Freshwater and Marine Sciences Graduate Program Handbook-Program Overview

• Program overview
  • Mission
  • Learning Outcomes
    • Goals for student learning-Master's program
    • Goals for student learning-Doctoral program
  • Program Structure
  • How to Get Involved
    • In our Program/Department
    • On Campus and In the Community
      • Student Representation in Governance
      • University-Wide Centers

Program overview

Mission

The mission of the Freshwater and Marine Sciences program is to educate graduate scholars to develop a capacity for scientific inquiry and an understanding of and appreciation for the complex dynamics of freshwater and/or marine environments. This includes promoting interdisciplinarity, flexibility, and a focus on promoting excellence in research and scholarship in the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea.

Each student’s course of study is tailored to his or her individual interests, career goals, and needs, and we admit students with diverse academic backgrounds. The path taken by a student results from a deliberative process that involves discussions between the student and the student’s advisor and advisory committee. A goal for our graduate program is to provide students in FMS with diverse training that will prepare them for a range of flexible and sustainable careers (e.g., academia, industry, government, science policy and administration, science-driven non-governmental organizations, or science education and outreach at all levels, etc.).

Learning Outcomes

Goals for student learning-Master's program

1. Knowledge: We expect students to be able to: 
   1. Articulate, critique, or elaborate the theories, research methods, and approaches to inquiry or practice in the relevant area of freshwater and/or marine sciences.
   2. Identify sources and assembles evidence pertaining to questions or challenges in the relevant research field(s).
   3. Understands the historical or global context of freshwater and/or marine sciences
2. Research: Students will complete an original research project that generates new information relevant to freshwater and marine sciences. The quality and rigor of the research should ultimately be publishable in the peer-review scientific literature. This includes the following skills and abilities:
   1. Retrieve, evaluate, and synthesize information pertaining to questions or challenges in the students’ area of specialization within the freshwater and marine sciences.
   2. Conduct research, analyze, and interpret resulting data
   3. Prepare a thesis describing the research project
3. Communication: Developing the capacity to communicate in writing and orally, to scientific and general audiences are essential skills to develop during the Master’s program. Development of written skills culminates with a clear, scientifically and logically sound thesis. Further,
   1. Students will present research activities and results articulately and informatively
   2. Students will have opportunities and are strongly encouraged to engage in public outreach and formal and/or informal teaching activities.
4. Ethical Conduct: Students will understand professional and ethical responsibilities and are expected to interact with their colleagues in a respectful and professional manner.
   1. Students will be trained to use scientific rigor when designing experiments, collecting and analyzing data, interpreting and reporting results
   2. Students will be trained in the ethics of publishing
   3. Students will know and adhere to laws, regulations, needed permits and licenses, occupational health and safety standards
5. Career Preparation: Students will be provided with diverse training that will prepare them for a range of flexible and sustainable careers (e.g., academia, industry, government, science policy and administration, science-driven non-governmental organizations, or science education and outreach at all levels science, etc.).
   1. Students will develop broadly applicable skills in critical thinking and problem solving 
   2. Students will have opportunities for teamwork, communication skills, and collaboration

Goals for student learning-Doctoral program

Goals for doctoral students include, and extend upon those listed for the Master’s program.

