Pacific Basin Biodiversity Ecology and Evolution in Chile and Micronesia (IRES)

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This award will provide 12 undergraduate and 6 M.S. students from the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) with the opportunity to gain international research experience through summer internships at two research sites over a three-year period. Each year, two undergraduate students and one M.S. student working with co-PI Hayes will be trained in behavioral and physiological ecology research at ULM and in Chile under the supervision of Dr. Louis Ebensperger at Catholic University, Chile. The same number of students working with co-PI Pezold will be trained in population biology and evolution at ULM and under the supervision of Mr. Brian Lynch at the College of Micronesia. All administrative and organizational aspects of the program will be built upon the existing infrastructure of the ULM Howard Hughes Medical Institute research program (HHMI). During the two semesters preceding international travel, Dr. Hayes' students will study prenatal factors affecting the reproduction of communal house mice (Mus musculus). Dr. Pezold's students will learn fish collection methods and extract and sequence mtDNA from gobiid fish specimens in the ULM Museum of Natural History and add to a developing phylogeography. This NSF award provides needed funds for the students, covering airfare and support for activities related to their overseas stays. Many ULM students are ethnic minorities or first-generation university students, increasing the potential for impact that this program may have among underrepresented students. Cultural training will increase the awareness and improve the language skills of all students, increasing their competitiveness at the international level. All students will assist the co-PIs with the writing of manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals. The program will culminate in a capstone event, during which students will share their cultural and research experiences with the ULM and Monroe communities as presenters in the ULM Chautauqua Nexus program. This award is co-funded by the Office of International Science and Engineering, and the NSF EPSCoR program.