CAREER: Integrating Geoscience Research on the Neogene of the Dominican Republic with the Science Education of Dominican-American Teachers and Students in New York City

摘要从他的本科论文（Nehm and Geary, 1994）开始，到博士论文（Nehm, 1998）， PI将边缘腹足动物Prunum和Volvarina作为模型宏观进化研究系统（Nehm, 2001a, b, c,d）。以前的NSF资助（NSF论文改进基金和NSF国际博士后奖学金）促进了PI为他的热带美洲（主要是多米尼加新近纪）腹足动物的进化和发展研究项目建立系统的、系统发育的和古生物学的基础。本职业计划书将运用这一完善的研究体系来探索进化-发育古生物学的新问题。具体来说，本研究将是第一个通过化石记录中的物种形成事件来分析贝壳微观结构组成和发育模式和过程的研究之一。在古生物学中，比较大小和形状的形态计量学是研究进化和发展最常用的方法。这种方法并没有阐明形态结构形成的模式和过程。此外，虽然结构可能在大小或形状上相似，但它们可以由不同的组成材料或相同的材料在不同的空间排列中构成。虽然大小和形状上的相似性并不一定表明构造或组成上的相似性，但这种相似性正被用作确定化石无脊椎动物发育进化模式的主要标准。为了确定形状-空间相似性（或差异）是否与结构和构造同质性一致，迫切需要进行研究。尽管许多关于化石发育时间（异时性）进化变化的研究表明，化石在大小和形状上发生了形态变化，但它们未能研究这些形态结构的组成和构造。如果我们排除在个体发育过程中形态结构是如何构建的以及它们是由什么组成的信息，那么关于产生发育进化过程的结论可能是不完整或不准确的。由于这些原因，结构形态学在扩大我们对无脊椎动物发育进化的模式和过程的理解方面具有很大的潜力。几乎没有（如果有的话）无脊椎动物古生物学研究过这个问题。这项职业资助将允许PI继续他的研究项目，并将形态计量学分析与边缘腹足类动物化石记录中发育进化的结构形态学研究结合起来。在过去的两年中，PI还参与了哥伦比亚大学的科学教育研究和科学教师的培养（Nehm, 2001e）。该CAREER资助的教育部分将把PI关于多米尼加共和国新近纪的地球科学研究与纽约市的多米尼加裔美国教师和学生的科学教育结合起来。两大目标是：(1)提高纽约市第6区地球科学教育的质量；(2)增加少数民族对地球科学研究的参与。该项目将包括K-12科学教师参与DR地球科学研究、实地考察和开发教育模块，以供多米尼加裔美国人占主导地位的教室使用。PI非常适合这个项目，因为他作为助理教授的新职位涉及到加州大学纽约分校城市学院生物系和教育学院（科学教育部门）的联合任命，城市学院位于美国多米尼加裔美国人最集中的地区附近。PI在DR Neogene的古生物学研究经验，他之前参与的教师教育，而且他的位置靠近多明尼加美国社区，与多明尼加共和国有着广泛的联系，提供了一个独特的机会来增加少数民族对地球科学的参与，改善教师准备的质量，并为第6地区开发与多明尼加共和国文化相关的科学模块。国际科学与工程办公室的美洲项目正在提供资金，以支持与本提案的国际旅行/合作部分有关的费用。

AbstractBeginning with his undergraduate thesis (Nehm and Geary, 1994), and continuing with his doctoral dissertation (Nehm, 1998), the PI has been developing the marginellid gastropod genera Prunum and Volvarina as model macroevolutionary research systems (Nehm, 2001a, b, c,d). Previous NSF funding (NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant and NSF InternationalPostdoctoral Fellowship) has facilitated the PI's construction of systematic, phylogenetic, andpaleontological foundations for his research program on evolution and development in tropical American (primarily Dominican Neogene) gastropods. This CAREER proposal will employ this well developed research system to explore new questions in evolutionary-developmental paleontology. Specifically, this study will be one of the first to analyze patterns and processes of shell microstructural composition and development through speciation events in the fossil record.The morphometric comparison of size and shape is the most common approach to studying evolution and development in paleontology. This approach does not elucidate the patterns and processes by which morphological structures are constructed. Additionally, although structures may be similar in size or shape, they can be constructed of different compositional materials or the same materials in different spatial arrangements. Although similarity in size and shape does not necessarily indicate constructional or compositional similarity, such similarity is being used as the primary criterion for determining the mode of developmental evolution in fossil invertebrates. Research is critically needed in order to determine if shape-space similarity (or difference) coincides with structural and constructional homogeneity. Although many investigations of evolutionary changes in developmental timing (heterochrony) in fossils have characterized morphological change in size and shape, they have failed to investigate the composition and construction of these morphological structures.Conclusions about the processes that produce developmental evolution may be incomplete or inaccurate if we exclude information on how morphological structures are constructed during ontogeny and what they are made of. For these reasons, constructional morphology has great potential in expanding our understanding of both patterns and processes of invertebrate developmental evolution. Few (if any) invertebrate paleontological studies have examined this question. This CAREER grant will permit the PI to continue his research program and integrate morphometric analyses with constructional morphological studies of developmental evolution in the fossil record using marginellid gastropods.The PI has also been involved in science education research and science teacher preparation for the past two years at Columbia University (Nehm, 2001e). The educational component of this CAREER grant will integrate the PI's Geoscience research on the Neogene of the Dominican Republic (DR) with the science education of Dominican-American teachers and students in New York City (NYC). Two broad goals are to: (1) increase the quality of Geoscience education in District 6, NYC, and (2) increase minority participation in Geoscience research. This project will involve K-12 science teachers in DR Geoscience research, fieldwork, and the development of educational modules for use in Dominican-American dominated classrooms inDistrict 6. The PI is well suited for this project because his new position as Assistant Professor involves joint appointments in the Dept. of Biology and the School of Education (ScienceEducation division) at the City College, C.U.N.Y. City College is located near the largest concentration of Dominican Americans in the U.S. The PI's experience with paleobiological research on the DR Neogene, his previous involvement in teacher education, and his location near a Dominican American community with extensive ties to the Dominican Republic provides a unique opportunities to increase minority participation in the geosciences, improve the quality of teacher preparation, and develop culturally-relevant science modules on the Dominican Republic for District 6.The Americas Program of the Office of International Science and Engineering is contributing the funds to support the costs associated with the international travel/collaboration component of this proposal.