Improving Food-Energy-Water-Nexus-based Education

Defining new research directions from problems of practice

Nicole Sintov

Associate Professor

The Ohio State University

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1856040 and 2242276 (ECR-EHR Core Research), National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award #1006539 and #2017-06281, and the Network of STEM Education Centers/APLU. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of these funding agencies.

Agenda Overview

Agenda Overview

Workshop Objectives

• Define and describe FEW-Nexus-based education
• Identify and describe challenges with FEW-Nexus-based education
• Ideate how education research can generate new knowledge to address these challenges

Agenda Overview

Major resource challenges are grounded in the

Food-Energy-Water-Nexus (FEW-Nexus)

• Framework for natural systems and their human dimensions
• =
• coupled human-natural systems

FEW-Nexus-based education is…

Assertion: The FEW-Nexus affords a novel theoretical and analytical lens through which to understand and effectively foster teaching and learning.

FEW-Nexus-based education is…

happening in many educational contexts

Your FEW Nexus Education

• What does/could FEW-Nexus-based education look like in your context?
• How does the FEW-Nexus connect to what/how you already teach?
• What affordances does the FEW-Nexus provide in your educational context?

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Instructions:

Type out a short response to these questions in the Zoom Chat.

FEW-Nexus-based education is…

• inherently inter-/trans-disciplinary
• complex systems thinking
• grounded in real-world sustainability challenges
• involves stakeholders
• local to global scales

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• argumentation/evidence-based reasoning
• citizen science
• equity and environmental justice
• informed decision-making
• STEM/FANH science literacy
• civic engagement

Some additional ideas from NC-FEW…

Understanding how food, energy, and water decisions affect the thriving of local, regional, and global systems

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STEM Teaching Tools Practice Brief 96, NC-FEW PK-12 Working Group

• Affordances of FEW-Nexus approach for STEM education
• all components of interconnected systems (not isolated)
• local, regional, and global levels
• economic, social, environmental and ethical decision-making are entangled
• Strategy: problem scoping practices, e.g. causal-loop modeling
• consider the systemic interrelations of FEW
• see these interrelations as part of larger socioecological and sociotechnical systems
• imagine and design for just futures centered on a flourishing living world

Available online here: https://stemteachingtools.org/brief/96

Implementing Interdisciplinary Sustainability Education With the Food-Energy-Water Nexus

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Manuscript accepted, NC-FEW Higher Ed Working Group

• Affordances of FEW-Nexus approach for Higher Education
• a powerful way to to achieve sustainability competencies
• equips students to facilitate the transformation of the global society
• prepares graduates to meet targets set by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

PRE-PRINT available here:

Romulo, C., B. Venkataraman, S. Caplow, S. Ajgaonkar, C.R. Allen, A. Anandhi, S.W. Anderson, C.B. Azzarello, K. Brundiers, E. Blavascunas, J. Dauer, D.L. Druckenbrod, E. Fairchild, L.R. Horne, K. Lee, M. Mwale, J.A. Mischler, E.E. Pappo, N.S. Patel, N.D. Sintov, C.S. Ramsdell, and S. Vincent. (2024). PREPRINT: Implementing Interdisciplinary Sustainability Education With the Food-Energy-Water Nexus. figshare. Preprint. DOI: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.25710114.v1

Agenda Overview

FEW-Nexus-based education is…

evolving to address challenges

Large Group & Breakout Discussions

Step 1: In our large group, ideate challenges

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Step 2: In breakout groups…

1. Consensus ideas around challenges
2. Actionable steps for future work

Step 1: Ideate challenges (on slide 19)

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What challenges are faced by educators to integrate FEW-Nexus concepts in their endeavors?

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What challenges do educators face in trying to integrate FEW-Nexus concepts in their endeavors? (add * or drag to indicate agreement)

this is where we write stuff

Lack of disciplinary knowledge in other disciplines.�

ENERGY less emphasized than F, W

A lack of focus on specific industries such as forestry, agriculture, fishery or geographical location.

Some departments not valuing this systems work as much as more focused research.

Time ;-)

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Aligning it with expectations of our current role (instead of trying to do something completely new)

Assessing (student) learning in this complex area

Finding collaborators in different departments with the same goals and with the time to commit.

