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

历史黑人学院和大学-本科项目(HBCU-UP)研究启动奖(RIA)为HBCU的STEM初级教员提供支持，他们开始建立研究项目，以及职业生涯中期的教师，他们可能在担任行政职位后重返教职队伍，或者需要重新定向和重建研究项目。教职员工可以在他们的家乡机构、NSF资助的中心、研究密集型机构或国家实验室进行研究。RIA项目有望帮助教师进一步提高研究能力和效率，改善其所在机构的研究和教学，并让本科生参与研究体验。在国家科学基金会的支持下，约翰逊·C·史密斯大学(JCSU)将开展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的教与学，从而帮助激励未被充分代表的少数族裔学生在生物科学领域攻读研究生和从事职业。研究和教育努力将有助于该大学实现增加STEM领域获得理科学士学位的少数族裔学生数量的目标。此外，这个项目将帮助JCSU继续建立其作为城市HBCU的声誉，能够培养出专业准备好的毕业生和那些准备好管理研究生院的人。拟议的研究的目标是研究猛禽体内包囊原生动物的生物多样性，并开始揭开以猛禽为最终宿主的肉孢子虫物种的生活史。该项目的具体目标是：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)收集含有肉孢子虫卵囊和孢子囊的猛禽肠道，并通过生物测定确定卡氏肉孢子虫在凤尾鹦鹉体内的存在。这项研究有可能识别新的禽类感染性和潜在致病物种。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了解。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。

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.