Handbook for IPEM Fellows

(updated October2010)

Contents:

(1)Timeline of major events

(2)Visits to affiliated institutions

(3)IPEM research funding procedures

(4)Team project guidelines

(5)Committee formation and mentoring

(6)Yearly assessment

(7)Travel and housing costs for cross-campus study

(8)Other

(1) Timeline of major events

  1. Fellows accepted into the IPEM program will be expected to adhere to the following steps in the program, but individual timing and other details will vary according to prior preparation and individual circumstances. Please consult regularly with your advisor, and provide her or him with regular updates of your progress. See the Curriculum Guidelines document for details on course offerings and requirements, and how these articulate with the existing requirements of your graduate program. See also Table 1 at the end of this document, which outlines an ideal schedule for IPEM Fellows over two years of study and training.
  2. IPEM orientation fall retreat (Year 1, mid-September): We will begin to build community among the students, and between them and the faculty, in to the beginning of the first term when students and faculty convene for a three-day introductory workshop in a location convenient to both WSU and UW. Here faculty will present an overview of the goals of the program, its structure, our expectations of the students, and what they can expect from the faculty, followed by an introduction to faculty research and a summary of the previous year’s experience by second-year Fellows.
  3. Math week (Year 1, mid-September, UW campus): Students will attend an intensive, weeklong “Math Camp” at UW directed by the Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences. Math Camp will be required of all incoming students; those with stronger math backgrounds will serve as peer tutors for others. This introduction or refresher to fundamental concepts of mathematics and probability will prepare Fellows for advanced courses in statistical methods. Students review algebra, functions and limits, differentiation, maximization of functions, integration, matrix algebra, linear equations and least-squares fits, probability theory, random variables, and common probability distributions. IPEM will pay for travel, food and lodging costs for Fellows traveling from WSU. WSU IPEM will also pay for all Math Camp tuition for all Fellows (including UW).
  4. First-term coursework (Autumn term, home campus): During this first year, Fellows will take a series of courses in history and theory in anthropology, evolutionary theory, phylogenetics, mathematics and modeling, genetics, game theory, and research design. Fellows (in this and their second year, at least) will also participate in the “IPEM Seminar,” a meeting broadcast via an existing high-quality audio/video network, Academic Media Services (AMS). There will be about 10 of these in the fall, and another 10 in the spring. The IPEM Seminar will include presentations on faculty research (and on student research), and guest speakers from CECD, SFI, and elsewhere. Students are expected to meet with guest speakers and help host their visit (e.g. meetings, dinners, and transportation). Students should also begin formulating plans for team projects (utilizing iChat or other means to effectively link across the campuses) and summer research/study.
  5. Second/third-term coursework (Winter & Spring quarters, UW campus): To integrate evolutionary themes and models from life and social sciences, students in their Year 1 winter term should take courses (such as BIOA 470 or 520) covering key concepts and models for the study of the evolution of social behavior (kin selection, reciprocal altruism, collective action theory, sexual selection, costly signaling, etc.), the joint influence of genetic and cultural systems of inheritance on behavior, and various methods and theories (including behavioral ecology, cultural transmission theory, and evolutionary psychology). During this time, students will also fully develop and perhaps begin carrying out team projects (see section 4, below). A complete draft proposal for each team project must be vetted by one or more faculty advisors, and then submitted to the IPEM Research Funds Committee (see section 3) by the end of Winter Quarter (ca. March 15).
  6. Summer research/study (Year 1, summer): Team or individual projects at field sites, study at affiliated institution (e.g., SFI), etc. (See below, especially sections 2 and 4). Research track selection: By the end of Year 1, following discussion with IPEM faculty, Fellows will identify a research track that corresponds to one of the two IPEM Research Areas (see Curriculum Guidelines document). NOTE: WSU and UW Fellows are no longer required to register for summer credits (ruling as of May 2010).
  7. Fall semester of Year 2 (WSU campus): All second-year IPEM Fellows (from both campuses) will spend Fall Semester at WSU. During this semester they complete their common set of courses with a new class designed for this IGERT, ANTH 571/BIOL 589 (Evolution & Society); students in the behavioral ecology/social evolution track will take a course emphasizing agent-based modeling (e.g., Anth 547, Models in Anth). Dr. Kohler will coordinate the ongoing IPEM seminar in which team projects will be completed and presented.
  8. Remainder of academic Year 2 (home campuses): After Fall Semester, Fellows will continue in their departmental programs on their home campuses, but will still meet regularly via AMS for the IPEM Seminar (see below) and as necessary otherwise. Fellows will participate in the IPEM Seminar at least through the end of their second year. Students in the phylogenetics/cultural transmission track will then take an additional course on phylogenetics (e.g., BIO 445/545, Principles of Systematic Biology) taught at the University of Idaho (only taught in Spring semester). Before the end of Year 2, each student will take a course in Bioethics (at WSU, Phil 530, or UNIV 592, Interdisciplinary Ethical Issues in Graduate Study; at UW, MHE 411, Introduction to Bioethics, or MHE 536, Research Ethics and Regulation). Substitute courses for this requirement will be considered but must be approved by core faculty.
  9. Dissertation project and committee (Year 2): By the end of Fall term in Year 2, Fellows who entered the program with an MA/MS will be required to identify a Ph.D. research program and committee if they have not already done so. Program of Study should be filed in accordance with the requirements of the Trainees’ home program, but no later than the fall of their 2nd year. Students entering with a BA/BS will be encouraged to identify a Ph.D. research program and committee at the end of Year 2 but will not be required to do so until the end of Fall term in Year 3.
  10. Summer research/study (Year 2, summer): Fellows who entered the program with a MA/MS will typically embark on their Ph.D. research, while those entering with a BA/BS will be encouraged to undertake pilot research that may lead to a dissertation project.
  11. Year 3 and beyond: After the first two years of course work and collaborative team projects, Fellows will concentrate on their thesis/dissertation research, which they will initiate during Year 2. We expect IPEM students will be fairly far along in their programs by their third year, and that they will be highly competitive for TA positions withintheir home departments and for RAs in research projects of our IPEM-affiliated faculty (as well as outside funding for dissertation research). Our goal is to have Fellows who arrive with a Master’s defend their dissertations within 4 years of entering the program. Those entering with a BA/BS will be expected to defend their dissertations within 5 years of entry.
  12. Students must give at least one presentation on their dissertation research within the IPEM Seminar series.

