NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology for FY 2014

NSF生物学博士后奖学金将研究和培训部分结合起来，为年轻科学家在新兴领域的职业生涯做好准备，在这些领域，生物学与其他科学学科交叉，在这种情况下，与数学和物理科学交叉。预计这些研究员将成为未来国家科学劳动力的领导者。萨拉·R·苏普的这一奖学金支持一项生物学、统计学和计算机科学的交叉研究和培训计划，并研究身体尺寸如何对环境变化做出反应。该奖学金的主办机构是缅因州大学和佛蒙特州大学，赞助科学家是布莱恩·麦吉尔和尼古拉斯·戈泰利。面对快速的环境变化，很难描述、预测和保护生物多样性，但这些都是保护工作的关键目标。理解多样性的宏观生态方法使用的模式，例如，身体大小，在分类群体、生态系统和大陆上表现出规律性的行为。本研究通过1)数据聚合和获取，2)机械复杂系统建模，3)跨尺度分析，建立了宏观生态学的动态框架。个体大小模式整合了分类、功能和特征的多样性，这些模式的变化被证明对理解生态系统功能的变化至关重要。大小模式预计对扰动很敏感，因为影响身体大小的机制包括物种相互作用和能量限制，这可能会在人类改变的景观中迅速受到影响。正在开发和使用一种互动模型来研究这些相互作用，以预测对全球变化情景的模式反应。培训目标包括发展数据信息学以及先进的统计和计算建模技术方面的专门知识。更广泛的影响包括本科课程的发展、代表不足的群体的参与、计算机科学推广计划、在线科学交流以及所有研究产品的开放获取共享。

NSF Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biology combine research and training components to prepare young scientists for careers in emerging areas where biology intersects with other scientific disciplines, in this case with mathematics and physical sciences. The Fellows are expected to be leaders of the nation's scientific workforce in the future. This fellowship to Sarah R. Supp supports a research and training plan at the intersection of biology, statistics, and computer science and examines how body size responds to environmental change. The host institutions for this fellowship are the University of Maine and the University of Vermont, and the sponsoring scientists are Brian McGill and Nicholas Gotelli. It is difficult to describe, predict, and preserve biodiversity in the face of rapid environmental change, yet these are critical goals for conservation efforts. A macroecological approach to understanding diversity uses patterns, e.g., body size, that exhibit regular behavior across taxonomic groups, ecosystems, and continents. This research develops a dynamic framework for macroecology through 1) data aggregation and access, 2) mechanistic complex system modeling, and 3) cross-scale analysis. Body size patterns integrate taxonomic, functional, and trait diversity, and changes to these patterns are being shown to be vital to understanding changes in ecosystem function. Size patterns are expected to be sensitive to perturbation since mechanisms that influence body size include species interactions and energetic constraints, which can be rapidly impacted in human-altered landscapes. These interactions are being studied by developing and using an interactive model for predicting pattern response to global change scenarios. Training goals include developing expertise in data informatics and advanced statistical and computational modeling techniques. Broader impacts include development of undergraduate courses, participation by under-represented groups, computer science outreach programs, online science communication, and open-access sharing of all research products.