Training

RECHARGE NRT trainees will be trained to apply interdisciplinary natural and social science and engineering theory, methods and management approaches. An experienced interdisciplinary faculty team offers a pedagogically innovative curriculum that integrates ecological, social, and technological concepts and explicates the crucial role of values and ethics. The NRT educational program has six interrelated components:(1) a one-week summer NRT camp; (2) three core courses; (3) a series of discussion-based seminars; (4) professional development workshops; (5) a field internship; and (6) an opportunity to co-teach an undergraduate course on community resilience.  The core courses include:

·       Geology 521: Anatomy and History of Disasters

·       Geography 512: Climate Change Science and Socioenvironmental Impact Analysis

·       Communication 548: Risk and Strategic Communication

By organizing the components tightly around the community resilience theme, our structure allows graduate students to build capacity each academic term and meet their disciplinary requirements in two years, while providing exposure to multiple career opportunities, including those outside the academy. RECHARGE NRT trainees also have the opportunity to enroll in Portland State University’s Graduate Certificate in Emergency Management and Community Resilience to contextualize and broaden their graduate programs. In addition to the formal coursework, NRT trainee dissertations will include at least one co-authored chapter on a transdisciplinary topic, deepening student understanding of the mutually supportive relationship between the natural and social sciences, and providing training for collaborative projects with community partners.

Figure 3. Proposed NRT program for MS and PhD students with a combination of degree required credits and NRT required credits