lmoser2@neb.rr.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n– Story and photos by Troy Fedderson, University Communications<\/em>
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\nWisherd Ceremony<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nThe UNL Emeriti Association will honor the Wisherd family during an 11 a.m., Dec. 1 ceremony at Wyuka Cemetery (Section 30). The event is open to the public.<\/p>"},{"title":"$3.1M IGERT award is a first for UNL","link":"http://scarlet.unl.edu/?p=5427","description":"NSF grant to fund innovative, water-focused graduate education program\nUNL is launching an innovative, interdisciplinary graduate education program to prepare future scientists, policymakers and natural resource managers to address increasingly complex global water issues. The program is funded by a $3.1 million National Science Foundation grant.\nThe five-year grant from NSF’s Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship [...]","guid":{"isPermaLink":"false","content":"http://scarlet.unl.edu/?p=5427"},"pubDate":"Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:44:06 -0800","encoded":"
![\"NSF](\"http://scarlet.unl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/20091119nsflogo.jpg\" "\\"20091119nsflogo\\"")
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NSF grant to fund innovative, water-focused graduate education program<\/em><\/h2>\nUNL is launching an innovative, interdisciplinary graduate education program to prepare future scientists, policymakers and natural resource managers to address increasingly complex global water issues. The program is funded by a $3.1 million National Science Foundation grant.<\/p>\n
The five-year grant from NSF’s Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program, known as IGERT, will fund an education project focused on resilience and adaptive governance in stressed watersheds. Doctoral students in this rigorous program will study resilience and adaptive management strategies for stressed watersheds in the United States and eastern Europe. The program will integrate scientific, socio-economic and legal aspects involved in studying and managing complex systems of people and nature.<\/p>\n
The program will train graduate students from many disciplines across the natural, computational and social sciences to become the next generation of natural resource scientists, managers and policymakers, said wildlife ecologist Craig Allen, who leads the IGERT program, which is based in the School of Natural Resources.<\/p>\n
“Resolving increasingly complex water issues requires the best and clearest scientific information from interdisciplinary and integrative science, and the best well-trained scientists we can provide,” Allen said.<\/p>\n
This is Nebraska’s first IGERT award since NSF established the program in 1997. The IGERT program encourages collaborative new models for graduate education in science and engineering. It teams UNL water experts in many scientific disciplines with national and international partners, as well as agencies and non-governmental organizations dealing with water management issues.<\/p>\n
“This grant will jump-start a permanent interdisciplinary program of study in resilience and adaptive management,” said chancellor Harvey Perlman. “It fits well with our university’s strategic goals for interdisciplinary research and education, and our commitment to be a leader in water research.” <\/p>\n
The program taps UNL’s broad expertise in water, natural resources and climate science to provide an innovative, interdisciplinary graduate education and research experience, said Prem Paul, vice chancellor for research and economic development. “Such training is largely missing in U.S. graduate programs but it’s vital if we are to prepare the next generation to respond to increasingly difficult water issues worldwide,” Paul said.<\/p>\n
John Owens, Harlan vice chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said, “This is exciting news for UNL. It takes advantages of some key strengths we have in water research and education and positions us to enhance our national and international leadership in this area.”<\/p>\n
Diminishing water resources and increasing demand require policy experts, managers and scientists who understand complex ecosystems, Allen said. UNL’s program will focus on resilience theory and adaptive management and governance. Resilience focuses on preserving a complex ecosystem’s ability to adapt or evolve in the face of environmental change. Adaptive management is a process of making decisions in the face of uncertainty, monitoring over time and improving or adjusting management as new information is available.<\/p>\n
The IGERT program will fund 26 doctoral trainees over the next five years. The program’s first students are expected to begin their studies in January. They will study every angle of scientifically managing stressed watersheds starting with Nebraska’s Platte River. They also will study the Tisza River in Hungary and the Odra River in Poland in cooperation with the program’s international partner the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis in Austria.<\/p>\n
The program focuses on interdisciplinary training in natural, social and computer sciences. About 20 UNL faculty members helped develop the adaptive management curriculum and will work with graduate students. Research will focus on understanding and enhancing the resilience of over-appropriated watersheds in the Great Plains, where agricultural production and critical habitats rely on fluctuating water resources.<\/p>\n
Local, state and federal agencies, some of which have formally partnered in UNL’s IGERT program, will help shape an interdisciplinary curriculum in natural sciences, policy and law and research externships, or practice-based learning. Externships and workshops in the U.S. and Europe will give the fellows real-world experience putting their training and theories to the test in ways useful to environmental managers and policymakers, Allen said. <\/p>\n
“The program will help fundamentally change academic culture by coalescing students, faculty and partners from many disciplines around a common goal of sustainably managing over-appropriated watersheds,” Allen said. UNL’s program could provide a model for integrating natural sciences, social sciences, law and computer sciences in graduate education.<\/p>\n
Organizers are working to recruit top doctoral students, Allen said, especially those from underrepresented groups. <\/p>\n
IGERT partners currently include The Nature Conservancy, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Headwaters Corp. and the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources. The program also will work with the Resilience Alliance, a loose international consortium of 17 members, including UNL, focused on multidisciplinary research that explores the dynamics of complex adaptive systems.<\/p>\n
Co-leaders at UNL are Sherilyn Fritz, geosciences professor; Ashok Samal, computer science professor; Alan Tomkins, director of the university’s Public Policy Center and professor of psychology and law; and Andrew Tyre, associate professor of natural resources.
