As environmental problems grow increasingly complex and global in scale, scientists must increasingly work within collaborative networks in which expertise is shared and solutions are developed collectively. However, ‘soft skills’ in effective team leadership, maintaining collaborations, and facilitating scientific discussions and projects are often not a focus of a traditional graduate student education.

The Global Lakes Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) Graduate Fellowship Program is an NSF Macrosystems-funded program that seeks to train the next generation of scientific leaders in analyzing large and diverse datasets, working in interdisciplinary, international teams, and synthesizing findings for communication to broad and diverse audiences. The program has included two cohorts of 12 graduate students (24 total) who have attended a series of training workshops on the science of team science and effectively forming and participating in interdisciplinary, collaborative research projects.

This workshop aims to provide:

1. An overview of the GLEON Fellowship Program.
2. First-hand perspectives from student participants on skills gained through participation in the program.
3. A platform to discuss the GLEON Fellowship program as a model framework for similar training programs across disciplines in ecology.

We invite ecologists of all career stages and disciplines to join us for this brown-bag lunch-and-learn discussion.