Orientation Incoming students will be responsible for taking a program orientation. This orientation will be offered at the beginning of the fall semester and may include travel. The orientation will introduce students to the program, the faculty, and to core concepts in regenerative landscape science. In addition, an annual field trip will allow students to explore Food-Energy-Water related issues.
Curriculum The curriculum of the NRT program is meant to enhance – not overwhelm – core curriculum in the student’s home department/program. Students are required to take 8 course credits but are encouraged to align these credits with their existing degree requirements to not increase time to degree. For example, some dual-title programs require an internship, which the NRT internship could fulfill (upon approval of both units). The program’s core requirements are:
One colloquium course outside home program/department. For example, students enrolled in the Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology could take the colloquium in HDNRE, substituting for one of the Ecology requirements. Approval for these substitutions in the home program is decided by that department/program. (HDNRE590)
Graduate seminar/special-topics course This course will be taught by NRT core faculty in a co- creative process with stakeholders. The course will be project-based, leading to landscape-level solutions for food-energy-water challenges. (HDNRE574)
One elective that is outside of their home domain. For example, students in Ecology, HDNRE or INTAD, would be encouraged to take a course in arts, architecture, policy, or engineering and vice versa. Among the list of potential grad-credit courses are Landscape Ecology (Smithwick), Ecosystem and Nutrient Cycles (Kaye), Ethics of the Built Environment (Staub), Human Dimensions of Natural Recourses (Brasier), Ecological Design (Cole), Ethics, Engineering and Environmental Management (Grady), Solar Ecology and Stakeholder Engagement (Brownson), Mediation of Environmental and Public Conflicts (Fowler). Optional but encouraged.
Internship The heart of LandscapeU is the internship program that links a trainee to an embedded experience during year 2 or 3 of their program. The goal is to promote research that addresses a societally relevant problem in the food-energy–water landscape nexus. The internship will be co-designed by the student based on his/her interest and the partnering entity. Penn State has existing partnerships with federal or state agencies that are housed at the University Park campus. In addition, program faculty have additional connections to regional and global organizations that would serve as ideal internship opportunities. These include: NatureServe, Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (GGIAR), Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), the RAND Corporation, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Woman’s Congressional Policy Institute (WCPI), SCAPE, and various scientific advising, technical assessment, and goal implementation team activities of the Chesapeake Bay Program Partnership that can be arranged through the support of the Chesapeake Research Consortium. These internships will provide students with an opportunity to link their individual research interests to real-world issues.
Professional Development LandscapeU is designed to aid students in developing professional skills that are needed in the work force (within and outside of academia), including teamwork and communication. To build these skills, the LandscapeU program will require students to complete the following activities:
Lab Rotation Trainees will be hosted by an NRT faculty/or partnering faculty in their The goal of this experience is to enhance disciplinary exposure and to expand graduate student networks. Adequate desk space and resources will be provided by the hosting faculty, who will also provide mentorship and oversight of the student’s experience. Students will be expected to sit in on lab meetings of the “away” lab and are encouraged to attend seminars or events. There is no required time for a lab rotation but a period of one semester is suggested. This can be discussed between you, your advisor, and lab host.
Science Communication (COMPASS Course) COMPASS works with scientists at all career stages to communicate matters about their work to a broader audience, especially journals and policymake COMPASS is a regular partner in science communication training at Penn State through the Institutes of Energy and Environment. Each trainee is expected to attend at least one workshop during their traineeship.
Individual Development Plan (IDP) Each trainee will develop an IDP following best practices in graduate education that aligns the professional goals of the trainee with their degree plan and LandscapeU experience A template will be created by the NRT faculty to ensure consistency, which can be modified by the faculty advisor and student. The IDP will be shared back with the PI and reviewed annually to ensure progress and allow for modifications. Optional but encouraged.
Landscape Café The NRT program will host Landscape Café events in which students will share results back to the NRT community through short talks and poste Events will be coordinated around other NRT programmatic activities. Trainees are expected to participate in one or more Landscape Café events. Optional but encouraged.