IGERT - Indoor Environmental Science and Engineering

specific goals and thematic components

The specific goals of the IGERT program are to:

Facilitate interdisciplinary interactions amongst students and faculty in disciplines
     related to indoor environmental science and engineering.
Promote in-depth knowledge related to the field.
Provide students with skills necessary to create innovative solutions to
     indoor environmental problems.
Develop personal, professional, and mentoring skills for future leaders in the field.
Produce leaders in research and education who have a global focus and are
     creative agents for change.
Recruit, mentor, and retain students from historically underrepresented groups.

schematic representation of the major issues associated with indoor environmental quality. The indoor environmental phenomena and processes
illustrated in the figure to the right compose the major thematic components of the IGERT program:

Outdoor/indoor connections
Indoor emission sources
Sinks and transformations
(chemistry, surface interactions, control devices)
Exposure and impacts
Human dimensions (perceptions, decision
making, etc.) that affect the indoor environment.

Expertise from various disciplines is necessary to effectively address the integrated nature of indoor environmental systems. As such, interdisciplinary collaboration between IGERT trainees and faculty across several colleges at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) has been established to address these important issues. Research activities are well-supported by existing expertise amongst faculty participants, existing laboratories, and ongoing and future projects related to indoor environmental quality.

This IGERT program involves a unique interdisciplinary curriculum focused on fundamental principles from physics, chemistry, and biology, as well as engineering, architecture, exposure and health science, economics, and psychology. The curriculum is designed for IGERT trainees from all participating departments and will promote classroom interactions amongst students in various disciplines. Students within the program will deliver presentations of their work at a weekly Technical Exchange and Professional Development course, at an annual symposium that will showcase research and educational activities of the IGERT program, and through public outreach workshops. An important component of the educational experience will be a research internship at one of four nationally recognized institutions.