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What is the IGERT?<\/em><\/h2>\nThe Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program is the National Science Foundation’s flagship interdisciplinary training program. IGERT is designed to educate doctoral scientists and engineers by building on their disciplinary knowledge with interdisciplinary training.<\/p>\n
Since 1997, the IGERT program has made 215 awards to more than 100 leading universities in 41 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. IGERT has provided funding for nearly 5,000 graduate students.<\/p>\n
The $3.1 million IGERT award is a first for UNL.
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IGERT @ UNL<\/em><\/h2>\nThe UNL IGERT was developed by about 20 UNL faculty members. The diverse group will also work with the IGERT graduate students.<\/p>\n
Co-leaders include Sheri Fritz, geosciences; Ashok Samal, computer science; Alan Tomkins, diretor of NU’s Public Policy Center; and Andrew Tyre, natural resources.<\/p>\n
The program will work with four local partners and the Resilience Alliance, a loose international consortium of 17 members.<\/p>"},{"title":"A winding career path","link":"http://scarlet.unl.edu/?p=5418","description":"From drop-out to chimney sweep, Allen develops niche among academics\nCraig Allen has charted a career path inspired by the words of Jack London and the grunge of chimney sweeping. Toss in some helpful “work faster” demands of a few supervisors/high school dropouts, and you could correctly say Allen has led a non-traditional march into academia.\n“I [...]","guid":{"isPermaLink":"false","content":"http://scarlet.unl.edu/?p=5418"},"pubDate":"Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:36:58 -0800","encoded":"
From drop-out to chimney sweep, Allen develops niche among academics<\/em><\/h2>\nCraig Allen has charted a career path inspired by the words of Jack London and the grunge of chimney sweeping. <\/p>\n
Toss in some helpful “work faster” demands of a few supervisors/high school dropouts, and you could correctly say Allen has led a non-traditional march into academia.<\/p>\n
“I had a little bit of trouble finding an area of study,” said Allen. “But, I started college as a creative writing major.”<\/p>\n
Allen, adjunct professor and director of the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, is the principal investigator in UNL’s first IGERT program. The interdisciplinary education program for doctoral students is directed toward studying resilience and adaptive management strategies for stressed watersheds – one of Allen’s specialties.<\/p>\n
\n\n\n![\"Craig](\"http://ucommxsrv1.unl.edu/newscarlet/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/20091119allen.jpg\") <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Craig Allen, adjunct professor and director of the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, has taken on the lead roll in UNL’s IGERT program. Allen has been with UNL since 2004. Photo by Brett Hampton/IANR News Service.<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n He first became interested in wildlife ecology after reading Jack London’s “Call of the Wild,” while attending grade school in the suburbs of Madison, Wis.<\/p>\n “That book really opened up my horizons,” said Allen. “I started looking at what surrounded us in Madison. It was a shock to me that we were surrounded by cornfields and not by Northwoods wolves and moose. I wondered where they had all gone.”<\/p>\n The wonder didn’t last long.<\/p>\n “In my teenage years, I wasn’t interested in anything,” Allen said. “Then I went to college and burned through writing, geology, soil and forestry majors. I was very disenchanted.<\/p>\n “If only I’d known that you can get paid to chase animals around.”<\/p>\n He dropped out of the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay, eventually starting his own chimney sweep business.<\/p>\n “It was actually pretty good money,” said Allen. “But once you slide off a roof covered in snow a time or two, the attraction wanes.”<\/p>\n He returned to UW-Green Bay and earned a bachelor’s degree, majoring in biology. Allen said interest in the topic he was studying led to a steep improvement in his grades. He was also inspired by a research project.<\/p>\n “As an undergraduate, I was able to study fox on campus,” said Allen. “It was a great opportunity, the right species to work with. I had a lot of fun sitting 30 feet from a fox den, watching them run around.”<\/p>\n Allen continued to work toward a doctorate. He earned a master’s in wildlife science at Texas Tech, then on to a doctorate in wildlife ecology at the University of Florida. He finished a post-doctorate at Florida before moving to work as the leader of a wildlife cooperative at Clemson University.