NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2015

这一行动为2015财年NSF生物学博士后研究奖学金提供了资金，扩大了参与范围。该奖学金支持该研究员在东道主实验室的研究和培训计划，以及扩大科学界代表性不足群体的参与计划。布拉德利·迪克森的这项研究计划的标题是？生物陀螺仪的机械和控制。该奖学金的主办机构是加州理工学院，赞助科学家是迈克尔·狄金森博士。昆虫的空中敏捷性是显著的，特别是如果考虑到与它们的小尺寸相关的生物力学和生理挑战。在苍蝇身上，这些动作是由视觉系统发起的，最后由被称为笼头的陀螺仪器官结束。灯笼是位于前翼后面的小的哑铃形结构，从进化上讲是从翅膀进化而来的。像翅膀一样，笼头也是由一组小肌肉控制的拍打结构。然而，尽管吊环在飞行控制中的重要性早已为人所知，但这些微小的操纵肌在飞行动作中的作用仍不清楚。这项研究的目的是发现苍蝇用来控制笼头运动的原理，进而控制它们的空中动作。它承诺帮助开发能够在复杂的空中环境中导航的微型飞行器。通过研究一种遗传编码的钙传感器在果蝇黑腹果蝇体内的表达，这位研究员正在观察系绳飞行动作中缰绳转向肌肉的活动。新开发的计算技术被用来揭示肌肉激活模式是反映肌肉独立活动还是在上下文相关的群体中发挥作用。通过这些实验对缰绳-S运动控制的更完整的理解，提供了关于昆虫如何使用有限的一组肌肉来执行优雅行为的洞察力，并扩大了我们对运动控制一般原理的知识。此外，这项研究还探讨了神经系统如何通过改变固有的反射来产生自愿行为。这位同事是非裔美国人和其他代表性不足的本科生的导师和榜样。进一步的教育外展包括通过加州理工学院的课堂连接向学校团体进行演示，使用在线多媒体传播一个讨论当前科学主题的播客，以及针对青少年受众开发非正式演示。

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2015, Broadening Participation. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow and a plan to broaden participation of groups under-represented in science. The title of the research plan for this fellowship to Bradley Dickerson is ?The mechanics and control of a biological gyroscope." The host institution for this fellowship is the California Institute of Technology, and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Michael Dickinson. The aerial agility of insects is remarkable, especially if considering the biomechanical and physiological challenges associated with their small size. In flies, these maneuvers are initiated by the visual system and ended by gyroscopic organs called halteres. The halteres are small, dumbbell-shaped structures located behind the forewings that are evolutionarily derived from the wings. Like the wings, the halteres are flapping structures contolled by a small set of muscles. However, while the importance of the halteres in flight control is long known, the role of these tiny steering muscles during flight maneuvers remains unclear. The research aims to discover the principles flies use to control motion of the haltere and in turn their aerial maneuvers. It promises to aid the development of micro air vehicles able to navigate complicated aerial environments. Through studying the expression of a genetically-encoded calcium sensor in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the Fellow is observing haltere steering muscle activity during tethered flight maneuvers. Newly developed computational techniques are being employed to reveal if muscle activation patterns reflect the muscles acting independently or in context-dependent groups. A more complete understanding of the haltere?s motor control from these experiments provides insight as to how insects can perform elegant behaviors using a limited set of muscles and expands our knowledge of the general principles of motor control. Moreover, the research addresses how hard-wired reflexes are modified by the nervous system to produce voluntary behaviors. The Fellow mentors and serves as a role model for African-American and other underrepresented undergraduate students. Further educational outreach includes presentations to school groups through the Caltech Classroom Connection, the use of online multimedia to disseminate a podcast discussing current topics in science, and the development of informal presentations targeted at teenage audiences.