Collaborative Research: IRES Track I: Ph-IRES Philippines International Research Experience for Students - Fisheries Impacts at the Global Epicenter of Marine Biodiversity

这个合作的IRES项目是由OISE(国际科学与工程办公室)和GEO/OCE(海洋科学部)共同资助的。第一部分，非技术性描述：在菲律宾国际学生研究体验项目(Ph-IRES)，15名美国本科生将在西里曼大学(SU)与菲律宾导师一起进行为期八周的独立研究。项目将探索海洋鱼类和影响其进化的人类活动。研究将包括：(1)记录鱼类多样性的遗传条形码；(2)研究捕捞压力如何影响鱼类生长和繁殖的生活史研究；(3)研究鱼类种群如何相互联系的遗传研究；以及(4)微塑料污染可能如何影响珊瑚鱼的研究。学生将参与一次身临其境的国际研究体验，强调不同文化之间的合作，并有助于发展一支具有世界级技能的多元化、参与全球的劳动力队伍。通过这一培训计划，我们将加强美国在研究方面的领导地位，并通过培训下一代国际研究领导者来增强经济竞争力。社会依赖海洋资源来保障粮食安全，拟议的研究将帮助我们了解我们的活动如何影响鱼类的进化，从而提高我们可持续捕捞鱼类的能力。第二部分，技术描述：本科生将进行现代生态和进化科学的研究，以测试在海洋生物多样性震中被开发的海洋鱼类的进化。Ph-IRES将在“国家科学基金会--帝国--1743711--海洋生物多样性震中的百年遗传和物种转化”合作组织的现有的、成功的国际夏季生物多样性研究项目的基础上，通过增加每年5名国家招收的学生的能力，重点研究海洋鱼类的短期分子进化，这些学生的研究项目侧重于记录当今的遗传多样性和人类活动对渔业物种的影响。学生将与苏黎世大学的菲律宾导师一起探索四个重点领域的研究问题：(1)海洋鱼类的DNA条形码将被用来记录和比较海洋生物多样性最大、科学研究相对较少的地区的长期进化关系、物种和遗传多样性；(2)海洋鱼类生活史项目将收集关于生长率、生殖成熟年龄或性别变化的数据，以及父母对后代的投资数据，以比较不同捕捞压力的地区；(3)种群连通性研究项目将使用遗传数据来测试遗传结构；(4)海洋污染和微塑料方面的项目将直接研究这些当代人类对菲律宾海洋鱼类的威胁。除了科学重点领域，Ph-IRES的教育目标是(1)帮助学生融入国际STEM文化，(2)促进纪律实践和知识，以及(3)增加学生在STEM领域的参与度和留存率。学生将在开发、规划、实施、分析和传播独立海外研究项目的结果方面获得真实的经验。Ph-IRES还将提供文化培训、计算技能讲习班、为专业协会成员提供资金，以及参加STEM国家多样性会议的顶峰队列之旅，与会者可以在那里建立网络，利用专业发展活动，并展示他们的研究。拟议的工作将增加现有的关于本科生研究经验影响的知识，特别是将有助于在海外环境下与国际、非西方导师合作的学生的定量和定性数据。此外，Ph-IRES和REU项目的合作将使我们能够对比不同项目之间不同指导战略的影响。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This collaborative IRES project is co-funding by OISE (Office of International Science and Engineering) and GEO/OCE (Division of Ocean Sciences).Part 1, Nontechnical Description: In the Philippines International Research Experience for Students project (Ph-IRES), 15 U.S. undergraduates will spend eight weeks at Silliman University (SU) conducting independent research with Filipino mentors. Projects will explore marine fishes and the human activities affecting their evolution. Research will include: (1) genetic barcoding to document fish diversity; (2) life history studies to examine how fishing pressure influences how fish grow and reproduce; (3) genetic studies to see how fish populations connect with one another, and; (4) study of how microplastics pollution may affect reef fishes. Students will be involved in an immersive international research experience that emphasizes collaboration among cultures and contributes to development of a diverse, globally-engaged workforce with world-class skills. Through this training program, we will enhance U.S. leadership in research, and strengthen economic competitiveness through training the next generation of international research leaders. Society relies upon marine resources for food security, and the proposed research will contribute to our ability to sustainably harvest fish by helping us understand how our activities affect their evolution. Part 2, Technical Description: Undergraduate students will conduct research in modern ecological and evolutionary science to test for the evolution of exploited marine fishes in the epicenter of marine biodiversity. Ph-IRES will build upon the existing, successful international summer REU program organized by the "NSF-PIRE-1743711- Centennial Genetic and Species Transformations in the Epicenter of Marine Biodiversity" collaboration, which is focused on short-term molecular evolution of marine fishes by adding capacity for five nationally recruited students/year whose research projects focus on documenting present-day genetic diversity and the impacts of human activities on fisheries species. Students will work with Filipino mentors at SU to explore research questions in four focus areas: (1) DNA barcoding of marine fishes will be used to document and compare long-term evolutionary relationships, species and genetic diversity in a region with the greatest marine biodiversity and relatively few scientific studies; (2) Marine fish life history projects will gather data on growth rate, age of reproductive maturity or sex change, and parental investment in offspring to make comparisons between areas with different levels of fishing pressure; (3) Research projects on population connectivity will use genetic data to test for genetic structure; (4) Projects in marine pollution and microplastics will directly examine these contemporary anthropogenic threats to marine fishes in the Philippines. In addition to the scientific focus areas, the educational goals of Ph-IRES are to (1) help students integrate into international STEM culture, (2) promote disciplinary practices and knowledge, and (3) increase participation and retention of students in STEM fields. Students will gain authentic experience in developing, planning, conducting, analyzing and disseminating the results of an independent overseas research project. Ph-IRES will also provide cultural training, a computational skills workshop, funding for membership in a professional society and a capstone cohort trip to the National Diversity in STEM conference where participants can network, take advantage of professional development activities, and present their research. The proposed work will add to existing knowledge of the effects of undergraduate research experiences, and will in particular contribute quantitative and qualitative data on students working with international, non-Western mentors in an overseas setting. Additionally, the partnership of the Ph-IRES and PIRE REU programs will allow us to contrast the effects of differing mentorship strategies between the programs.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.