What is IGERT?
The Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program was initiated in 1997 by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The IGERT program has been developed to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists, engineers, and educators with the interdisciplinary backgrounds, deep knowledge in chosen disciplines, and technical, professional, and personal skills to become in their own careers the leaders and creative agents for change. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education, for students, faculty, and institutions, by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. It is also intended to facilitate greater diversity in student participation and preparation, and to contribute to the development of a diverse, globally-engaged science and engineering workforce.
An executive summary of the IGERT initiative and committee contact persons can be found at http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=12759&from=fund. Detailed information about the IGERT initiative, including links to the university programs which it funds can be found at http://www.igert.org/.