Paper No. 78-2
Presentation Time: 9:00 AM-5:30 PM
CAREER DEVELOPMENT AT THE WATER-ENERGY NEXUS: PREPARING GRADUATES FOR MULTIPLE CAREER PATHS
MCCAY, Deanna H.1, LAUTZ, Laura K.1, DRISCOLL, Charles T.2, KAHAN, Tara F.3, SCHOLZ, Christopher A.1, TORRANCE, Donald4, JOHNSON, Chris E.2, JUNIUM, Christopher K.1, SIEGEL, Donald I.1, WILCOXEN, Peter J.5 and FIORENZA, Patrick6, (1)Department of Earth Sciences, Syracuse University, 204 Heroy Geology Laboratory, Syracuse, NY 13244, (2)Civil and Environmental Engineering, Syracuse University, 151 Link Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244, (3)Chemistry, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, (4)Broadcast and Digital Journalism, Syracuse University, 215 University Place, Syracuse, NY 13244, (5)Public Administration and International Affairs, Syracuse University, 200 Eggers Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244, (6)Hezel Associates, Syracuse, NY 13203, dhmccay@syr.edu
At Syracuse University, a National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) program is supporting career preparation for graduate students interested in research at the water-energy nexus. EMPOWER, or the Education Model Program on Water-Energy Research NRT, admitted its first cohort of students in 2016 and includes M.S. and Ph.D. students from Earth sciences, civil and environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, chemistry, and political science. Surveyed EMPOWER students are interested in pursuing careers in energy or environmental consulting (37.5%), higher education (25%), government (18.8%), and non-profit and other fields (18.7%). To prepare for these diverse career options, EMPOWER students complete a series of training elements designed to enhance disciplinary knowledge and develop “soft skills” in professionalism and work ethic, oral and written communication, teamwork, and problem solving. These elements include professional training coursework, a science communication class, career capstone experiences, interdisciplinary field courses, and a water-energy “foundations” seminar.
We measured EMPOWER students’ perceptions of their technical and professional skills at the beginning and end of the 2016-2017 academic year. Students showed the greatest changes in confidence in the following technical skills: being prepared for live interviews; communicating scientific findings to the public; technical writing; and policy analysis. Our surveys additionally showed significant perceived improvements in the following professional skills: managing projects, leading teams, resolving conflicts, and growing their professional networks. Though still early in the program’s development, these formative assessments show that EMPOWER is providing valuable training to students to broaden their understanding of the complex issues surrounding water and energy, as well as cultivating students’ professional skills for a successful transition to the workforce in a variety of career paths.
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