UND launches first-ever NSF Research Traineeship Program in North Dakota
Program prepares grad students to tackle complex environmental challenges through interdisciplinary research, real-world partnerships
The University of North Dakota has officially launched a nearly $2 million National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) Program — the first award of its kind for UND and the state of North Dakota.
Funded through the National Science Foundation, the program will prepare graduate students to address complex water and land resource challenges through interdisciplinary research, advanced technologies and partnerships with government agencies, Tribal organizations and research institutions.
The program creates a two-way benefit for both students and stakeholders by supporting graduate students conducting applied environmental research while also helping build a pipeline of highly trained talent for government and research partners across North Dakota and the region.
“The purpose of this grant is really training graduate students by providing career development opportunities while also focusing on interdisciplinary research projects,” said Haochi Zheng, associate professor in the Department of Earth System Science and Policy and principal investigator for the grant. “Students will gain firsthand experience tackling real-world environmental issues while working directly with stakeholders and agency partners.”
The program is designed to address the ongoing challenges of environmental degradation affecting water and land resources. UND students and faculty will take a holistic, systems-based approach to developing mitigation strategies that improve environmental sustainability and community resilience.
Graduate students in fields including Earth System Science and Policy, Geography and Geographic Information Science, Atmospheric Science, and Aviation & Autonomous Platforms, will participate in the program.
The traineeship emphasizes both technical and interpersonal development. Students will gain experience in Earth systems science, physical geography, remote sensing, autonomous systems and environmental economics while also developing communication, leadership, mentorship and cultural competency skills.
The program also includes collaborations with partners such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, North Dakota Department of Water Resources, Turtle Mountain Community College, the University of Adelaide in Australia and the Tribal Nations Research Group.
Research projects connected to the traineeship are driven by stakeholder needs and developed in collaboration with agencies and organizations across the region.
“So many of those projects are proposed by our partners,” Zheng said. “Students will finish their graduate studies either with master’s degrees or Ph.D.’s, but at the same time, the agencies and stakeholders receive results from their research that eventually benefit society.”
Andrew Wilcox, an M.S. student in Earth System Science and Policy, joins the first cohort of the NRT program and is already supporting research with real-world applications.
“My project is about modeling the subsidence of the ground along the Dalton Highway in Alaska under permafrost loss, and then estimating the damages to the highway in the coming years,” Wilcox said.
“It’s very impactful. I’m very grateful,” Wilcox said. “It’s helping me a lot with my research. I get to work with a lot of really great researchers at the Arctic lab. It allows me to pursue a project that I’m very interested in personally because I really like permafrost and Arctic research.”
Several other ongoing NRT projects study topics such as flood forecasting, flood risk assessment, algae bloom monitoring, pollination services in the Northern Great Plains, and glacial research in the Northern Rocky Mountains. These initiatives work with regional stakeholders and government partners to develop effective strategies for sustainable management of natural resources provided by water and land.
The National Science Foundation established the NRT program in 2014 to encourage innovative models for graduate education. According to Zheng, NSF has funded more than 130 institutions across more than 40 states, making UND’s award especially significant.
“What is special about this one is we are the very first one on the UND campus, and we are also the very first one in the whole state of North Dakota,” Zheng said. “We are officially making history today.”
The program aims to train 15 graduate students — including five doctoral students and 10 master’s students — through a combination of technical coursework, interdisciplinary collaboration and direct engagement with community and agency partners.
UND leaders praised the collaborative nature of the initiative and its potential impact on workforce development across the region.
“Exciting opportunity, exciting event, exciting program,” said Brad Rundquist, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “It’s great to hear about the number of graduate students that we’ll train in this important area. Thanks for all the effort to bring it to UND and North Dakota.”
“I think the uniqueness of bringing such an interdisciplinary group together like this — with the Graduate School, Arts & Sciences and Aerospace — is going to make for great workforce development,” said Elizabeth Bjerke, dean of the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences. “The students coming out of this are going to already have that interdisciplinary experience.”
Graduate School Dean Soojung Kim said the program will help attract highly qualified students to UND while creating meaningful community impact.
“Our graduate students will be recruited to this institution to be part of this history-making initiative,” Kim said. “The impacts they’re going to receive throughout this education, and the impacts they’re going to make to communities, are very exciting to see.”
The program’s first cohort of trainees will spend the coming year working on research projects and developing professional skills before presenting their work at an anniversary showcase event next spring.
