Real World Field Projects
A unique feature of GLOBES is that Ph.D. fellows and mentoring faculty are organized as teams at the onset of the program via the interdisciplinary field projects, creating a culture of intellectual synergism and shared research experience.
The central theme of the research projects is that environmental degradation in the form of habitat destruction, biodiversity loss, water pollution, and the spread of invasive species and infectious disease has interrelated causes and feedbacks that are both biological and social in nature. To address these problems requires the coordinated effort of biological and social scientists working in concert with experts in public policy and the law.
Training of GLOBES scholars in team-based, interdisciplinary problem-solving occurs initially in five areas, with additional topics emerging as student and faculty interests evolve:
- The Ecology, Economics, and Management of Invasive Species in the United States and China.
- West African Mosquitoes and Malaria: Roles of Environmental Change, Poverty, and Cultural Practices in Fostering the Spread of Infectious Disease.
- Bali Macaque Monkeys and Humans: Historically Changing Land-Use Practices, Tourism, and the Potential for Disease Transmission.
- Sudden Oak Death in California and other States: Genetics, Spread, Impact, and Management.
- Re-emergence of Schistosomiasis in China: Human-Environment Interactions and the Potential for Biocontrol.
The team-based research projects will augment, not replace, the independent dissertation work required of GLOBES scholars for their Ph.D. degrees in their home departments. Students in the real-world projects have the option of expanding an original aspect of the team project into their dissertation, or of developing their own Ph.D. project in a related or different area.
The disciplinary guidelines for dissertations foster traditional independent research skills, while the real-world projects put into practice the interdisciplinary and leadership principles imparted by the GLOBES curriculum.
See How to Apply and GLOBES People for more information on home Ph.D. departments.