Rosenthal Joins Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) Program in Indoor Environmental Science and Engineering

Sonny Rosenthal, a Department of Advertising Ph.D. student and PUSH student affiliate, has been accepted into the University of Texas at Austin Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program in Indoor Environmental Science and Engineering. Rosenthal will join the prestigious NSF-funded program in January 2008.

The program provides Rosenthal with a two-year, $60,000 stipend plus tuition and additional expenses.

He is the first communication scholar to be accepted into a UT IGERT program. The program’s executive committee saw in him the potential to bring to environmental sciences a much-needed focus on how to communicate science to the public. Some of the topics he will explore through the program include pollutants/contaminants found inside homes/schools/public places and how related information/risks/policies are best communicated with various audiences.

IGERT grants are awarded by NSF to innovative graduate programs in US universities. The IGERT program is aimed at establishing innovative new models for graduate education, training and collaborative research that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries. It is also intended to facilitate development of a diverse, globally-engaged, science and engineering workforce.

Started in 1997, there are now over 150 IGERT programs at about 80 Universities around the country (four programs here at UT). Through the use of innovative curricula and internships, and by focusing on problem-centered training, these programs give their graduates the edge needed to become leaders in their chosen fields.