Call for Applications for the upcoming third national Conference for Sustainability IGERTs (C4SI3) on September 26-29th, 2013. This graduate student led conference is hosted by PSU's Ecosystem Services for Urbanizing Regions IGERT at Portland State University, Portland, Oregon. IGERT students (and recent IGERT alumni) studying topics related to social and environmental sustainability are invited to attend.
C4SI3 targets doctoral students in IGERT programs studying topics related to the sustainability in social-ecological systems. Conference attendees will engage the interdisciplinary challenges, obstacles, and benefits of sustainability research, as well as the utility of the Ecosystem Services framework as a cross-disciplinary language. This conference will also explore the specific advantages and challenges of being an IGERT graduate student and conducting interdisciplinary sustainability research.
The C4SI3 agenda will be focused on group work including interactions between students and faculty for the development of research collaborations and publications. More specifically, the agenda will consist of self-organized working groups, plenary sessions, poster sessions, panels with IGERT students, faculty and alumni, and optional field trips. Working groups will be generated from student application statements and focus on collaborative learning and applied sustainability and ecosystem service research.
Working group break-out sessions will be determined primarily by the applications received. Potential conference themes and working group topics may include:
Governance and non-market applications of the ecosystem services framework
Ecosystem services as a frame for interdisciplinary socio-ecological research
Theoretical and practical barriers (and opportunities) to linking natural and social sciences
Comparative assessment of ecosystem services across states, regions, institutions, and ecosystems
Ecosystem services decision-making tools
Linking ecosystem services, policy, and implementation
Scale and Sustainability
Understanding authorship in an interdisciplinary context: the enigma of the co-authored dissertation chapter
Careers after IGERT
Collaboration opportunities between IGERT programs
Other creative ecosystem service/sustainability topics gladly accepted!
This conference is open to all current IGERT students and recent alumni. IGERT students/alumni must apply for acceptance to the conference. Travel grants will provide support for approximately 30 students with the intent to cover conference registration, local transport, airfare and 4 nights stay at a hotel in Portland (checking in Wednesday evening/checking out Sunday morning).
C4SI3 applications must be submitted by MAY 1st, 2013.
Selection Criteria
No more than THREE students from a single IGERT program will be accepted. Two students from an IGERT program will be fully funded by the conference; a third student from that IGERT program may attend but must come up with their own funding.
Relevance and novelty of research topic
Demonstrated ability to think interdisciplinarily
Creativity and applicability of working group proposal
Interest in and ability to co-facilitate working group
Download PDF version of application HERE.
1. Application Statement (300-500 words max.)
Brief description of your research interests
1-2 Working Group proposals
Each working group will have two, three-hour sessions together (6 hours total work time) and any additional extra time that the group wishes to spend outside of the scheduled conference hours (there will be a free night during which conference rooms will be provided for those groups that wish to meet)
Include rationale/relevance of the working group topic to the topic of ecosystem services and/or sustainability
If your working group is accepted, you will be asked to co-facilitate discussion with another student or faculty member
2. Title of your IGERT Program and brief description (100 words) of your program’s connection with the topic of ecosystem services and sustainability
3. CV
Please email your application by April 15, 2013 to Kim Heavener at: kimber23@pdx.edu
PLEASE NOTE: Posters do NOT need to be submitted with initial application; but must be brought to the conference if applicant is accepted.
Download PDF version of application HERE.
Attendee Expectations
2 posters required for attendance
1 poster on your individual dissertation research
1 poster on your IGERT program (students may collaborate with others from your IGERT program if they are also attending)
Abstract of proposed working group required for attendance
Student is required to introduce working group topic and co-facilitate working group if selected
Student will be paired with other students whose working group topics are similar
Students will collaborate before the conference begins via IGERT.org to prepare working group co-facilitiation
Working Groups
All students will participate in working groups
Students will collaborate before the conference begins via IGERT.org to prepare working group themes and topics
Facilitators will present on the first day of the conference and act as a point of contact between each working group and the conference organizers
Please see spreadsheet below for Working Group sessions and participants
**Poster Specifications: Posters should be 44" wide by 36" tall (in other words, a landscape orientation). HERE are tips on designing a great poster.