Graduate Research Traineeships-Environmental Biology

该计划将汇集两个令人兴奋的，但以前独立的方法来研究环境生物学：建模和实验调查的过程，与空间格局的分析。 第一种方法（在UCSB的生物学家中有很强的代表性）试图通过分析决定种群，社区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的地理学家中很有代表性，涉及一系列令人印象深刻的技术，旨在分析非常大范围的空间尺度上的模式。 我们提出了一个计划，涉及利用数量地理学，实验和理论生态学之间的潜在的强大的协同作用。 该计划涉及（a）新的跨学科课程，（B）为学生提供获得工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。 工业界和一个国家资助的毒理学项目提供了配套资金。 为了促进更多的少数民族学生入学的计划，我们建议UCSB和加州州立大学，洛杉矶（CSULA），一个指定的少数民族本科院校，赠款学士和硕士学位，但不是博士学位之间的财团关系。 我们的努力将集中在学生CSULA的环境研究和教育中心，其代理负责人是一个有成就的生态学家，在我们提出的研究主题的专业知识，并在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.