Postdoctoral Fellowship: History and Philosophy of Ecology

简介：该提案是为亚利桑那州立大学生命科学学院生物学与社会中心提供为期两年的博士后奖学金。该奖学金的目的是扩大联合首席研究员的论文研究，该研究的主题是生态学家、环保主义者和公众人物 L. C. Birch。该计划旨在涵盖现代生物学的三个核心分支——生态学、系统生物学和动物行为学——之间的当代和历史相互作用，包括它们的哲学和社会维度，同时仍然以伯奇及其工作、影响和影响为中心。论文之外的扩展将包括类似 Birch 的研究以及与更大社区的接触。最终目标是使 Co-PI 能够对 Birch 的工作和愿景有更深入、更广泛的了解。智力优势：亚利桑那州立大学在扩大这些调查方面具有独特的优势。学院专注于有机体、综合和系统生物学以及生态学、进化和环境。此外，它的组织是为了促进跨学科的协作工作。 Co-PI的主要调查将集中于生态学、系统生物学和行为学之间的理论和方法论联系，不仅在当前的研究项目中，而且在历史上，追溯这三个领域相互交织的发展到它们在20世纪初的出现。利用亚利桑那州立大学在科学与社会关系方面的资源，联合首席研究员还将调查这些密切相关领域形成的社会和文化背景。更广泛的影响：除了主要研究阶段之外，联合首席研究员还将与 NSF 资助的胚胎项目合作，检查当前和过去的胚胎研究、胚胎在实验中的使用以及胚胎作为改善生活的技术的社会和文化影响。在胚胎项目研讨会和学校科学与社会课程中的几个团队教学机会中，联合首席研究员计划进一步发展生物学研究与社会领域之间的历史和当代联系，解决政府政策、机构支持、公众认知以及与宗教/文化的互动等主题。

Introduction: This proposal is for a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Biology and Society in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University. The purpose of the fellowship is to expand the Co-PI's dissertation research, which is on the ecologist, environmentalist, and public figure L. C. Birch. The plan is to encompass contemporary and historical interactions among three central branches of modern biology - ecology, systems biology, and ethology - including their philosophical and social dimensions, while remaining centered on Birch and his work, influences, and impacts. The expansion beyond the dissertation will include Birch-like research and engagement with larger communities. The ultimate goal is to enable the Co-PI to acquire a deeper and broader understanding of Birch's work and vision.Intellectual Merit: ASU is uniquely positioned to broaden these investigations. The School has dedicated emphases in organismal, integrative, and systems biology and in ecology, evolution, and environment. In addition, it is organized to facilitate collaborative work pursued across disciplines. The Co-PI's primary investigation will center on the theoretical and methodological connections among ecology, systems biology, and ethology not only in current research programs but also historically, tracing back the intertwined development of these three fields to their emergence in the early part of the 20th century. Using ASU's resources in science-society relations, the Co-PI will also investigate the social and cultural contexts in which these closely related fields were shaped. Broader Impacts: Beyond the primary research phase, the Co-PI will also work with the NSF-funded Embryo Project to examine current and past embryo studies, the use of embryos in experiments, and the social and cultural ramifications of the embryo as technology for improving life. In both the Embryo Project seminars and several team-teaching opportunities in the School's courses on Science and Society, the Co-PI plans to further develop historical and contemporary connections between biological research and the social sphere, addressing topics such as government policy, institutional support, public perception, and interface with religion/culture.