Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2007

这项行动为2007财政年度的NSF少数民族博士后研究奖学金提供资金。 该奖学金的目标是增加少数民族科学家在博士后水平的参与，并为他们在美国科学的科学领导地位做好准备。为了实现这一目标，奖学金提供了最高质量的博士后培训和研究的机会，以最近的博士获奖者。 研究和培训计划的题目是“蟋蟀科（昆虫纲：直翅目）的振动通信：种内通信中基质信号的敏感性和产生”。“这项研究旨在确定和表征有翼的、发声的草原鼹鼠（Gryllotalpa major）和无翅的、缺乏鼓膜的新西兰鼹鼠（Triamescaptor aotea）对振动的敏感性。 在这两个物种中正在研究以下问题：1。在地震刺激的频率和强度方面，神经物理反应的范围是什么？2.在异性存在的情况下，两个物种会产生地震通讯信号吗？如果有，这些信号的特征是什么？实地收集的每个物种的两性个体正在测试对地震信号的敏感性和产生地震信号的能力。 赞助的科学家是安德鲁·C。他是多伦多大学斯卡伯勒分校的梅森。 培训目标的重点是提高独立项目所需的技能，这些项目旨在描述昆虫交流的机制和功能。该培训计划提供神经生理仪器的指导，旨在测量昆虫和其他节肢动物对声音和振动的神经反应。此外，技术实验室经验与先进统计措施的数据分析培训相结合，以完善有效分析神经行为学研究中获得的数据所需的技能。

This action funds an NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2007. The goal of the fellowship is to increase the participation of minority scientists at the postdoctoral level and to prepare them for positions of scientific leadership in US science. To attain this goal, the fellowship provides opportunities for postdoctoral training and research of the highest quality to recent doctoral recipients. It is expected that Fellows supported through these fellowships will play important roles in training of the future workforce.The research and training plan is entitled "Vibration communication in the Gryllotalpidae (Insecta: Orthoptera): sensitivity to and production of substrate-borne signals in intra-specific communication." This research seeks to identify and characterize the sensitivity to vibration in both the winged, sound producing prairie mole cricket ( Gryllotalpa major) and the apterous and tympanum-lacking New Zealand mole cricket (Triamescaptor aotea). The following questions are being investigated in both species: 1. What are the neurophysical response ranges in frequency and intensity to seismic stimuli? 2. Does either species produce seismic communication signals in the presence of conspecifics of either sex? If so, what are the characters of these signals? Field-collected individuals of both sexes of each species are being tested for sensitivity to and production of seismic signals. The sponsoring scientist is Andrew C. Mason at the University of Toronto at Scarborough. The training objectives focus on the enhancement of skills required for independent projects designed to describe the mechanisms and functions of communication in insects. The training program provides instruction in neurophysiological instrumentation designed to measure neural responses to sound and vibration in insects and other arthropods. Moreover, technical laboratory experiences are combined with data analysis training in advanced statistical measures to refine the skills needed to effectively analyze data procured in neuroethological studies.