STC: Center for Chemical Currencies of a Microbial Planet

STC：微生物星球化学货币中心

• 批准号: 2019589
• 负责人: Elizabeth Kujawinski
• 金额: $ 2500万
• 依托单位: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Cooperative Agreement
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-10-01 至 2026-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2019589&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: STC; Center; Chemical; Currencies; Microbial

Functions carried out by microscopic inhabitants of the surface ocean affect every aspect of life on our planet, regardless of distance from the coast. Ocean phytoplankton are responsible for half of the photosynthesis on Earth, the first step in a complex system that annually withdraws 50 billion metric tons of carbon from the atmosphere to sustain their growth. Of this, 25 billion metric tons participate in a rapid cycle in which biologically reactive material is released into seawater and converted back into carbon dioxide by marine bacteria within hours to days. The chemical-microbe network at the heart of this fast cycle remains poorly constrained; consequently, its primary currencies and controls remain elusive; its sensitivities to changing ocean conditions are unknown; and its responses to future climate scenarios are not predictable. The Center for Chemical Currencies of a Microbial Planet (C-CoMP) integrates research, education and knowledge transfer activities to develop a mechanistic understanding of surface ocean carbon flux within the context of a changing ocean and through increased participation in ocean sciences. C-CoMP supports science teams that merge biology, chemistry, modeling, and informatics to close long-standing knowledge gaps in the identities and dynamics of organic molecules that serve as the currencies of elemental transfer between the ocean and atmosphere. C-CoMP fosters education, outreach, and knowledge transfer activities that engage students of all ages, broaden participation in the next generation of ocean scientists, and extend novel open-science approaches into complementary academic and industrial communities. The Center framework is critical to this mission, uniquely facilitating an open exchange of experimental and computational science, methodological and conceptual challenges, and collaborations that establish integrated science and education partnerships. With expanded participation in ocean science research and ocean literacy across the US society, the next generation of ocean scientists will better reflect the diverse US population. Climate-carbon feedbacks on the marine carbon reservoir are major uncertainties for future climate projections, and the trajectory and rate of ocean changes depend directly on microbial responses to temperature increases, ocean acidification, and other perturbations driven by climate change. C-CoMP research closes an urgent knowledge gap in the mechanisms driving carbon flow between ocean and atmosphere, with global implications for predictive climate models. The Center supports interdisciplinary science teams following open and reproducible science practices to address: (1) the chemical currencies of surface ocean carbon flux; (2) the structure and regulation of the chemical-microbe network that mediates this flux; and (3) sensitivity of the network and its feedbacks on climate. C-CoMP leverages emerging tools and technologies to tackle critical challenges in these themes, in synergy with existing ocean programs and consistent with NSF’s Big Ideas. C-CoMP education and outreach activities seek to overcome barriers to ocean literacy and diversify participation in ocean research. The Center is developing (1) initiatives to expand ocean literacy in K-12 and the broader public, (2) ocean sciences undergraduate curricula and research opportunities that provide multiple entry points into research experiences, (3) post-baccalaureate programs to transition undergraduates into graduate education and careers in ocean science, and (4) interdisciplinary graduate student and postdoctoral programs that prepare the next generation of ocean scientists. The C-CoMP team includes education faculty who evaluate the impacts of education and outreach activities and export successful STEM initiatives to the education community. C-CoMP is revolutionizing the technologies for studying chemical transformations in microbial systems to build understanding of the outsized impact of microbes on elemental cycles. Open science, cross-disciplinary collaborations, community engagement, and inclusive practices foster strategic advances in critical science problems and STEM initiatives. C-CoMP science, education, and knowledge-transfer themes are efficiently addressed through a sustained network of scientists addressing critical research challenges while broadening the workforce that will tackle multi-disciplinary problems with academic, industrial and policy partners.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.

海洋表面的微生物所发挥的功能影响着我们星球上生命的各个方面，无论距离海岸多远。海洋浮游植物负责地球上一半的光合作用，这是一个复杂系统的第一步，每年从大气中吸收500亿公吨的碳以维持其生长。其中，250亿公吨参与了一个快速循环，其中生物反应性物质被释放到海水中，并在数小时至数天内被海洋细菌转化回二氧化碳。处于这一快速循环核心的化学微生物网络仍然缺乏约束;因此，其主要货币和控制仍然难以捉摸;其对海洋条件变化的敏感性未知;其对未来气候情景的反应不可预测。微生物星球化学货币中心（C-CoMP）将研究、教育和知识转让活动结合起来，通过增加对海洋科学的参与，在不断变化的海洋背景下，对表层海洋碳通量进行机械理解。C-CoMP支持将生物学、化学、建模和信息学相结合的科学团队，以缩小在有机分子的身份和动力学方面长期存在的知识差距，这些有机分子是海洋和大气之间元素转移的货币。C-CoMP促进教育，推广和知识转移活动，吸引所有年龄段的学生，扩大下一代海洋科学家的参与，并将新颖的开放科学方法扩展到互补的学术和工业社区。该中心的框架是至关重要的这一使命，独特的促进实验和计算科学，方法和概念的挑战，并建立综合科学和教育伙伴关系的合作开放交流。随着美国社会对海洋科学研究和海洋素养的参与扩大，下一代海洋科学家将更好地反映美国人口的多样性。海洋碳库的气候碳反馈是未来气候预测的主要不确定因素，海洋变化的轨迹和速度直接取决于微生物对温度升高、海洋酸化和气候变化驱动的其他扰动的反应。C-CoMP研究填补了海洋和大气之间碳流动驱动机制的迫切知识空白，对预测气候模型具有全球影响。该中心支持跨学科科学团队遵循开放和可重复的科学实践，以解决：（1）表层海洋碳通量的化学货币;（2）介导这种通量的化学微生物网络的结构和调节;（3）网络的敏感性及其对气候的反馈。C-CoMP利用新兴的工具和技术来应对这些主题中的关键挑战，与现有的海洋计划协同作用，并与NSF的大想法保持一致。C-CoMP教育和外展活动旨在克服海洋素养的障碍并实现海洋研究参与的多元化。 该中心正在开发（1）在K-12和更广泛的公众中扩大海洋素养的举措，（2）海洋科学本科课程和研究机会，为研究经验提供多个切入点，（3）学士后课程将本科生过渡到研究生教育和海洋科学职业，（4）培养下一代海洋科学家的跨学科研究生和博士后项目。C-CoMP团队包括教育教师，他们评估教育和推广活动的影响，并向教育界输出成功的STEM计划。C-CoMP正在彻底改变研究微生物系统中化学转化的技术，以了解微生物对元素循环的巨大影响。开放科学、跨学科合作、社区参与和包容性实践促进了关键科学问题和STEM倡议的战略进展。C-CoMP科学、教育和知识转移主题通过一个持续的科学家网络有效地解决关键的研究挑战，同时扩大劳动力，将与学术、工业和政策合作伙伴一起解决多学科问题。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。