Graduate students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines struggle with developing research agendas that balance the overall goals of their work with questions of civic concern. The Earth Stewardship Initiative helps to resolve this disparity. Furthermore, connecting STEM research to civic concerns increases the relevance of research and facilitates the development of cross-disciplinary approaches. We describe how STEM graduate students can incorporate Earth Stewardship into their research, identify opportunities for educational institutions to support such research, and discuss the potential benefits of, and barriers to, linking Earth Stewardship to graduate-level studies. In a nutshell:• The implementation of a research agenda that is consistent with the Earth Stewardship Initiative requires transformation of the current academic culture • Graduate students and faculty members can be important actors in the transformation, although broader, departmentlevel support is crucial in facilitating this process • Earth Stewardship projects can deliver benefits to graduate students, including enhanced professional development and increased employment opportunities • Supporting Earth Stewardship in graduate training programs can also benefit academic departments by improving funding prospects and increasing the relevance of research to society
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