Solving soil interaction problems through a
fundamental science-based inquiry approach in a
creative, collaborative, and interdisciplinary environment.

Bio-Soils Initiative

EPSRC

NSF

outcomes of NSF-EPSRC International Workshop on Bio-Soil Interactions and Engineering held april 2007

Summary

The outcomes of the April 2007 NSF-EPSRC International Workshop on Bio-Soil Interactions and Engineering are higlighted below. Details are available in the full NSF project report [download].

The second half of the workshop was organized around brain-storming sessions that considered the following three issues:

Following each session groups reported to all workshop participants. The primary outcomes from each brain-storming session are highlighted below.

Assessment of Discipline Maturity and Needs

Each discipline group identified the primary factors relevant for bio-soils processes and ranked the level of maturity from 1 (low) to 5 (high). The outcome from the geotechnical group is presented below as an example and outcomes from other discipline groups are availabe in the report.

From these discipline specific assessments several overarching “state variables” were present, most of which were ranked with a relatively low level of maturity (i.e. level of understanding, ability to measure and quantify, ability to model).  These included:

Identification of Interdisciplinary Research Opportunities

Following synthesis of the respective disciplines, participants regrouped to brainstorm and envision the range of potential applications the control of bio-soils processes could be used for.  In each group there was at least one representative from the disciplines of geotechnical engineering, environmental engineering, geochemistry and biogeochemistry, microbiology and biology, and agriculture and soil science.  Five groups were formed to explore the following potential application/impact areas:

Each group was charged to identify specific potential applications, the critical state variables for the general application, the primary questions that must be answered, the measurement and monitoring requirements, and other relevant issues.  Specific details provided by each group are available in the report.

Assessment of Education Needs and Opportunities

Realization of the applications and execution of the hard science and engineering research described in the prior sections necessitates education improvements. The overall consensus was that training of students and academicians for interdisciplinary research requires a significant departure from the predominant current education approach wherein an individual becomes highly specialized in a scientific/engineering niche.  Instead, a “renaissance” education, wherein an individual can speak the technical language of multiple disciplines but is specialized in a specific area, is necessary. 

Undergraduate Education
Interdisciplinary education at the undergraduate level must be integrated within a curriculum that is already impacted and stretched.   Science and engineering majors at most universities have among the greatest unit requirements/restrictions for degrees.  As a result, adding additional content is not a realistic option.  Additional material could only be added as replacement material or within an alternative/elective class. 

The primary objective at the undergraduate level was to expose students to multiple disciplines and inter-disciplinary research to broader their scientific view and appeal to their interests.  It was determined that rigorous interdisciplinary training is best accomplished at the graduate level and therefore the objective at the undergraduate level is more towards educating students regarding this opportunity.

Graduate/Post-graduate Education
The education structure for graduate/post-graduate education differs significantly between the US and the UK systems.  In the US, students take up to 50 course unit hours (1 unit = 1 contact hour per week for 10 weeks on quarter system or 14 weeks on semester system) as part of their doctoral education.  In the UK, students are not required to take additional course work for their doctoral degree, though an increasing number of students are taking some courses.  Participants agreed that an interdisciplinary course series (two to thee courses) would be a format amenable to both education structures.

The following characteristics were identified as being important for any graduate education model being considered:

The following formats were identified as being potentially effective in interdisciplinary training at the graduate level: Journal Paper Discussion Group, Bio-Chem-Geo-Civil Seminar series, Bio-Chem-Geo-Civil Course Sequence, Science/Engineering/MBA Degree, and a Doctoral Training Degree.