IGERT Formal Proposal:Integrated Training in the Evolution of Development

这一综合性研究生教育和研究培训(IGERT)奖支持在进化发育生物学领域建立一个多学科的教育和研究研究生培训计划。生物学的一个主要目标是了解生物多样性起源的机制。解决这些问题的一个重大障碍是生命科学的历史分裂--对生物体在发育过程中获得其形态的机制以及通过种群遗传机制产生形态多样性的机制缺乏全面的了解。为了克服这些智力障碍，我们正在启动一项跨学科培训计划，重点是发展的演变，据我们所知，这是此类计划中的第一项。我们培训活动的新方面包括：1)建立一个以研究为基础的合作计划，将发展和进化生物学的培训联系起来，重点放在基因组学上；2)一个正式的发展进化研究生课程；3)一个独特的双重指导系统，有一批杰出的发育和进化生物学的教员参与；4)一个专注于进化发展生物学专业领域的年度活动计划；以及5)一个促进少数民族和校外学生参与的资助计划。这一计划的建立，加上预期的国家资助倡议，应该有助于将俄勒冈大学定义为新兴进化发育生物学领域的国际中心。IGERT是一个NSF范围内的计划，旨在促进以研究为基础的创新研究生计划的建立，这些计划将培养不同的科学家和工程师群体，为充分利用广泛的职业选择做好准备。IGERT为博士机构提供了一个机会，以开发新的、重点明确的、超越组织边界的多学科研究生课程，并团结来自几个系或机构的教师，为培训和研究建立一个高度互动、协作的环境。在该计划的第二年，将向21个机构颁发奖项，这些机构的项目共同涵盖了NSF支持的所有科学和工程领域。这一具体奖项由生物科学理事会、计算机和信息科学与工程理事会以及教育和人力资源理事会资助。

This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) award supports the establishment of a multidisciplinary graduate training program in education and research in the field of evolutionary developmental biology. A major goal of biology is to understand the mechanisms responsible for the origin of biodiversity. A significant impediment to resolving these issues is the historical fractionation of the life sciences -- the lack of an integrated understanding of the mechanisms by which organisms obtain their form during development and by which morphological diversification originates via population-genetic mechanisms. To overcome these intellectual barriers, we are initiating an interdisciplinary training program focused on the evolution of development, to our knowledge the first of its kind. Novel aspects of our training activities include the establishment of: 1) a collaborative research-based program linking training in developmental and evolutionary biology, with a strong emphasis on genomics; 2) a formal graduate course in the evolution of development; 3) a unique dual-mentoring system involving a distinguished set of faculty in developmental and evolutionary biology; 4) an annual program of events focused on specialized areas in evolutionary developmental biology; and 5) a funding program that facilitates the involvement of minorities and off-campus students. Establishment of this program, combined with an anticipated state-funded initiative, should help define the University of Oregon as an international center in the emerging field of evolutionary developmental biology.IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to facilitate the establishment of innovative, research-based graduate programs that will train a diverse group of scientists and engineers to be well-prepared to take advantage of a broad spectrum of career options. IGERT provides doctoral institutions with an opportunity to develop new, well-focussed multidisciplinary graduate programs that transcend organizational boundaries and unite faculty from several departments or institutions to establish a highly interactive, collaborative environment for both training and research. In this second year of the program, awards are being made to twenty-one institutions for programs that collectively span all areas of science and engineering supported by NSF. This specific award is supported by funds from the Directorates for Biological Sciences, for Computer and Information Science and Engineering, and for Education and Human Resources.