(2) Visits to affiliated institutions

  1. Affiliated institutions include the Centre for the Evolution of Cultural Diversity, University College London (CECD) and the Santa Fe Institute (SFI), as well as institutions in the Central African Republic (CAR).
  2. SFI is an internationally renowned center for research on complex adaptive systems, including cognitive neuroscience, computation in physical and biological systems, economic and social interaction, and evolutionary dynamics of natural and social phenomena. SFI holds the well-known annual Complex Systems Summer School, which offers an intensive four-week introduction to complex behavior in mathematical, physical, living, and social systems for graduate students and postdoctoral Fellows in the natural and social sciences. This program provides the background and hands-on experience to prepare participants (such as our IPEM Fellows) for interdisciplinary research in areas related to complex systems, and would be most suitable to first-year students. Students with two years of graduate course work may also apply to SFI’s Graduate Workshop in Computational Social Science Modeling and Complexity (drawing from their $8K research funds). This workshop brings together a group of advanced graduate students and faculty for an intensive two weeks of lectures by faculty, special topic seminars by members of the SFI, and presentations of work in progress by graduate student participants. The primary goal of the summer workshop is to assist graduate students pursuing research agendas that include a computational modeling component. The third summer school possibility at SFI is a Mathematics and Biology topical offering whose curriculum varies somewhat from year to year. Admission to SFI summer sessions is competitive, but we anticipate that IPEM Fellows will have a high probability of successful application due to their training as well as institutional affiliation with IPEM; consult with Dr. Kohler prior to submitting an application so he can facilitate this. Admitted students normally receive financial assistance from SFI but IPEM Fellows can also allocate funds from their $8K research stipends (see section 3). SFI summer sessions last 2-4 weeks, and therefore leave time for summer work on team research projects.
  3. Fellows can also draw on the resources of SFI and CECD in a more extended fashion through application for research, travel, and housing funds (section 3) to spend a summer, or a term, at SFI or the CECD. These institutions, in turn, would provide research space and a faculty or post-doctorate mentor for a Fellow. This option would be taken most frequently during the second half of Year 2, during the summer of Year 2, or during Year 3 if IPEM funding extends so far. These arrangements would depend on the existence of a faculty member or post-doc with a specific research project who is willing to take on an IPEM fellow to collaborate on a project of mutual interest. Advisors/committee chairs and other IPEM faculty can assist Fellows with the process of identifying and developing these ties.
  4. IPEM Fellows may pursue a variety of research topics in one of two research sites in the Central African Republic. Both sites are located in remote localities on the northern edge of the Central African rainforest, and present opportunities for Fellows to develop research projects involving contemporary human populations and a variety of endemic wild plant and animal species (including nonhuman primates). Fellows may also draw on resources and faculty from our collaborating institutions in the Central African Republic; CURDHACA (Centre Universitaire de Recherche et de Documentation en Histoire et Archéologie Centrafricaines) and the University of Bangui. To initiate research in the Central African Republic, Fellows are advised to contact and discuss their proposed project with Professors Dr. Barry Hewlett or Dr. Karen Lupo.

