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Introduced Species and Genotype Education and Training Program

Linking Research and Decision-Making…
This program focuses on establishing linkages between research and risk analysis decision-making. As students develop foundational knowledge and skills in risk analysis, they also gain practical experience in the application of risk analysis to real-world problems. In classrooms and the field, students will explore how risk analysis can reveal fundamental gaps in our knowledge and motivate new scientific questions.

The ISG minor provides a broad exposure to concepts in risk analysis while ensuring a logical progression in the development of skills needed for ERA.

Symposia and roundtable discussions are forums for discussion and synthesis of issues related to risk analysis. In roundtables, students present proposals for dissertations and practicums , as well as results. Ethical, technical, policy, regulatory and strategic issues are also be examined.

The practicums link our PhD students with our international and national external partners and enable our students to improve their teaching skills. These practicums are structured so students will experience and learn from real-world problem situations. Student-partner collaborations help students develop the analytic, deliberative, and communication skills necessary to advance risk analysis and their scientific careers.

IGERT dissertation research opportunities focus on the four themes identified in the research section. These opportunities help students develop research skills that capitalize on synergistic teamwork, as well as providing a means to connect science to ERA decision-making processes.

Required courses for PhD minor

(Total credits: 10 required plus 3 elective credits)

ISG 5010 Risk Analysis for Introduced Species and Genotypes (3 cr. Fall, first semester)
ISG 5020 Risk Analysis Modeling (1 cr., January term of first year, 4 days)
ISG 8001 Discussions in Introduced Species and Genotypes (1 cr., taken twice for credit in first year)
ISG 8021 Problem-solving Practicum in Risk Analysis (3 cr., second year)
ISG 8031 Cooperative Learning Practicum (1 cr., taken one or two semesters after ISG 8021)
Elective 3cr. in existing quantitative modeling or decision analysis course offered by another program [e.g., Applied Microeconomics (ApEc 5151), Modeling Nature and the Nature of Modeling (EEB 5963), Decision Analysis (IE 5545), Stochastic Modeling and Analysis (OMS 8672), Probability Models for Biostatistics (PubH 8429), or Population Dynamics (Ent 5045)].

Required courses for MS minor

(Total credits: 6)

ISG 5010 Risk Analysis for Introduced Species and Genotypes (3 cr. Fall)
ISG 5020 Risk Analysis Modeling (1 cr. January term, 4 days)
ISG 8001 Discussions in Introduced Species and Genotypes (1 cr.) taken at least twice for credit

Course Descriptions

ISG 5010 Risk Analysis for Introduced Species and Genotypes (3 cr.)

The aim of this course is to expose students to the analytic-deliberative model of Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA), contrasting it to scientific-technical models. Students will engage in a series of cooperative learning cases to explore the fundamental components of ERA, experience common approaches to risk characterization, evaluate risk management decision processes, and use risk communication and multi-stakeholder deliberation techniques. Several of these cases will introduce students to using models as part of risk analysis and provide skills relevant to research in risk analysis.

ISG 5020 Risk Analysis Modeling (1 cr.)

This short-course provides students with a comprehensive introduction to technical and conceptual aspects of model development, analysis, verification, and validation. Students will be introduced to the formulation of problems with verbal and conceptual models and the analysis of models using qualitative and quantitative (deterministic and probabilistic) methods, including methods for addressing uncertainty. Students will also learn techniques for determining whether a simulation model is an informative representation of the real-world system under study. Exercises with commercial software will reinforce general course concepts.

ISG 8001 Discussions in Introduced Species and Genotypes (1 cr.)

This weekly discussion series is a forum for the presentation of dissertation proposals, results from ISG practica, and discussion of environmental risk assessment related topics, including ethical issues, novel tools and approaches for risk analysis, emerging policy and regulatory issues, new management approaches, and development of non-invasive species and genotypes. Sessions will focus on discussion of ongoing research or key publications regarding introduced species and genotypes. Each semester, one or two research themes will be selected to allow for consideration of issues in depth. There will be a mix of sessions led by a faculty member or an enrolled student.

ISG 8021 Problem-solving Practicum in Risk Analysis (3 cr.)

This is a collaborative research experience, designed and completed by the students with guidance from a three-person faculty team. The purpose is to expose students to real-world problems in environmental risk analysis of introduced species and genotypes and to conduct research as an interdisciplinary team of 3-4 scholars to address these problems. Students will identify a research problem in consultation with a public or private sector organization involved in assessment, management or policy regarding the environmental risks of introduced organisms, such as invasive species, genetically modified organisms, species introduced for biological control, or certain selectively bred organisms. Students will apply principles and methodologies they learned from the pre-requisite courses, as well as from their majors, to address the problem. This may involve a mix of empirical research methods from the natural science and social sciences, as well as concepts and methods of societal deliberation and policy analysis.

ISG 8031 Cooperative Learning Practicum (1 cr.)

In this course, cooperative learning techniques will be introduced, including scenario planning and decision cases. Students will develop and test cooperative learning exercises for environmental risk assessment based on research experience in ISG 8021. Linking research to teaching in active learning will be emphasized.