplinary curricula, and collaborative research in marine sciences will be complemented with new elements (Incoming Student Seminar, Collaborative Guided Literature Review, Inclusive Research Mentoring, Research Travel, and Seafood System Stakeholder Experience). Mixed methods will be used to assess the program. Dissemination will occur through URI's Land and Sea Grant communication programs and close connections with local to global seafood systems. NNF-MAR addresses a critical need for experts capable to solve complex issues in seafood systems by providing excellence in graduate training.
Animal Health Component
60%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
30%
Applied
60%
Developmental
10%
Goals / Objectives
The goal of NNF-MAR is to train a cohort of three doctoral students in an integrated, collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to research questions in seafood production (TESA area 1 - Animal Science; secondary TESA Data Science; relevant disciplines A, B, G: Animal Science; Biotechnology/Microbiology, Interdisciplinary Sustainable Food). This program will address a critical need for experts capable of addressing the complex scientific, social, cultural, and economic issues affecting a rapidly growing mariculture industry. NNF-MAR will: (1) Train the next generation of seafood systems professionals to advance seafood production by tapping complex datasets using transdisciplinary modes of analysis (education and training; skills development); (2) Conduct original intra- and inter-disciplinary research projects where fellows gain hands-on experience at local to global scales (collaborative research); and (3) Train, mentor, and support fellows to be able to effectively: visualize complex concepts and datasets, communicate across disciplinary and cultural boundaries; be effective mentees/mentors by cultivating inclusion and a sense of belonging; and collaborate with stakeholders to develop and implement solutions (communication, leadership, extension, and other professional skills). Core values of NNF-MAR include an emphasis on the intrinsic value of heterogeneous scales of production (from small farms that sell directly to consumers to large scale producers) and preserving local cultures and biodiversity while understanding the way diverse cultures produce and use food and animals in a just, resilient and equitable manner.
Project Methods
Recruitment and Selection of Fellows: We will recruit a cohort of diverse graduate students interested in contributing to a just, diverse, and resilient seafood system, capable of understanding the complexity of the field, and willing to take an integrative, multi- or transdisciplinary, collaborative approach. For our recruitment efforts, we will use social media, the Bvironmental Sciences and Graduate School of Oceanography Graduate Programs websites, our networks, the Rhode Island Sea Grant Communication Office and aquaculture-related newsgroups including the Aquaculture Network Information Center and the Aquaculture Information Exchange. Recruitment materials will emphasize the critical needs and great opportunities in seafood systems, the breadth and depth of the marine programs at URI, targeted research topics, and the wide variety of resources available to the Fellows. Faculty will take recruitment materials to conferences in their fields and conferences that target underserved communities.To ensure selection of an outstanding cohort of NNF-MAR Fellows, we will use a transparent and holistic process incorporating a variety of criteria to evaluate fellows: (1) Potential for success in a doctoral program; (2) Fit with the program; (3) Solid academic background in a relevant discipline; (4) Demonstrated commitment to embrace a transdisciplinary, collaborative approach in their research and learning; (5) Motivation and focus; (6) High research promise; and (7) Leadership and capacity to enhance the intellectual, gender, and cultural diversity of the team. The selection process is as follows: (a) applicants are encouraged to contact potential advisors prior to applying; (b) Faculty nominate applicants for admission, ranking applicants in each of the criteria outlined above; (c) applicants are then evaluated and ranked within each specialization by their respective admissions committee; (d) the Graduate Program Director and Specialization Coordinators go over applicants from underserved groups that have not been nominated by faculty, and bring those applicants to the attention of potential major advisors to be reconsidered; and (e) the BES Faculty Specialization Coordinators and Director compile recommendations by faculty and specialization committees and make final decisions on admission, matching resources to top-ranked students.Academic Advising, Research Training, Professional Counseling, Mentoring, Pipelining. Solving complex issues in seafood systems requires a circular iterative approach that: (1) examines and defines these complex issues through the lenses of the diverse stakeholders (engagement through extension and outreach); (2) evaluates the disciplines, methods, and knowledge necessary to address these issues (interdisciplinary approach); (3) uses these tools to gather the required knowledge (collaborative research); (4) uses this knowledge to design strategies and technologies to manage these issues, and (5) implements and assesses the success of these strategies and the potential impact on different communities and ecosystems (justice, resilience, sustainability, extension, outreach). Input and feedback of stakeholders is key in all steps in the process. We will take advantage of the many existing elements and resources available at the University of Rhode Island I to achieve the NNF-MAR outcomes and outputs, adding a few more novel key elements to provide guidance and cohesiveness to the program (Incoming Student Seminar, Collaborative Review in Seafood Systems, Peer-Mentoring Experience, Research Travel Experience tied with the Comprehensive Exams, Seafood System Stakeholder Experience). Guidance, Social activities, Professional Skills, Support: In addition to the new BES600 Incoming Student Seminar, guidance, sense of community & belonging, networking, and mentorship and other skills will be provided by the BES Annual Retreat (September) and the BES Annual Symposium (May). Existing and novel program training elements are combined with a diverse portfolio of competitive research projects that are geared to sustainably and equitably increase US seafood production through (1) increasing production through the development of novel technologies for the culture of new species; (2) developing novel tools to manage losses produced by ecosystem change, pollution, and disease; and (3) addressing social and regulatory constrains to the growth of mariculture.The NNF-MAR assessment plan will use mixed methods integrating mid semester, biannual qualitative interviews that measure sense of belonging and gauge mentoring and academic experience with quantitative measures of program success. Outputs and outcomes of the NNF-MAR graduate program and data from student will be reported through a new website linked to the BES and Grad School websites, news communicated by social media and other communication, presented at relevant conferences in the fields of aquaculture, fisheries, and food systems sustainability and education, and published in relevant journals. ?We are firm believers in open science, and all aspects of the methodology and results of the fellows' research will be openly shared through GitHub or Jupyter, and links to those repositories will be provided in our website. The emphasis in networking and social interactions, as well as the enriched mentoring experiences, will establish "family-type" links between fellows and faculty that would facilitate tracking of graduating students through their careers.