Research Initiation Award: Improving Molecular-Based Research Skills While Investigating the Biodiversity of Parasites in Raptors to Better Understand Transmission Processes

研究启动奖：提高基于分子的研究技能，同时调查猛禽寄生虫的生物多样性，以更好地了解传播过程

• 批准号: 1505407
• 负责人: Alexa von Dohlen
• 金额: $ 19.82万
• 依托单位: Johnson C. Smith 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: 2015-08-01 至 2019-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1505407&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Research; Initiation; Award; Improving; Molecular

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities-Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) Research Initiation Awards (RIAs) provide support to STEM junior faculty at HBCUs who are starting to build a research program, as well as for mid-career faculty who may have returned to the faculty ranks after holding an administrative post or who needs to redirect and rebuild a research program. Faculty members may pursue research at their home institution, at an NSF-funded Center, at a research intensive institution or at a national laboratory. The RIA projects are expected to help further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, to improve research and teaching at his or her home institution, and to involve undergraduate students in research experiences. With support from the National Science Foundation, Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) will conduct research aimed at understanding the biodiversity of parasites in birds of prey. This project will be used to enhance teaching and learning at JCSU and thus, help motivate underrepresented minority students to pursue graduate studies and careers in biological sciences. The research and educational efforts will contribute to the University's goal to increase the number of minority students receiving BS degrees in STEM fields. In addition, this project will help JCSU continue to build its reputation as an urban HBCU capable of producing professionally ready graduates and those that are well-prepared to manage graduate school.The goal of the proposed study is to examine the biodiversity of encysted protozoans in raptors and to begin to unravel the lifecycles of Sarcocystis species that use raptors as definitive hosts. The specific aims of this project are to: 1) Determine the prevalence of encysted protozoans from the muscles of naturally infected raptors by histological and molecular methods; and 2) Collect intestinal tracts from raptors containing Sarcocystis oocysts & sporocysts and determine the presence of S. calchasi by bioassay in cockatiels, Nymphicus hollandicus. This study has the potential to identify new avian infective and potentially pathogenic species. The findings from this study will improve knowledge of the species of protozoan parasites infecting raptors. This project will be conducted in collaboration with the Carolina Raptor Center and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

历史上黑人学院和大学本科项目（HBCU-UP）研究启动奖（RIA）为HBCU开始建立研究项目的STEM初级教师以及可能重返教师队伍的职业中期教师提供支持担任行政职务或需要重新定向和重建研究项目。教师可以在他们的家乡机构，在NSF资助的中心，在研究密集型机构或在国家实验室进行研究。RIA项目预计将有助于进一步提高教师的研究能力和效率，改善他或她的家乡机构的研究和教学，并让本科生参与研究经验。在国家科学基金会的支持下，约翰逊C.史密斯大学（JCSU）将进行旨在了解猛禽寄生虫生物多样性的研究。该项目将用于加强JCSU的教学和学习，从而帮助激励代表性不足的少数民族学生在生物科学领域进行研究生学习和职业生涯。研究和教育工作将有助于大学的目标，以增加少数民族学生获得学士学位的STEM领域的数量。 此外，该项目将帮助JCSU继续建立其作为一个城市HBCU的声誉，能够生产专业准备的毕业生和那些准备好管理研究生院的目标，拟议的研究是检查的生物多样性的包囊原生动物在猛禽和开始解开肉孢子虫物种的生命周期，使用猛禽作为最终宿主。本项目的具体目标是：1）通过组织学和分子生物学方法确定自然感染猛禽肌肉中包囊原虫的流行率; 2）从猛禽中收集含有肉孢子虫卵囊和孢子囊的肠道，并确定是否存在肉孢子虫。通过对凤头鹦鹉的生物测定，研究了凤头鹦鹉体内的calchasi。这项研究有可能确定新的禽传染性和潜在的致病性物种。这项研究的发现将提高对感染猛禽的原生动物寄生虫种类的认识。该项目将与卡罗莱纳猛禽中心、弗吉尼亚理工学院和州立大学合作进行。