REU: The Role Amino Acids Play in Attracting Pollinators to Floral Nectars

这一奖项将在纽约州立大学弗雷多尼亚分校为本科生设立一个研究体验网站。该项目将通过让10名本科生参与者参与植物-传粉者相互作用的调查来促进他们的智力和情感发展。这项研究将集中在氨基酸在吸引昆虫传粉者进入花蜜中所起的作用。该项目的参与者将收集蜜汁，并使用高效液相色谱仪对其糖和氨基酸组成进行定量。此外，他们还将研究不同传粉者对植物蜜汁中氨基酸的行为反应。本项目将分为夏季(1988年)和冬季()两部分。八个夏季周将提供一周的理论和方法介绍，三周的小组项目指导研究，以及四周的独立的、参与者发起的项目。在秋季学期，参与者将分析他们个人项目的结果。他们将于1989年1月返回弗雷多尼亚，届时他们将准备在1989年4月的东部大学科学会议(ECSC)上介绍他们的项目的口头报告。该项目的学生研究人员将通过1)加深对生态学、行为学、进化论、生物化学和化学仪器的了解，2)具有特定领域和实验室研究技术的实践经验，3)批判性阅读和分析思维的实践，以及4)获得各种研究支持技能。所有这些成就将增强参与者的情感成熟度，有助于确定他们作为科学家的职业选择，在某些情况下，还会提高他们的抱负。

This award will establish a Research Experience for Undergraduates Site at the State University of New York-Fredonia. The project will foster the intellectual and emotional development of 10 undergraduate participants by involving them in an investigation of plant-pollinator interactions. The research will focus on the role that amino acids play in attracting insect pollinators to floral nectars. Participants in this project will collect nectars and quantify their sugar and amino acid compositions using High Performance Liquid Chromatography. In addition, they will study the behavioral response of various pollinators to amino acids in the nectars of plants. This project will be divided into two parts, summer (1988) and winter(1989). The eight summer weeks will offer one week of introduction to theory and methods, three weeks of directed research on group projects, and four weeks of independent, participant-originated projects. During the fall semester, participants will analyze the results of their individual projects. They will return to Fredonia in January, 1989, when they will prepare oral presentations of their projects to be presented at the Eastern College Science Conference (ECSC) in April 1989. Student researchers in this project will develop through 1) an increased understanding of ecology, behavior, evolution, biochemistry, and chemical instrumentation 2) hands-on experience with specific field and laboratory research techniques, 3) practice in critical reading and analytical thinking, and 4) acquisition of a variety of research support skills. All of these accomplishments will enhance the emotional maturity of participants, help to define their career choice as scientists and, in some cases, raise their aspirations.