Difficulty in adding another course to existing offerings

Helping to develop critical thinking without being too depressing about the scale about the challenges ahead.

Institutions not recognizing the interdisciplinairity - teaching, research, service

Star cash

Use these STARS if you want to highlight someone else's Challenge :)

Step 2: Breakout Groups

a. Refine / deepen challenges (10 mins)

• Revisit challenges on slide 19.
• Copy /paste into slides 21-22, 24-25, 27-28, or 30-31 (corresponding to your breakout group).
• Add questions / comments to further clarify/refine the framing of the challenge.

b. Actionable steps for future work (10 mins)

• Identify the top 2 challenges from your group’s discussion that you think education researchers should address to assist educators in integrating FEW-Nexus-based education in their work.
• Paste onto slides 23, 26, 29, or 32 (corresponding to your breakout group)
• Add rationale regarding how/why these are the top challenges
• Add ideas for how to address challenges through education research or practice

Breakout Group 1: Refine challenges

Challenge

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Energy lacking

Challenge

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How to communicate on a level that others out of your discipline will understand.

Challenge

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Finding collaborators from other disciplines

Challenge

Breakout Group 1: Refine challenges

Challenge

Challenge

Challenge

Challenge

Breakout Group 1: Top 2 Challenges

Challenge: lack of energy; Anything out of our area is a challenge

How/why is this a top challenge?

silos

How to address through education research or practice?

Webinars in area that are out of our expertise.

Bring more people into the conversation

Challenge: Better assessment of our educational strategies.

How/why is this a top challenge?

Assessment is always a challenge and no one wants to do it

How to address through education research or practice?

Develop assessment tools to share.

Help in developing concrete learning goals to align with assessments.

Attract ed researchers to this space

Breakout Group 2: Refine challenges

Challenge

Challenge

Challenge

Challenge

Breakout Group 2: Refine challenges

Challenge

Challenge

Challenge

Challenge

Breakout Group 2: Top 2 Challenges

Challenge

Challenge

Challenge:

How/why is this a top challenge?

How to address through education research or practice?

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Challenge:

How/why is this a top challenge?

How to address through education research or practice?

Breakout Group 3: Refine challenges

Some departments not valuing this systems work as much as more focused research.

-SOTL research may not be valued

-Hard to develop new curriculum

-Should be rewarded/recognized as applied research

Aligning it with expectations of our current role (instead of trying to do something completely new)

• Our appointments might not allow us the capacity to focus on other areas
• Other things we need to focus on that doesn’t allow us to do something new

Finding collaborators in different departments with the same goals and with the time to commit.

• Lack of opportunity to interact with others
• our current responsibilities and research efforts - might limit the opportunity to expand
• time to go out and meet other people

Lack of disciplinary knowledge in other disciplines.

• Fear of failure/lack of confidence/imposter syndrome
• Disconnection and lack of professional development training (STEM education)

Breakout Group 3: Refine challenges

Challenge

Challenge

Challenge

Challenge

Breakout Group 3: Top 2 Challenges

Challenge

Challenge

Challenge:

Aligning it with expectations of our current role (instead of trying to do something completely new)

• Our appointments might not allow us the capacity to focus on other areas
• Other things we need to focus on that doesn’t allow us to do something new

How/why is this a top challenge?

How to address through education research or practice?

• Work smarter! Look for ways to make the integration in projects we are already doing.
• Convince administrator/supervisor that this work is important to our role

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Challenge:

Lack of disciplinary knowledge in other disciplines.

• Fear of failure/lack of confidence/imposter syndrome
• Disconnection and lack of professional development training (STEM education)

How/why is this a top challenge?

How to address through education research or practice?

• Be vulnerable
• Make connections
• Attend PD

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Breakout Group 4: Refine challenges

Challenge

Challenge

Challenge

Challenge

Breakout Group 4: Refine challenges

Challenge

Challenge

Challenge

Challenge

Breakout Group 4: Top 2 Challenges

Challenge

Challenge

Challenge:

How/why is this a top challenge?

How to address through education research or practice?

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Challenge:

How/why is this a top challenge?

How to address through education research or practice?

Idea sharing

How do we overcome challenges with implementing FEW-Nexus-based education?

