A Graduate Training Program in Antarctica: Integrative Biology and Adaptation of Antarctic Marine Organisms

南极研究生培训项目：南极海洋生物的综合生物学和适应

• 批准号: 0504072
• 负责人: Donal Manahan
• 金额: $ 94.27万
• 依托单位: University of Southern California
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-07-15 至 2013-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0504072&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Graduate; Training; Program; Antarctica; Integrative

Biological impacts of the ozone hole, debates about global warming and temperature adaptations, and the evolution of biological diversity in the cold biosphere are some of the important themes that are central to scientific investigations in Antarctica. Yet few students ever have the opportunity to study science on-site in Antarctica because of the obvious limitations resulting from the remoteness of this continent. This project will support a series of advanced level, graduate training courses that will be organized and taught on site in Antarctica. These courses will be open to Ph.D. students and postdoctoral-level scientists interested in the study of biological adaptations of Antarctic marine organisms. Each of the three austral summer courses will be offered for approximately twenty students over a five-year period in Antarctica, in January 2006, 2008 and 2010. These courses will be held at McMurdo Station, the major base in Antarctica of the United States Antarctic Program. This NSF-supported research station has well equipped laboratories for the kinds of educational and student research activities that will be undertaken in the proposed courses. The major goal of these courses is to introduce students and new postdoctoral-level investigators to Antarctic science through studies of the diversity of life forms and the mechanisms of biological adaptation of Antarctic marine organisms. The courses will introduce an international group of students to a wide range of Antarctic organisms, including vertebrates, invertebrates, algae and microbes. Lead instructors with considerable experience with organizing and teaching such advanced educational programs in Antarctica in the past will participate in the program A further aim of the proposed courses is to train all the participants in approaches to integrative biology, by having them study unique biological processes in the cold biosphere that span several different levels of biological organization. For instance, long-standing questions in evolution (e.g., cold adaptation) and ecology concerning the biology of Antarctic organisms will be examined with 1) physiological studies of whole organisms; 2) studies of isolated cells and tissues; 3) experiments on protein structure and function; and 4) molecular analysis of genetic systems. These Antarctic courses will have an educationally intense format similar to summer courses that have been offered in the past at US-based marine laboratories, an approach that has been very successful at introducing new students to important fields of biology. The general format of the Antarctic courses will consist of field collections and laboratory experiments, together with many lectures on polar science from course faculty and guest speakers. Some of the specific themes to be covered during the courses in Antarctica will include: biological diversity; biochemical adaptation; cold adaptation; energy metabolism; molecular phylogeny; and UV photobiology. These themes will be interwoven during the courses with independent, student-initiated research projects. Antarctica is a difficult place to do science. This is especially true for first-time, new investigators starting their careers. The proposed courses will introduce students to the hands-on "doing" of science under realistic Antarctic conditions. The major expectations from offering these training courses in Antarctica will be to introduce new researchers to the biological processes in that extreme environment and to train such students in modern research methods to understand the mechanisms that are unique to biology in Antarctica.

臭氧洞的生物影响、关于全球变暖和温度适应性的辩论以及寒冷生物圈中生物多样性的演变是南极洲科学调查的一些重要主题。然而，很少有学生有机会在南极洲现场学习科学，因为该大陆的偏远造成了明显的限制。该项目将支助一系列高级研究生培训班，这些培训班将在南极洲现场组织和讲授。这些课程将开放给博士。在南极海洋生物的生物适应性研究感兴趣的学生和博士后科学家。将于2006年、2008年和2010年1月在南极洲为大约20名学生开设三个夏季课程，为期五年。这些课程将在美国南极计划在南极洲的主要基地麦默多站举行。这个NSF支持的研究站拥有设备齐全的实验室，用于将在拟议课程中进行的各种教育和学生研究活动。这些课程的主要目标是通过研究生命形式的多样性和南极海洋生物的生物适应机制，向学生和新的博士后研究人员介绍南极科学。这些课程将向国际学生介绍各种南极生物，包括脊椎动物、无脊椎动物、藻类和微生物。过去在南极洲组织和教授此类高级教育课程方面具有丰富经验的首席教师将参加该计划拟议课程的另一个目的是通过让他们研究跨越生物组织几个不同层次的寒冷生物圈中的独特生物过程来培训所有参与者的综合生物学方法。例如，进化中长期存在的问题（例如，南极生物学的研究内容包括：（1）整个生物的生理学研究;（2）分离细胞和组织的研究;（3）蛋白质结构和功能的实验;（4）遗传系统的分子分析。这些南极课程将具有类似于过去在美国海洋实验室提供的夏季课程的教育密集型形式，这种方法在向新学生介绍重要的生物学领域方面非常成功。南极培训班的一般形式将包括实地收集和实验室实验，以及由培训班教员和客座演讲人举办的许多关于极地科学的讲座。在南极洲举办的课程将涉及的一些具体主题包括：生物多样性;生物化学适应;寒冷适应;能量代谢;分子生物学;紫外光生物学。这些主题将在课程期间与独立的，学生发起的研究项目交织在一起。南极洲是一个很难进行科学研究的地方。对于第一次，新的调查人员开始他们的职业生涯尤其如此。拟议的课程将向学生介绍在现实的南极条件下动手“做”科学。在南极洲提供这些培训课程的主要期望是向新的研究人员介绍这一极端环境中的生物过程，并培训这些学生掌握现代研究方法，以了解南极洲生物学特有的机制。