Team science: A syllabus for success on big projects

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Interdisciplinary Research

Background:

• Interdisciplinary teams are increasingly vital for addressing complex environmental challenges.
• Trainees (undergraduates, graduate students, post-docs) face unique onboarding hurdles in large team science projects, including role navigation and skill development.
• Effective onboarding is crucial for trainee success and project productivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce graduate students to project goals and operational structures within large-scale research.
• To foster an understanding of how individual research interests align with overarching project objectives.
• To equip trainees with essential collaborative research skills, including diversity, equity, inclusion, feedback, and communication.

Main Methods:

• Development and implementation of a project-specific, graduate-level team science course.
• Curriculum focused on project objectives, operational dynamics, and trainee research integration.
• Incorporation of training modules on diversity, equity & inclusion, feedback, and communication.

Main Results:

• The team science course successfully onboarded trainees, cultivating psychological safety.
• A collaborative student community was established across disciplines and institutions.
• Trainees gained essential skills for navigating and contributing to large collaborative research projects.

Conclusions:

• A project-based team science course is a recommended strategy for onboarding students to large research endeavors.
• Such courses enhance student advancement, project productivity, and the acceleration of ecological solutions.
• This approach builds essential collaborative skills for the future scientific workforce.