REU Site: Collections-Based Research Experiences for Undergraduates at The Academy of Natural Sciences

REU 网站：自然科学院本科生基于馆藏的研究经验

• 批准号: 0097541
• 负责人: Dominique Didier
• 金额: $ 15.66万
• 依托单位: Academy of Natural Sciences Philadelphia
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-06-01 至 2004-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0097541&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: REU; Site; Collections; Based; Research

The purpose of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Fellowhsip at The Academy of Natural Sciences is to provide undergraduates with experience in collections-based research in a natural history museum environment in an effort to recruit new young researchers to pursue advanced degrees in the field of organismal and systematic biology. The REU program at the Academy fills a gap in traditional undergraduate training by providing a diverse and exciting research experience in a museum environment for students who may not be exposed to a research in the areas of systematics, evolution, and organismal biology. An additional goal of the program is to attract underserved minorities to our program and promote diversity in all areas of biological research.Students are recruited from colleges and universites from around the country through advertisements on the Internet and through direct mailing. Students at historically black colleges and universites (HBCU's) are a recruiting priority and direct contact with faculty at HBCU's is used to attract minority applicants. Each year, eight students are chosen on the basis of academic performance, overall interest in organismal biology, and the evaluations of two referees, for a 10-week summer fellowship. After a one-week introductory session in which students receive tours of all collections and academy facilities, students work on an independent research project with a Ph.D. scientist as his or her mentor. Topics for research projects range from systematic biology using traditional morphological and molecular techniques, to ecology, watershed monitoring, and the history of scientific collections. Students gain experience by working side-by-side with curators and senior scientists and are involved in all aspects of collections-based research including collection and curation of specimens, field expeditions, and dissemination of results orally and in a written paper. Most students publish their papers in peer reviewed scientific journals. Students also benefit from a variety of group activities including weekly seminars, social gatherings, a camping trip, and end-of-summer banquet.Natural history museums such as the Academy are becoming increasingly important for formal education in organismal biology because college and university biology departments are, on the whole, becoming more oriented toward cellular and molecular research. Because of this shift in emphasis in biology teaching there is a decline in numbers of specialists dedicated to collections-based, taxonomic and ecological research. Through the REU fellowship at the Academy undergraduate students gain valuable experience and education in organismal biology that they might not obtain at their undergraduate institution. Most students publish the results of their research and a majority of participants choose to pursue careers in systematics and organismal biology based on their REU experience at the Academy. Providing opportunities for undergraduate research to underserved minorities has the added benefit of increasing the diversity of students pursuing advanced degrees in the biological sciences, a change that will hopefully be reflected in an increase in the diversity of the scientific research community of the future.

自然科学院本科生研究经验（REU）Fellowhsip的目的是为本科生提供在自然历史博物馆环境中进行基于收藏的研究的经验，以招募新的年轻研究人员来攻读有机体和系统生物学领域的高级学位。 学院的REU课程填补了传统本科生培训的空白，为可能不会接触系统学，进化和生物学领域研究的学生提供了博物馆环境中多样化和令人兴奋的研究体验。 该计划的另一个目标是吸引服务不足的少数民族加入我们的计划，并促进生物研究各个领域的多样性。通过互联网上的广告和直接邮寄，从全国各地的学院和大学招募学生。 历史上的黑人学院和大学（HBCU）的学生是招聘的优先事项，并与HBCU的教师直接接触，以吸引少数民族申请人。 每年，根据学习成绩，对生物学的整体兴趣以及两位裁判的评估选择八名学生，为期10周的夏季奖学金。 在为期一周的介绍课程中，学生们将获得所有收藏品和学院设施的图尔斯之旅，学生们将与博士合作进行独立的研究项目。科学家作为他或她的导师。 研究项目的主题范围从使用传统形态学和分子技术的系统生物学，到生态学，流域监测和科学收藏的历史。 学生通过与策展人和资深科学家并肩工作获得经验，并参与基于收藏的研究的各个方面，包括标本的收集和策展，实地考察以及口头和书面论文的结果传播。 大多数学生在同行评审的科学期刊上发表论文。 学生们还可以参加各种团体活动，包括每周的研讨会、社交聚会、野营旅行和夏末宴会。自然历史博物馆（如学院）对生物学的正规教育越来越重要，因为学院和大学的生物系总体上越来越倾向于细胞和分子研究。 由于生物学教学重点的这种转变，致力于收集、分类和生态学研究的专家人数有所下降。 通过在学院的REU奖学金本科生获得宝贵的经验和教育，在有机生物学，他们可能不会在他们的本科机构获得。 大多数学生发表他们的研究成果，大多数参与者选择根据他们在学院的REU经验从事系统学和生物学的职业。 为服务不足的少数群体提供本科生研究机会的额外好处是增加了攻读生物科学高级学位的学生的多样性，这一变化有望反映在未来科学研究界多样性的增加上。