1. Knowledge: We expect students to be able to demonstrate mastery in a subject area within freshwater and/or marine science. Students will:
   1. demonstrate a broad understanding of major current and past theories, research findings, and methodologies and techniques in their area of concentration both orally and in writing
   2. Students will develop and demonstrate critical thinking skills. They will retrieve and examine scientific literature, evaluate evidence for and against ideas and theories, identify knowledge gaps, strengths and weaknesses in existing literature, synthesize knowledge, and develop conclusions
2. Research: Students will complete original research that advances a field in freshwater and marine sciences. This includes the following:
   1. Students will retrieve, evaluate, and interpret professional scientific literature and use this information to develop theoretical/conceptual frameworks, testable hypotheses/models, and predictions for their own research projects
   2. Students will design realistic and feasible research projects and present these plans in a written research proposal and oral presentation
   3. Students will conduct independent research and analyze and interpret resulting data
   4. Students will prepare and submit manuscripts resulting from their independent research for publication in professional, peer-reviewed journals
3. Communication: Developing the capacity to communicate in writing and orally, and to scientific and general audiences are essential skills to strengthen as part of the FMS doctoral program.
   1. Students will write a dissertation proposal that places their proposed work within the context of the field, describes the rationale and logic for the proposed work, and presents a tractable plan to execute the research.
   2. Students will write clear and concise research articles for publication in professional, peer-reviewed journals
   3. Students will present at scientific conferences and in formal and informal seminars
   4. Students will gain experience in communicating with professional colleagues beyond the University of Wisconsin campus through professional meetings and interacting with visiting scholars
   5. Students will engage in public outreach and education to develop skills to communicate with general audiences about their research and about freshwater and marine sciences in general
4. Teaching: Regardless of professional aspirations, doctoral students will gain experience in formal and/or informal teaching. This includes an expectation that doctoral students will participate in one or more of the following activities:
   1. Serve as a teaching assistant for at least one semester
   2. Mentor undergraduate students seeking independent research experience
   3. Participate in teaching and learning training opportunities offered through various UW-Madison programs (e.g., the Delta Program)
5. Ethical Conduct: Students will understand professional and ethical responsibilities and conduct themselves according to these ethical standards, including interacting with their colleagues in a respectful and professional manner.
   1. Students will be trained to use scientific rigor when designing experiments, collecting and analyzing data, interpreting and reporting results
   2. Students will be trained in the ethics of publishing
   3. Students will know and adhere to laws, regulations, needed permits and licenses, occupational health and safety standards
6. Career Preparation: Students will be provided with diverse training that will prepare them for a range of flexible and sustainable careers (e.g., academia, industry, government, science policy and administration, science-driven non-governmental organizations, or science education and outreach at all levels science, etc.).
   1. Students will develop and practice broadly applicable skills in critical thinking and problem solving, leadership, collaborative science, and project management
   2. Students will have frequent opportunities to meet and interact with academic and non-academic professionals

Program Structure

The Freshwater and Marine Sciences program seeks to educate graduate scholars to develop a capacity for scientific inquiry and an understanding of, and appreciation for the complex dynamics of freshwater and/or marine environments. Hallmarks of the program include its interdisciplinarity, flexibility, and a focus on promoting excellence in research through attentive faculty mentorship. Research done by FMS faculty and graduate students frequently crosses disciplinary boundaries, as demonstrated by faculty expertise in topics such as biogeochemistry or ecohydrology. Similarly, FMS provides a venue for faculty and their graduate students to grow beyond traditional intellectual spheres of home departments and translate their skills and understanding to complex challenges offered by the study of aquatic environments. FMS faculty are active, well-funded researchers, and our voluntary affiliation with the program provides us with an avenue to pursue research and mentor students in new, interdisciplinary, and/or unconventional directions. The FMS program is also involved in several outreach activities that increase the broader significance of the graduate training experience.

Reflective of the interdisciplinary nature of the program, FMS faculty have affiliations with several different departments and colleges on the UW-Madison campus. There is no formal FMS curriculum, but instead, FMS students can enroll in classes relevant to their research interests in any department or college. However, we strongly encourage students to participate in the Limnology and Marine Sciences seminar and to participate in the “Problems in Oceanography” class. Faculty affiliated with the FMS program and links to their professional web pages are available at the FMS web page.

The FMS program is administered through the Department of Biology in the College of Letters and Science. This is an administrative arrangement only and is not related to the areas of study pursued by graduate students.

Reflective of the diverse interests of FMS faculty, graduate research in FMS spans the range of physical, chemical, biological, and social aspects of inland and marine aquatic environments.

How to Get Involved

As a graduate student at UW-Madison, there are a multitude of opportunities to become involved on campus and in your academic discipline. This involvement often enhances your academic, professional, and personal growth through developing advanced leadership, communication, and collaboration skills. It also provides an opportunity for professional networking.

In our Program/Department

Students in Freshwater and Marine Sciences Graduate Program and the Department of Biology are encouraged to get involved in committees and student organizations.