(3) IPEM research and travel funding

  1. Funding is available to support travel and other expenses related to IPEM-related research activities. These activities include (but are not limited to): professional conferences to present research results, pilot studies linked to dissertation and team-project research, and dissertation/thesis related research projects. All such funding must be reviewed by the Fellow’s advisor/committee chair, and any non-conference funding by the IPEM Research Funds Committee (RFC), as specified below. The RFC consists of three IPEM core faculty, one from each IPEM-participating department (WSU Anthropology, WSU SBS, UW Anthropology), appointed by the IPEM Director (Dr. Tim Kohler).
  2. To apply for research funding, Fellows must submit a proposal consisting of (a) a research plan, (b) an itemized budget, (c) a budget justification, and (d) a brief list of references cited (if needed). Section (a) should provide an introduction to the project, hypotheses to be tested, explain the methods that will be used to test them, and state the significance of the work, and include; it should not exceed 750 words, and other sections should be limited to one page each.
  3. Our grant formally ends May 2011. We will ask for a one-year no-cost extension. These first extensions are virtually automatic but not guaranteed. It is highly likely that you will have until May 2012 to use up your research funds.
  4. There is no calendrical deadline for submitting funding requests; thus, IPEM research and travel funding may be requested as needed over the year, with the following restrictions:
  5. (Cohorts 1- 4) A maximum of $8000 is available to each fellow during each 12-month Fellowship cycle ($16,000 max).
  6. (Cohort 5, those starting IPEM fall 2010): Because our grant is nearing its end, the IPEM research funds situation is a little bit different for students in Cohort 5. For students at UW up to $5,000 of research support monies per year ($10,000 total) is available through competitive application. For students at WSU up to $8,000 of research support monies is available through competitive application. If NSF grants us a one-year extension there may be more IPEM research monies available in your second year, though the exact amount remains to be determined as we spend down the remaining portion of the grant.
  7. Fellows must submit proposals a minimum of 30 days prior to the start of the research, travel, or project, with exceptions noted immediately below.
  8. Requests for support for research or travel during the summer must be received before May 1 (however, submitting proposal earlier is advisable for making travel arrangements and purchasing equipment/supplies).
  9. Projects involving significant logistical coordination or human-subjects approval should be submitted well in advance of these 30-day/May 1 guidelines (by March 15 for team projects).
  10. All WSU Fellows (and faculty) should work with the Program Coordinator at WSU (currently Dena Spencer-Curtis) for ALL their travel and purchasing needs; this includes SBS Fellows and faculty as well.
  11. All UW Fellows (and faculty) should work with the Program Coordinator at UW (currently Josh Patrick) for ALL their travel and purchasing needs.
  12. The priority ranking for (non-conference) research funding is:
  13. IPEM team research
  14. pilot research
  15. dissertation research
  16. other IPEM-relevant activities that are not primarily focused on data collection.
  17. To apply for IPEM research funding, students should prepare a proposal following the guidelines above and submit it for review and pre-approval to their advisor or committee chair. Upon obtaining this approval, the student should email the proposal to the chair of the Research Funds Committee, current Dr. Darryl Holman. The committee will notify the student of their decision via email within 30 days.
  18. Normally funds for traveling to professional conferences to present researchwill be routinely granted to Fellows (assuming that year’s funds have not been exhausted already). Any conference travel using IPEM funds must be approved by the Fellow’s adviser, but is not reviewed by the RFC (though a written proposal is still needed); Requests for conference support should provide a short description of the meeting in terms of its reach, target audience, relevance to the IPEM mission, and expenditure needs. If the Fellow will be presenting research, the application should provide the title of the presentation and a short description of the content. In the rare cases where Fellows are not presenting, they should explain in detail how travel to the conference will support their research objectives. Conference funding must be expended on the conference specified in the approved application.
