{"id":510,"date":"2025-10-15T16:40:27","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T16:40:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/?page_id=510"},"modified":"2026-04-14T19:27:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T19:27:43","slug":"interdisciplinary-research-teams","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"Interdisciplinary Research Teams"},"content":{"rendered":"

Program Description: Interdisciplinary Research Teams (IRT)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"The Interdisciplinary Research Teams (IRT)<\/span><\/strong><\/a> program at Rutgers University, offered through the School of Arts and Sciences Office of Undergraduate Education, provides students with an opportunity to collaborate on creative, interdisciplinary research projects alongside faculty mentors. Designed primarily for rising sophomores and juniors, IRT brings together small teams of students from different majors to explore real-world questions and produce meaningful deliverables that often go beyond traditional research papers, such as exhibits, educational resources, digital projects, prototypes, or public outreach materials. Students earn academic credit, gain hands-on research experience, develop collaboration and leadership skills, and present their work at campus symposia, making IRT a unique, high-impact learning experience that connects scholarship, creativity, and teamwork. <\/span><\/p>\n

The program is made possible by the generous support of Rutgers alumnus Alan Grossman<\/span><\/strong>, whose donation advances interdisciplinary learning and student research opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n

IRT Project Spotlight: <\/span><\/strong>My Friend Manny<\/span><\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

As part of this program, our team based their work in the Rutgers University Geology Museum (RUGM) to research and tell the story of the museum\u2019s most famous resident, Manny, a 12-foot-tall, fully articulated mastodon skeleton. Drawing on historical archives, scientific literature, and educational theory, the team synthesized past and current research to create My Friend Manny<\/span><\/em>, a children\u2019s book that makes Manny\u2019s story accessible and engaging for K\u201312 audiences. Building on earlier work by student interns and researchers, the project highlights both the science behind the mastodon and the museum’s rich history. By combining expertise from multiple disciplines, the team developed an innovative approach to science communication that accurately represents the museum\u2019s legacy, celebrates the diverse people who have contributed to RUGM since its opening in 1872, and supports current educational and curricular needs.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Program Description: Interdisciplinary Research Teams (IRT) The Interdisciplinary Research Teams (IRT) program at Rutgers University, offered through the School of Arts and Sciences Office of Undergraduate Education, provides students with … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2208,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-510","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nInterdisciplinary Research Teams - Manny the Mastodon<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Interdisciplinary Research Teams - Manny the Mastodon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Program Description: Interdisciplinary Research Teams (IRT) The Interdisciplinary Research Teams (IRT) program at Rutgers University, offered through the School of Arts and Sciences Office of Undergraduate Education, provides students with … Read More\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Manny the Mastodon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-14T19:27:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Group3small-300x200.jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/\",\"name\":\"Interdisciplinary Research Teams - Manny the Mastodon\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Group3small-300x200.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-15T16:40:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-14T19:27:43+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Group3small-scaled.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Group3small-scaled.jpeg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Interdisciplinary Research Teams\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/\",\"name\":\"Manny the Mastodon\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Interdisciplinary Research Teams - Manny the Mastodon","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Interdisciplinary Research Teams - Manny the Mastodon","og_description":"Program Description: Interdisciplinary Research Teams (IRT) The Interdisciplinary Research Teams (IRT) program at Rutgers University, offered through the School of Arts and Sciences Office of Undergraduate Education, provides students with … Read More","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/","og_site_name":"Manny the Mastodon","article_modified_time":"2026-04-14T19:27:43+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Group3small-300x200.jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/","name":"Interdisciplinary Research Teams - Manny the Mastodon","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Group3small-300x200.jpeg","datePublished":"2025-10-15T16:40:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-14T19:27:43+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Group3small-scaled.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1463\/2026\/04\/Group3small-scaled.jpeg","width":2560,"height":1707},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/interdisciplinary-research-teams\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Interdisciplinary Research Teams"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/","name":"Manny the Mastodon","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/510"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2208"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=510"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/510\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":645,"href":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/510\/revisions\/645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/manny-the-mastodon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}