Integrative Biology Graduate Student Organization (iBioGO)

Our graduate students have a voice in departmental academic and administrative affairs through the Integrative Biology Graduate Student Organization. This group serves to promote interactions among Integrative Biology and FMS graduate students, which is especially important because iBio and FMS graduate students may be housed in across campus. This organization brings students together and provides leadership opportunities through participation in departmental committees (e.g. a student representative attends all department meetings, a student representative activelyparticipates on our faculty hiring committees). Students coordinate and participate in Graduate Student Informal Seminars (GSIS) and hold retreats at our Trout Lake Research Station where they give research presentations and socialize. All graduate students in the department are welcome to all events and can participate in any way they choose. The goal of iBioGO is to create a supportive community for graduate students in pursuing research and teaching, and in making the most of life in Madison.

During a typical semester, iBioGO students come together to: 

• Meet monthly for informal seminars and a pizza lunch. Seminars focus on professional development for graduate students. Also during seminars, representatives keep graduate students up-to-date on department news.
• Have a few social events a month.
• Have department retreats.
• Conduct department outreach.
• Have a holiday party once a year at the end of the fall semester, with faculty, graduate students, academic and office staff, and anyone who has worked with the department that year.
• Work to promote inclusivity, racial justice, and equity.

On Campus and In the Community

The Wisconsin Idea is the principle that education should influence and improve people’s lives beyond the university classroom. For more than 100 years, this idea has guided the university’s work.

You will find ways to engage in campus and local community life at: Graduate School: Support for Your Wellbeing.

The Graduate School Office of Access, Engagement and Funding supports students from an array of life experience and backgrounds. This office helps students build a sense of belonging on campus. You can read more about participating in events hosted by the Graduate School at: Graduate School: Community and Belonging.

If you are a student actively involved in leadership and service activities, consider nominating yourself for membership in the following honor society: Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society.

Student Representation in Governance

Associated Students of Madison (ASM) – The Associated Students of Madison (ASM) is the campus-wide student governance organization at UW–Madison. Graduate andundergraduate representatives are elected to the 33- member ASM Student Council based on their respective college or school. The student council has regular biweekly meetings open to all students.

Teaching Assistants’ Association (TAA) – The Teaching Assistants’ Association (AFT Local 3220) is the labor union for graduate student workers at UW-Madison. As a result of decades of organizing and by working together as a union, graduate students at UW-Madison have achieved good health benefits, tuition remission, and many other gains. The TAA is a democratic union run by the members. All key policy decisions are made at monthly membership meetings. 

Registered Student Organizations – There are more than 750 student organizations on campus. The best way to seek out current organizations is to visit the Office for Student Organizations, Leadership & Involvement (SOLI) website and visit the Registered Student Organization directory. This list will not include unregistered student organizations, and you may find that there are groups in your department that you would like to get involved with as well. If you are interested in officially registering an organization you are involved in, you must register with SOLI. Once registered through SOLI, your organization is eligible for funding from ASM, and your group can reserve rooms in the Union and access other resources.

University-Wide Centers

The Center for Limnology operates a year-round field station in the Northern Highland Lake District in northern Wisconsin (Trout Lake Station) and a working research station on the shores of Lake Mendota (Arthur D. Hasler Laboratory of Limnology). These stations provide access to a wide variety of aquatic ecosystems and their surrounding landscapes, which provide an excellent teaching and research resource for FMS graduate students.

Water@UW-Madison is an umbrella organization that connects water scholars across the UW-Madison campus. Our goal is to facilitate communication among members of the UW-Madison water community and to convey the scope and diversity of UW-Madison's water research to the UW community and beyond.

The Center for Ecology and Environment is the umbrella organization for all ecologists at UW-Madison. Its goal is to facilitate the work of ecologists at the university, and to represent their interests. The Center promotes interaction among ecologists at UW-Madison to foster research, instruction, and outreach; build connections and networks across the large and diverse community of UW-Madison ecologists; and provide a gateway to information about ecology at UW-Madison. The center conducts many activities on campus, including a campus-wide symposium each semester, graduate student social events, and an undergraduate summer job fair. 

The Morgridge Center for Public Service connects campus with community through service, active civic engagement, community-based learning and research, and more.