Interdisciplinary graduate research and education in human-dominated landscapes: Experiences from the LEAP IGERT

Background/Question/Methods

LEAP (Landscape, Ecological and Anthropogenic Processes) is an NSF funded IGERT (Integrated Graduate Education and Traineeship) doctoral program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. LEAP is focused on understanding ecological processes in human-altered landscapes, with the overarching goal of improving the integration of human activities with those of native species, natural communities, and ecosystems. The interdisciplinary program spans five departments and three colleges at UIC, including the natural sciences, engineering, and urban planning and policy. Program elements include a multidisciplinary curriculum, internships with area partners, and a team-based capstone project. Here we present results from the first two years of the LEAP program.

Results/Conclusions

The first two cohorts of LEAP students include those in doctoral programs in Ecology and Evolution, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Civil and Material Engineering, Public Administration, and Urban Planning and Policy. Thus the goal of drawing students from diverse fields to produce interdisciplinary cohorts has been successful. We have also been successful in engaging area partners in teaching and training. A field course involved scientists from several organizations including the Chicago Division of the Army Corp of Engineers, Illinois Natural History Survey, Field Museum and Chicago Botanic Garden. Faculty from four UIC departments co-taught a project based class during the fall semester, 2007. Students in the class worked as teams throughout the semester to produce a report to Openlands regarding restoration, protection and management of a new Lakeshore Preserve at Fort Sheridan. This Lakeshore Preserve is a decommissioned naval based that contains the last undeveloped stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline in Illinois as well rare ravine ecosystems. Students produced a written report for Openlands and also provided a formal presentation. For their capstone project, the first cohort of LEAP students developed a project to look at the ecology of poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) invasion into the Chicago region. Invasion of poison hemlock here is recent and appears to be associated with freeways and/or contaminated soils, leading these students to combine their separate interests in population genetics, invasion ecology, and environmental engineering to study the invasion process. These activities demonstrate the graduate students from very different disciplines can successfully pursue problem-centered training and research. The successful engagement of non-academic environmental organizations in the Chicago area has also been a key component as we seek to prepare students for careers in diverse fields, including careers outside of academics.