A Workshop to Explore Enhancing Collaboration Between US and Chinese Researchers in Systematic Biology

该奖项支持在中国举办一个研讨会，以发展美国和中国科学家在系统学和生物多样性研究领域的合作。发现和记录地球生物多样性的财富，并确定这些数百万的生命形式是如何相互关联的是劳动密集型活动。国际研究是现代系统学的一个几乎普遍的方面，建立有效和富有成效的合作是必不可少的。这项研究需要科学家跨越国界，研究植物，动物，真菌和微生物物种在其原生栖息地。没有任何一个国家拥有所有的专业知识、资源或人力来独自完成这项重要的研究。美国和中国有许多活跃在系统学、古生物学、生物多样性发现和相关领域的研究人员，但合作相对较少。正是考虑到这些想法，我们组织了这次研讨会，讨论中美系统学家之间加强合作的必要性，以及促进新合作关系发展的机制。研讨会的重点是系统学，广义上包括对生命多样性和进化史的研究，包括活的和化石分类群。研讨会为期三天，将包括来自美国的30名参与者和潜在合作者以及来自中国的类似数量的参与者。参与者的选择是基于以下标准：最大限度地提高正在研究的物种之间的分类多样性代表性;在生物多样性清单，分类学和遗传学的科学家中找到平等的代表性;提供博物馆，植物园，大学，学院和其他机构的广泛代表性。研讨会的管理工作将由六个联合组织者（三个在美国，三个在中国）和一个由另外三名参与者组成的指导委员会负责。讲习班结束后，组织者和指导委员会将编写一份全面报告，供公众分发。本次研讨会将通过提高科学家共享资源和解决依赖于对生物多样性和系统关系的深入理解的各种问题的能力，更广泛地造福于该学科。加强国际合作也将通过加强职业发展直接使个人受益。

This award supports a workshop in China to develop collaborations in the field of systematics and biodiversity research between US and Chinese scientists. Discovering and documenting the wealth of Earth's biodiversity and determining how these millions of life forms are interrelated are labor intensive activities. International research is a nearly universal aspect of modern systematics, and building effective and productive collaborations is essential. This research requires scientists to cross national boundaries to study plants, animals, fungi, and microbial species in their native habitats. No single country has all the expertise, resources, or human capacity to accomplish this essential research on their own. The United States and China are home to many researchers who are active in systematics, paleontology, biodiversity discovery and related fields, but collaborations are relatively few. It is with these thoughts in mind that this workshop has been organized to discuss the need for greater collaboration between US and Chinese systematists, and mechanisms that will facilitate the development of new collaborative relationships. The focus of the workshop is systematics, broadly defined to include the study of the diversity and evolutionary history of life, including both living and fossil taxa. The workshop will be three days in length and will include 30 participants and potential collaborators from the US and a similar number of participants from China. Participant selection is based on criteria seeking to: maximize taxonomic diversity representation among the species being studied; find equal representation among scientists working on biodiversity inventory, taxonomy, and phylogeny; provide broad representation of museums, botanic gardens, universities, colleges, and other institutions. Workshop management will be handled by six co-organizers (three in the US and three in China) and a steering committee of three additional participants. After the workshops are concluded the organizers and steering committee will prepare a comprehensive report for public distribution. This workshop will benefit the discipline more broadly by improving scientists' abilities to share resources and address a diverse range of questions that depend upon solid understanding of biodiversity and systematic relationships. Enhancement of international collaboration will also benefit individuals directly through enhanced career development.