The TGFP is a key part of the mission of C4I. C4I is a research center that works to advance interdisciplinary research and education at MSU while preparing the next generation of citizen leaders to address the most challenging questions of our time. The TGFP supports the educational mission of C4I by providing graduate students at MSU with collaborative, crossdisciplinary training opportunities.
The TGFP provides teams of graduate students the opportunity to work with a community partner on a consequential problem while receiving training in transdisciplinary team research practice. Each team comprises MSU graduate students from different disciplines, and so the experience supports acquisition of both interdisciplinary experience in the context of the team itself and transdisciplinary experience through collaboration with the community partner. One requirement of the program is that each team must have at least one graduate student from a department in the College of Arts & Letters – this demonstrates the value of the humanities and arts to crossdisciplinary research. Through a growing community of practice involving university and community partners, the TGFP trains future transdisciplinary research leaders.
C4I has trained four cohorts of TGFP fellows. The first three involved two teams of three graduate students, and the fourth involves one team of four graduate students. Below we list each team with their community partner; teammates are listed in alphabetical order with their departmental affiliation.
2019
Team 1, Partner: Arts Council of Greater Lansing
- Vy Dao, Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education
- Scott Jarvie, Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education
- A. J. Rice, African American and African Studies
Team 2, Partner: MidMichigan Health System-Clare
- Payam Aminpour, Community Sustainability
- Madhur Chandra, Epidemiology & Biostatistics
- Jeramy Neefus, Philosophy
2020
Team 1, Partner: Arts Council of Greater Lansing
- Briana Coleman, K-12 Educational Administration
- Taylor Mills, Philosophy and Law
- Jessica Stokes, English
Team 2 Partner: MidMichigan Health System-Alma
- Andre Bateman, Kinesiology
- Emily Greeson, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
- Kathleen Lowenstein, Philosophy
2021
Team 1, Partner: Arts Council of Greater Lansing
- Soohyun Cho, English
- Kwabena Edusei, Philosophy
- Jada Similton, English
Team 2, Partner: Food Bank Council of Michigan
- Anicca Cox, Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures
- Michael Stokes, English
- Mahdi Zareei, Community Sustainability
2022
Team 1, Partner: Capital Area Sustainability Partnership
- Johnny Abdal, Philosophy
- Nicole Huff, English
- Antoinette Shirley, Forestry
- Linnea Vicari, Community Sustainability