CAREER: Trophic Interactions between Benthic Suspension Feeders and Marine Aggregates: An Initiative for Experiential Learning in Coastal Studies

我的职业发展计划围绕着两个主题，这两个主题有助于将我在康涅狄格大学艾弗利点海岸研究项目中的研究和教育项目结合起来。第一个主题侧重于以视觉为导向的技术，作为加强学习和推进研究的工具，第二个主题侧重于基于实验室的学习计划，这些计划将增强和加强本科生和研究生的体验。我的研究计划将研究聚集物(絮状物、海洋雪)与悬浮摄食的海底海洋动物之间的相互作用。我将研究底层动物是否以颗粒聚集体为食，以及它们是否在正常的摄食过程中释放粘液，这可能会影响底部附近的絮状物的形成。我的许多研究技术可以作为教学工具，促进本科生的实践学习(例如，视频显微镜、电子颗粒计数器、图像分析、视频内窥镜)，并将通过为我的实验室的本科生研究提供机会而立即获得回报。此外，我的教育计划注重实践学习，包括开发三个项目：(1)视频教学实验室；(2)为本科生提供的研究体验；(3)以学术生活准备为重点的研究生研讨会。我针对研究生和本科生的研究和教学计划将为艾弗里点的其他教职员工树立榜样，并在他们的支持下，允许我建立一个全面的项目。

My career-development plan is centered around two themes that serve to combine my research and educational projects within the University of Connecticut's new Coastal Studies program at Avery Point. The first theme focuses on visually-oriented techniques as tools to enhance learning and advance research, and the second theme focuses on laboratory-based learning programs that will enhance and strengthen both the undergraduate and graduate experience. My research initiatives will examine interactions between aggregated material (flocs, marine snow), and suspension-feeding, marine animals that live on the bottom. I will study whether bottom animals feed on particle aggregates and whether they release mucus during the normal feeding process that may affect how flocs form near the bottom. Many of my research techniques can be used as teaching tools to promote hands-on learning by undergraduate students (e.g., video microscopy, electronic particle counters, image analysis, video endoscopy) and will have immediate payoffs by providing opportunities for undergraduate research in my laboratory. In addition, my educational initiatives focus on hands-on learning and include developing three projects: (1) a video-ready teaching laboratory; (2) research experiences for undergraduates; and (3) a graduate student seminar that focuses on preparation for academic life. My research and teaching initiatives for graduate and undergraduate students will serve as a model for other faculty members at Avery Point and, with their support, allow me to build a comprehensive program.