Graduate Research Traineeships-Environmental Biology

该计划将把两种令人兴奋的，但以前分开的环境生物学研究方法结合在一起：过程的建模和实验调查，而不是空间模式的分析。第一种方法（以UCSB的生物学家为代表）试图通过分析决定种群、群落和生态系统动态的机制来理解生态系统的动态。第二种方法在UCSB的地理学家中得到了很好的体现，它涉及了一系列令人印象深刻的技术，旨在分析大范围空间尺度上的模式。我们提出了一个方案，利用数量地理学与实验生态学和理论生态学之间潜在的强大协同作用。该项目包括(a)新的跨学科课程，(b)学生获得行业经验的机制和资金，以及(c)与校外组织合作进行论文研究的机会。工业界和国家资助的毒理学项目提供了相应的资金。为了促进更多的少数民族学生参加该计划，我们建议UCSB与加州州立大学洛杉矶分校（CSULA）建立财团关系，这是一所指定的少数民族本科院校，可授予学士和硕士学位，但不授予博士学位。我们的工作将集中在CSULA环境研究与教育中心的学生身上，该中心的代理主任是一位有成就的生态学家，在我们提出的研究主题方面具有专业知识，并具有发展少数民族学生研究小组的经验。

The program will bring together two exciting, but previously separate, approaches to the study of environmental biology: modeling and experimental investigation of processes, versus the analysis of spatial pattern. The first approach (strongly represented among UCSB's biologists) seeks to understand the dynamics of ecological systems by analyzing the mechanisms that determine the dynamics of populations, communities and ecosystems. The second approach is well represented among geographers at UCSB and involves an impressive range of techniques aimed at analyzing pattern over a very large range of spatial scales. We propose a program involving which takes advantage of the potentially strong synergism among quantitative geography, and experimental and theoretical ecology. The program involves (a) new cross-disciplinary courses, (b) mechanisms and funding for students to gain industrial experience, and (c) opportunities for thesis research in collaboration with off-campus organizations. Matching funds have been offered from industry and from a state-funded program in toxicology. To promote greater minority student enrollment in the program, we propose a consortial relationship between UCSB and California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA), a designated Minority Undergraduate Institution that grants Bachelor's and Master's degrees, but not the PhD degree. Our efforts will focus on students in CSULA's Environmental Research and Education Center, whose acting head is an accomplished ecologist with expertise in the research theme we propose, and with experience in developing minority student research groups.