Collaboration to Integrate Research and Education in Marine and Environmental Science and Biotechnology

该奖项为启动海洋科学硕士研究生课程提供资金，并进一步发展萨凡纳州立大学（SSU），一所历史悠久的黑人学院和大学（HBCU），以及海洋研究机构斯基德威海洋学研究所（SkIO）之间的教育合作伙伴关系。这个项目将极大地扩大少数民族学生在HBCU就读期间进行研究生水平海洋研究的机会。SSU和SkIO在过去三年中合作开发了一个非常成功的本科海洋科学课程。现有的项目包括SSU本科生在SkIO完成研究实习的机会，以及SkIO教师在SSU教学的机会。这两个机构都从这个由NSF/HRD资助的项目中受益匪浅。为了表彰本科课程的发展和成功，乔治亚大学系统（USG）批准了SSU新的海洋科学硕士学位课程。USG将为该项目提供新的教师队伍和建设新大楼的资金。该奖项为启动M.S.项目提供资金，同时将额外的国家资源引入在线，同时通过传统的研究奖项为研究生寻求资金。这个项目可以为成功的合作提供一个重要的模式，从而增加少数民族对科学的参与。该项目的联合资金将由NSF的IGERT项目和海军研究办公室（ONR）提供。这个项目的智力价值在于HBCU和一个主要海洋科学研究机构之间的合作研究生教育项目的发展。这种合作将是这一领域所独有的，并可能为地球科学和其他科学领域的这种努力提供一种模式。这一奖项将产生两个重要的社会影响。首先，将建立一个独特的海洋科学研究生课程，并应在五年内制度化。其次，如果这个项目能够吸引那些本不打算读研或打算进入其他领域的少数族裔学生，它应该会大大增加获得海洋科学硕士学位的少数族裔学生的数量。与IGERT项目的联系增强了这些学生最终选择继续在地球科学领域攻读博士学位的可能性。由于获得“物理科学”硕士学位的少数族裔学生的比例约为2.8% (NSF出版物#00-327，表4-6)，而获得海洋或海洋科学博士学位的学生数量通常为每年一到两名（NSF出版物#00-327，表4-12），该计划可能在五到十年的时间框架内对海洋科学毕业生的多样性产生非常重要的影响。

This award provides funding to initiate a master's level graduate program in Marine Sciences and further develop an educational partnership between Savannah State University (SSU), a Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), and Skidaway Insitute of Oceanography (SkIO), an oceanographic research institution. This program will greatly expand the opportunities for minority students to conduct marine research at a graduate level while attending an HBCU. SSU and SkIO have collaborated for the past three years to develop a highly successful program in marine science for undergraduate students. The existing program includes opportunities for SSU undergraduates to complete research internships at SkIO and for SkIO faculty to teach at SSU. Both institutions have benefited greatly from this program, which was initiated with funding from NSF/HRD. In recognition of the growth and success of the undergraduate program, the University System of Georgia (USG) approved a new M.S. degree program in marine science at SSU. USG will provide new faculty lines and funds for construction of a new building in support of this program. This award provides funding to initiate the M.S. program while additional state resources are brought on-line and while funds for graduate students are sought via traditional research awards. The program could provide an important model for successful collaborations that will increase minority participation in science. Joint funding for this program will be provided by NSF's IGERT program and the Office of Naval Research (ONR).The intellectual merit of this program lies in the development of a collaborative graduate education program between an HBCU and a major marine science research institution. Such collaboration will be unique to this field and may provide a model for such efforts, both in geosciences and other scientific fields. Two important societal impacts should be realized from this award. First, a unique graduate program in marine sciences will be established and should become institutionalized within five years. Second, if this program is able to attract minority students who either would not have attended graduate school or who would have gone into other fields, it should greatly increase the number of minority students receiving Master's degrees in ocean sciences. The link to the IGERT program strengthens the possibility that ultimately these students may choose to continue in the field of geosciences for a PhD. Since the percentage of minority students who receive Master's degrees in the "physical sciences"* is about 2.8% (NSF Publication #00-327, Table 4-6), and the number of students who receive PhD's in ocean or marine sciences is typically one or two per year (NSF Publication #00-327, Table 4-12), this program could have a very important impact on diversity of ocean sciences graduates within a five to ten year time-frame.