REU Site: 3D Herbivory and Biodiversity of Tardigrades in North American Forest Canopies: Inspiring Students with Physical Disabilities to Pursue Field Biology

REU 网站：北美森林树冠中缓步动物的 3D 食草和生物多样性：激励身体残疾的学生追求野外生物学

• 批准号: 1461005
• 负责人: William Miller
• 金额: $ 28.63万
• 依托单位: Baker University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-04-15 至 2018-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1461005&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: REU; Site; 3D; Herbivory; Biodiversity

This REU Site award to Baker University, Baldwin City, KS, in collaboration with the California Academy of Science, San Francisco, CA, will support the training of eight students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2015-2017. The program offers students with and without ambulatory disability (on crutches or in wheelchairs) the opportunity to conduct original research into the world of water bears (phylum Tardigrada) and the ecological mysteries of the high frontier of the forest canopy. Students will be trained to climb ropes and sample treetop habitats to discover new distributions, ecologies, and species. They will use advanced microscopes (PC, DIC, AF, SEM) to amass the data and images necessary for analysis, presentation, and publication. Student researchers will travel to alternative forest types at LTER sites in Florida, Massachusetts, or Oregon to collect comparative data. Students will complete the research process with a poster presentation at the California Academy of Science, where they will also engage in public outreach by teaching climbing techniques used to sample the tree canopy. The three-dimensional, comparative ecological studies of tardigrades living in forest canopies will shed light on both the distribution of these organisms and the complexity of underexplored temperate forests. It is anticipated that a total of 24 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities and who may have ambulatory disabilities will be trained in the program. Students will be immersed in research design, planning, conduct, analysis and reporting. All will present their work as posters and talks at scientific meetings, and many will write manuscripts for peer reviewed journals. Our results-orientated REU experience will motivate students, with or without a disability, to pursue graduate degrees and will enhance their careers as they become educators, scientists, and leaders of thought. The common web-based assessment tool for REU programs (funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure) will be used to measure the effectiveness of the training program. Students must agree to be tracked after the program by the NSF automated email reporting system. Information is available at www.bakeru.edu/canopy, or by contacting William Miller ([e-mail]) or Meg Lowman ([e-mail]).

这个REU网站奖给贝克大学，鲍德温市，堪萨斯州，在与科学的加州科学院，旧金山弗朗西斯科，CA合作，将支持八名学生在2015年至2017年夏季10周的培训。该计划为有和没有行走障碍的学生（拄拐杖或坐轮椅）提供了对水熊（缓步动物门）世界和森林树冠高边界生态奥秘进行原创研究的机会。学生将接受攀爬绳索和对树梢栖息地进行采样的训练，以发现新的分布、生态和物种。他们将使用先进的显微镜（PC，DIC，AF，SEM）来收集分析，演示和出版所需的数据和图像。学生研究人员将前往其他森林类型在LTER网站在佛罗里达，马萨诸塞州，或俄勒冈州收集比较数据。学生们将在加州科学院完成一个海报展示的研究过程，在那里他们还将通过教授用于采样树冠的攀爬技术来参与公共宣传。生活在森林树冠层中的缓步动物的三维比较生态学研究将揭示这些生物的分布和未充分开发的温带森林的复杂性。预计共有24名学生，主要来自研究机会有限的学校，他们可能有行走障碍，将在该方案中接受培训。学生将沉浸在研究设计，规划，进行，分析和报告。所有人都将在科学会议上以海报和演讲的形式展示他们的工作，许多人将为同行评审的期刊撰写手稿。我们以结果为导向的REU经验将激励学生，无论是否有残疾，追求研究生学位，并将提高他们的职业生涯，因为他们成为教育工作者，科学家和思想领袖。REU计划的共同网络评估工具（由生物基础设施司生物科学理事会资助）将用于衡量培训计划的有效性。学生必须同意在课程结束后由NSF自动电子邮件报告系统进行跟踪。 信息可在www.bakeru.edu/canopy上查阅，或联系威廉米勒（威廉.米勒@ BakerU.edu）或梅格·洛曼（[e-mail]）。