CAREER: Phenotypic Plasticity in Physiological Traits and Environmental Change: Mentored Research Experiences and Service Learning Projects in Undergraduate Education

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A common theme used throughout this program is the involvement of undergraduate students in research that creates new knowledge and in the communication of this new knowledge. However, a basic premise of the work is that involving all undergraduates at research universities in such research experiences will not by itself produce inquiring students who can synthesize and analyze, who have leadership and problem-solving skills, and who can make meaningful connections between their academic coursework and the community in which they live. To achieve such a goal requires many pedagogical strategies and approaches including research projects conducted by vertically-integrated teams of scientists, classroom projects that use inquiry-based approaches, interdisciplinary creative projects, and mentored internships with business, industry, non-profit organizations, and government. As part of a new curriculum being developed and implemented in natural resource sciences at University of Rhode Island, the PI will revise two existing undergraduate courses, develop a new "capstone" course in physiological ecology, help develop a new freshman field course, develop ways that my research projects can involve undergraduates in new special programs, and utilize innovative methods for evaluation and assessment of the proposed education activities. The research is on phenotypic plasticity of body composition and digestive organs in migrating birds and its ecological implications. Goals of the research include (a) evaluate new nondestructive methods for measuring body composition dynamics in songbirds, (b) test contemporary hypotheses about the effect of diet quality and fasting on the metabolic routing of dietary nutrients in songbirds, (c) test key assumptions about the effect of certain physiological processes on stable isotope ratios in animal tissues, and (d) develop research projects that involve undergraduates in key educational activities. The PIs propose to test the hypotheses using stable isotopes to trace use and synthesis of body components. This will be the first study to manipulate body composition of migratory songbirds while using stable isotopes to measure metabolism of exogenous and endogenous nutrients. The proposed research and teaching program will establish a foundation for an academic career devoted to the development of novel integrative and inquiry-based approaches to research and education in animal biology, in general, and physiological ecology, in particular.