IRES: Fish Biodiversity Research and Education in Kenya

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This International Research Experience for Students (IRES) award entitled Fish Biodiversity Research and Education in Kenya provides a diverse group of US biology students from Tulane University and nearby historically Black universities in New Orleans with a program of language and cultural training and collaborative fish biodiversity research in Kenya. In each of the three award years, one graduate and three undergraduate students will travel to Kenya for field and laboratory research with collaborators at the National Museums of Kenya and the University of Nairobi. Prior to the five-week summer research experience, students will be trained in biodiversity research methods in the laboratory of US PI Henry Bart and culture and Kenyan language training at Tulane during the academic year. The IRES program will train a cadre of undergraduate and graduate students in scientific methods and motivate them to pursue academic research careers and contribute to the U.S. scientific workforce. Participants will gain experience in all phases of scientific research from developing research questions and data gathering, to final publication and other forms of dissemination of research results. The project will leverage information and resources from the Cypriniformes Tree of Life Project. For the international collaborators, the project will help to build research capacity and infrastructure in the Ichthyology Section of the National Museums of Kenya, and will assist the country?s nascent effort to develop into a regional center for ichthyological research. Finally, from an institutional perspective, this project will serve as a model for international research and education programs across the curriculum.