Moving forward: fostering the next generation of Earth stewards in the STEM disciplines

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

Overcoming the factors inhibiting the mainstreaming of gender into spatial planning policy in the United Kingdom

This paper investigates why gender is not being effectively mainstreamed into the work of local planning authorities in the UK. It discusses means whereby this reluctance might be overcome. Research undertaken for the Royal Town Planning Institute is drawn upon to illustrate the situation. Whilst generic mainstreaming is widespread, it predominantly relates to personnel matters and social policy issues; but there is little evidence of the mainstreaming of gender issues into spatial policy. Factors that hinder progress are identified at central and local government levels. Drawing on principles from a gender mainstreaming toolkit, developed as part of the research, key stages and components of the planning process are identified through which gender might be more successfully mainstreamed into substantive spatial policy. © 2005 The Editors of Urban Studies