Training for the Next Generation of Coastal Management Practitioners

Abstract

Abstract Vinhateiro, N.; Sullivan, K.A., and Mcnally, C.G., 2012. Training for the next generation of coastal management practitioners. The complex and interconnected problems facing the world's coastal zones require solutions that bridge science and policy and integrate a range of stakeholder perspectives. The next generation of coastal practitioners will therefore need a wide-ranging set of problem-solving skills and the ability to collaborate across disciplines. As graduates of the Coastal Institute Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) Project at the University of Rhode Island, we were participants in a multidisciplinary curriculum for students interested in the complex issues of coastal ecosystem management. Here we discuss aspects of the curriculum that were transformative from a graduate student perspective, as well as aspects that presented challenges. Fundamentally, the training provided us: (i) the opportunity to gain multidisciplinary knowledge working with a broad net...