Overview
The overall goal of this collaborative IRES project is to train interdisciplinary engineers, scientists and anthropologists to research and design socially and environmentally sustainable and equitable systems. Over three years (2022-2024), we will provide international and interdisciplinary research experience to 18 undergraduate (6/18) and graduate students (12/18) in engineering, environmental systems, and anthropology from two institutions, University of South Florida (USF) and University of California Merced (UC Merced). Each summer, 3 students from each U.S. institution (6 total; half environmental science and engineering, half anthropology) will conduct research with Dar Si Hmad’s (DSH) Center for Language and Research and faculty and students in sociology and engineering at Université Ibn Zohr (UIZ) in Agadir, Morocco on sustainable production of edible and cosmetic argan oil by rural Amazigh women.
Example research projects IRES funded students and collaborators will conduct are: environmental and social Life Cycle Analysis (E-LCA and S-LCA) of argan oil production; assessment of the socioeconomic benefits and challenges of different types of argan cooperatives and business models for household livelihood systems and women’s empowerment; geospatial analyses of the argan forest; and evaluation and design of appropriate technologies for argan oil production.
Specific objectives of USF-UC Merced IRES are to:
(1) Provide collaborative and interdisciplinary summer research opportunities between environmental engineers and scientists and anthropologists,
(2) Educate students in life cycle assessment and thinking to better design systems,
(3) Train students in household livelihood systems approaches and ethnographic and qualitative research methods,
(4) Increase the amount of underrepresented minorities, women, and lower income students that participate in international research and improve the long-term global competency of the U.S. workforce,
(5) Strengthen collaboration between the United States and international institutions by establishing a partnership between USF, UC Merced, and UIZ and DSH in Morocco, and
(6) Disseminate research findings with host communities and partner institutions to improve the environmental sustainability and socioeconomic benefits of argan oil production.
The program is funded through the National Science Foundation (NSF) and will provide financial support to those selected for the program. The program pays for travel, housing, and meals in Morocco for the four weeks of the program. Note that applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Applicants must also be USF or UC Merced students.