Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2007

本行动资助2007年度NSF少数民族博士后研究奖学金。该奖学金的目标是增加博士后水平的少数民族科学家的参与，并为他们在美国科学领域的科学领导职位做好准备。为了实现这一目标，该奖学金为最近的博士获得者提供了最高质量的博士后培训和研究机会。预计通过这些研究金支持的研究员将在培训未来劳动力方面发挥重要作用。这项研究和训练计划的题目是“灰蝇科（直翅目）的振动通讯：对种内通讯中基片传播信号的敏感性和产生”。本研究旨在识别和描述有翼、能发声的草原蝼蛄（Gryllotalpa major）和无翼、无鼓室的新西兰蝼蛄（Triamescaptor aotea）对振动的敏感性。在这两个物种中正在研究以下问题：地震刺激在频率和强度上的神经物理反应范围是什么？2. 两个物种中是否有一个在同种性别存在的情况下产生地震通信信号？如果有，这些信号的特征是什么？实地采集的每一物种的雌雄个体正在测试对地震信号的敏感性和产生。赞助科学家是多伦多大学斯卡伯勒分校的安德鲁·c·梅森。培训目标侧重于提高独立项目所需的技能，这些项目旨在描述昆虫的通讯机制和功能。该培训项目提供神经生理学仪器的指导，用于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.