NC-FEW Resources

Member Profiles: Individual NC-FEW members describe their work

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2023 Invited Conference Poster Collection

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Virtual Workshop Series: Recordings, synthesis documents, additional resources

Agenda Overview

NSF Research Coordination Network (RCN) - current funding

“Supports networks that foster communication and new collaborations among scientists, engineers and educators who share a common interest…”

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“RCN awards also do not support primary research. Rather, the RCN program supports

1. the means by which investigators can share information and ideas,
2. coordinate ongoing or planned research activities,
3. foster synthesis and new collaborations, develop community standards, and
4. in other ways advance science and education through communication and sharing of ideas.”

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“Proposed networking activities directed to the RCN program should focus on a theme to give coherence to the collaboration, such as a broad research question or particular technologies or approaches.”

https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2017/nsf17594/nsf17594.htm

Need for a collaborative to innovate education research

National Collaborative for Research on Food, Energy, and Water Education (NC-FEW)

A hub for people who are interested in expanding and improving FEW-Nexus-based education through research and/or practice

Goals moving forward:

• Identify and promote best practices in education research on educational programming grounded in the FEW-Nexus
• Foster collaboration among community members representing diverse disciplines, fields, expertise, and institutions
• Enhance capacity for extramural funding in support of education research on educational programming grounded in the FEW-Nexus
• Cultivate a community identity among NC-FEW participants

NC-FEW Leadership Team

Leadership Team, Working Group Members, and Advisory Board are listed on our website at https://serc.carleton.edu/nc-few/people.html

NC-FEW Directors

NC-FEW Working Group Chairs

NC-FEW Website: central hub

• Project website - https://serc.carleton.edu/nc-few/index.html

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• Key Features
• NC-FEW information
• vision, mission, goals, and funding
• List of NC-FEW leadership team and working group members
• Events
• Past and future conference information
• Registration and logistics
• Workspace for participants
• Virtual Workshops and Newsletters
• Archive
• Registration for upcoming webinars
• Suggest topics/speakers
• Member Profiles

FEW-Nexus-based education research and practice training series

• Quarterly Web-based Virtual Workshop Series
• Supporting participants in advancing education research and educational programming grounded in the FEW-Nexus
• Emphasis on Design Based Research & Critical Research and Perspectives
• Theoretical and analytical perspectives and approaches
• Showcasing individual Nexus-focused educational programs/research
• Synthesis document and resources posted for each webinar

Newsletters

• Quarterly
• Highlighting information relevant to the community
• Showcasing work of NC-FEW community members
• Sharing information about relevant funding programs and conferences
• Discussing and soliciting feedback on ongoing efforts
• Community news and events

Invited Conferences

• Example activities
• Keynote speakers
• Interactive poster sessions
• Sharing and synthesis of working groups and community products
• Fostering collaboration
• Generating grant proposal ideas
• Overall community-building
• Join listserv for information about future events

NC-FEW – How can I engage?

Listserv is the primary mode of communication

• Updates from leadership team
• Community members are invited to post
• Share upcoming opportunities
• Seek collaborators
• Share your FEW-Nexus-based education work

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Newsletter features of your work

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Attend events

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Contribute scholarship to community products

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Create a member profile

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Input on Community Vision: https://serc.carleton.edu/nc-few/vision.html

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https://tinyurl.com/NCFEWengage

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Questions?

End-of-workshop survey

https://tinyurl.com/June18FEW

Can we share this work?

The NC-FEW leadership team would like to synthesize the ideas generated in this workshop to inform future work and share in scholarly presentations and publications.

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The large group notes and gallery walk sheets from today’s session will be combined with those from other workshops for analysis and your individual contributions will not be associated with you.

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If there are any specific ideas that you contributed today that you do NOT want included in this project, please use the link on the next slide to anonymously request for them to be removed.

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Contact Hannah Scherer (hscherer@vt.edu) with any questions or concerns about this project.

To have any of the ideas you shared today redacted, go here:

https://tinyurl.com/FEWOptOut

EXTRA SLIDES

What challenges are faced by educators to integrate FEW-Nexus concepts in their endeavors?

this is where we wr

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Star cash

Use these STARS if you want to highlight someone elses Challenge :)