<\/p>\n Allen came to UNL in 2004 as the founding leader of the UNL cooperative. He also teaches one course annually and is helping guide 12 graduate students toward degrees.<\/p>\n And, with the IGERT award, Allen is also working with colleagues across campus to prepare for the first group of students to come aboard.<\/p>\n The first task for the IGERT doctoral students will be to develop research projects. Their initial area of focus is the Platte River.<\/p>\n “This is a very unique IGERT,” said Allen. “What we will be doing is based on a very new and emerging body of theory. But, there’s a real applied aspect to this project. There is potential for applications in water management and policy in Nebraska. It’s a daunting task, but I think we’re going to see results that make an impact.”<\/p>\n – By Troy Fedderson, University Communications<\/em><\/p>"},{"title":"Husker Cats ‘walk on’ drawn to tractor museum","link":"http://scarlet.unl.edu/?p=5411","description":"The Lester F. Larsen Tractor Test and Power Museum is home to a purring Allis Chalmers.\nBut forget fieldwork and gleaming red metal. Think mouse chasing and gray fur.\nFor the last three years, the tractor museum has been home to Allis Chalmers, a stray cat who was so hungry she wandered repeatedly into the East Union.\n“We [...]","guid":{"isPermaLink":"false","content":"http://scarlet.unl.edu/?p=5411"},"pubDate":"Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:33:00 -0800","encoded":"The Lester F. Larsen Tractor Test and Power Museum is home to a purring Allis Chalmers.<\/p>\n But forget fieldwork and gleaming red metal. Think mouse chasing and gray fur.<\/p>\n For the last three years, the tractor museum has been home to Allis Chalmers, a stray cat who was so hungry she wandered repeatedly into the East Union.<\/p>\n “We got a call from a worker in the bookstore asking if we were interested in a cat,” said Jeremy Steele, educational associate with the museum. “She was just skin and bones, but a super nice cat. So, we took her in.”<\/p>\n Allis quickly accepted the museum as her new home – regular food, water, heat and affection helping speed the transition.<\/p>\n “She’s not officially one of those Husker Cats,” Steele said. “I guess you could say she’s a walk on.”<\/p>\n \n\n\n![\"Allis](\"http://ucommxsrv1.unl.edu/newscarlet/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/20091119allis.jpg\") <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| Allis Chalmers, the stray cat adopted by the workers at the Lester F. Larsen Tractor Test and Power Museum, sits on the wheel cover of a tractor she is named after.<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Allis has all her shots and is licensed with Animal Control. And, she’s also become a prime draw for museum visitors.<\/p>\n “Most everyone is pretty surprised when they first see Allis,” said Steele. “But, now we have people that come in just to see the cat. And she’s really popular with the kids from the Ruth Staples Child Development Laboratory. They come visit Allis all the time.”<\/p>\n The feline is also popular among the museum workers – especially with 11-year volunteer Mark Nickolaus.<\/p>\n “She’ll climb up on my shoulders and ride there,” said Nickolaus. “It’s really nice to have Allis around. I think she helps people remember what it was like on the farm. I know she makes me think of growing up on my family farm near Aurora.” <\/p>\n Along with the tractors and other museum displays, Allis is helping the museum link to the past. Steele said the museum building was home to cats when it housed the tractor test and power facility.<\/p>\n “We’ve found some old photos with cats in the test facility,” said Steele. “There’s also a door in the wall that allows Allis to come and go from the building. It was put there 50 years ago for that exact purpose.”<\/p>\n Allis also draws attention while on her outdoor adventures.<\/p>\n Shortly after she came to the museum, Allis disappeared for nearly two weeks. A landscape services employee eventually found her, trapped in a building window well.<\/p>\n “She came back to us all skin and bones again,” said Steele. “She also lost the tip of her ear to frostbite. She was pretty lucky.”<\/p>\n In June, Allis was found near Claremont Apartments, east of City Campus.<\/p>\n On average, Steele fields one call a semester asking if the museum is missing their cat.<\/p>\n “We got a call from NET last week asking about Allis,” said Steele. “We just tell everyone to let her go. She always comes back home.”<\/p>\n – Story and photo by Troy Fedderson, University Communications<\/em><\/p>"}]}}}); | |
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