  19. Fellows (and former Fellows) will retain and have use of supplies and equipment (this includes all non perishable materials and supplies such as GPS, solar lamp, camera, tents, lap tops, water purifiers) purchased with their IPEM research funds as long as they participate in IPEM and remain students in good standing in participating graduate programs at either WSU or UW. When these conditions no longer obtain, the equipment purchased with IPEM funds must be returned to the IPEM program coordinator at their respective institution. At the end of IPEM equipment should be returned to either Dr. Tim Kohler (WSU) or Dr. Eric Smith (UW) and they will either redistribute them or send them to surplus. Per WSU, UW, and NSF policies, all obsolete, ineffective, or damaged equipment purchased with IPEM finds must be disposed of through authorized channels. IPEM faculty and Fellows need to give such supplies/equipment to the program coordinator at the respective institutions for disposal. Here, equipment is used loosely to include large and small purchases (see examples listed above). Essentially, when you leave the university anything non perishable needs to be returned to IPEM for redistribution or sent to surplus.
  20. Per Sponsored Projects at WSU, all items purchased need to be in hand and in use prior to the grant’s end date. All travel needs to take place by the last day of the grant. You can get reimbursed after the granting period for your travel expenses, but your travels need to occur on or beforethe last day of the grant. Equipment (computers, lap tops, and iPads) are not allowed in the no-cost extension year of the grant. It is the responsibility of the Fellow to retain and provide receipts and other documentation for funded expenses, and to submit these to the IPEM Program Coordinator at the completion of the project or travel. In addition, if you don’t already have a US passport it is a good idea to get one in your first term, since your research project may be outside the US.
  1. (4) Team project guidelines
  1. During Year 1 students will form teams based on mutual interest, with each team consisting of 2-4 students and ideally including at least one biologist and one anthropologist. Each team will work with two faculty (one from biology, one from anthropology) to develop and execute a team research project. Teams will work on their projects until the middle of the second year, with the bulk of research time occurring during the summer of Year 1. Teams will use weekly lab meetings to discuss and get feedback on their projects, and are expected to register for research credits (e.g., at UW, 2 cr of BIOA 600). Again, iChat or AMS are possible tools to communicate across universities.
  2. The IPEM Team Project concept embodies four important goals. First, it will help students form social bonds that increase the probability that they will stay with the program and acquire complex information and skills. Second, as noted in a recent National Academy of Sciences report on graduate education, most graduate students learn to work by themselves on narrow problems but are ill-prepared to work on broader problems in teams; IPEM team projects are therefore designed to be supportive and nurturing environments to foster teamwork and collaborative efforts. Third, since teams consist of people with very different backgrounds, the projects are an important means of breaking down traditional intellectual boundaries, especially across the life science/social science divide. Finally, teams force an outreach effort that connects Fellows with the community and gives them applied experience—and confidence that they can work in non-academic settings. We encourage projects to culminate in co-authored publications. While the projects are collaborative efforts, each team member will be responsible for an important component (e.g., model formulation, collecting and analyzing data) and for writing at least one segment or portion of the final paper/report.
  3. Team problems will be chosen through discussions with faculty and other partners. Each problem should (1) have an applied aspect, (2) cross the social/life science divide, and (3) be approached through an evolutionary perspective. They may involve field or lab data collection, model building and simulation, and/or other research strategies. One important source for the collaborative definition of such problems can be through discussions with WSU’s new Plateau Center for Native American Cultures and its nine tribal partners from the Columbian Plateau, who have signed a memorandum of agreement with WSU to collaborate on research projects of mutual interest and on programs to benefit regional Native peoples. Other likely venues for team projects include our international research sites (discussed above, section 2).
  4. Candidate ideas for projects will be developed through consultation with appropriate faculty, but might include cultural preservation, studies of long-term culture change in specific and changing environmental settings, studies of the interaction of culture and biology in combating diseases, and the like. Limited travel funds (in addition to those otherwise available to Fellows) may be available to teams working with tribes or other local entities to consult on their research, and to present their results; check with Dr. Tim Kohler on this at least 4 weeks before such funds might be needed.

(5) Mentoring and committee information