Doctoral Dissertation Research: Energy expenditure, neuroendocrine systems, and social dynamics in challenging environments

这个博士论文项目将研究当人类暴露在新的，具有挑战性的环境中时，生理和行为之间的关系。该项目将利用生物可塑性和适应性、能源分配和支出以及社会合作等核心研究机构。这项研究将促进对人类如何适应极端寒冷和高海拔需求的新见解，这将广泛地为人类应对世界各地各种生态压力的能力研究提供信息。这项研究将有助于在圣母大学培养一名有色人种女性获得博士学位，也将有助于在激素，健康，人类行为实验室培养本科生和大三研究生，其中约80%的实验室成员是女性和代表性不足的少数民族学生。与国家户外领导学校合作，研究人员创建了一个项目网站，学生和公众都可以轻松访问该网站，以获得初步调查结果和研究更新。该研究团队还积极参与公共宣传活动，包括为小学和中学班级做演讲，为当地社区做公开讲座，并通过科普文章，播客和Twitter等社交媒体平台促进科学探究和分享研究。该项目旨在帮助了解人类如何在生物和行为上适应新的和具有挑战性的生态，特别是通过能量/代谢生理学、神经内分泌系统和社会动力学之间的关系。研究人员将研究参加约90天探险通过美国落基山脉的个人，作为国家户外领导学校（NOLS）的一部分。在这样的环境中（例如高海拔或寒冷），生态和心理压力对人体生理机能，包括代谢和心理生物功能提出了强烈的要求。该研究将解决更大的讨论（一）生物变异，可塑性和适应性在具有挑战性的生态，（二）生活史和生态为基础的能源分配和支出的观点，以及（三）亲社会性，合作和集体行动的演变和功能。认识到生理和行为之间的关系和细微差别可能会对人类全球扩张和定居的成功提供关键的见解，对人类健康和福祉以及未来的探索产生影响，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查进行评估来支持的搜索.

This doctoral dissertation project will investigate the relationship between physiology and behavior when humans are exposed to novel, challenging environments. The project will draw upon core bodies of research on biological plasticity and adaptation, energy allocation and expenditure, and social cooperation. This research will facilitate new insights on how humans acclimate to extreme cold and high altitude demands, which will broadly inform research on human capacities to respond to the diverse range of ecological stressors found throughout the world. This study will help train a woman of color at the University of Notre Dame for her PhD and will also help in the training of undergraduate and junior graduate students in the Hormones, Health, & Human Behavior Lab, of which ~80% of lab members are women and underrepresented minority students. In conjunction with the National Outdoor Leadership School, the investigator has created a project website that both students and the public can easily access for preliminary findings and updates on the study. The research team has also heavily engaged in public outreach, including presentations for elementary and middle school classes, public lectures to local communities, and promoting scientific inquiry and sharing research through popular science articles, podcasts, and social media venues like Twitter.This project aims to help understand how humans biologically and behaviorally acclimate to novel and challenging ecologies, specifically via the relationships between energetic/metabolic physiology, neuroendocrine systems, and social dynamics. The investigator will study individuals participating in ~90 day expeditions through the American Rockies as a part of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). In such environments (e.g. high altitude or cold), ecological and psychological stressors impose intensive demands on human physiology, including metabolic and psychobiological functioning. The research will address larger discussions about (i) biological variation, plasticity, and adaptation in challenging ecologies, (ii) life history- and ecological-based perspectives on energetic allocation and expenditure, and (iii) the evolution and function of prosociality, cooperation, and collective action. Recognizing the relationship and nuances between physiology and behavior may give critical insight into the success of human global expansion and settlement, with implications for human health and well-being as well as future exploration, and habitation of increasingly changing and unique ecologies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.