IRES Track I: Exploring Adaptive Responses to Dynamic Island Environments

人类活动极大地改变了自然生态系统，导致了地球历史上第六次大规模灭绝事件。为了遏制这种前所未有的生物多样性丧失，关键是要了解生物体如何响应并在这种快速变化的环境中坚持下去。这一国际学生研究体验(IRES)项目将探索自然种群如何在自然环境的挑战中生存下来，然后利用这一理解来确定相同的种群如何对人类中介的新变化做出反应。因此，IRES项目将提供减缓目前前所未有的生物多样性丧失所需的洞察力。该IRES项目将培训10名本科生，目标是那些在STEM中代表性不足的人(即妇女和少数群体)，每年为期六周，在偏远的所罗门群岛进行实地研究和保护科学。所罗门群岛是IRES项目的理想环境，因为该群岛由充满活力的生态系统组成，在这些生态系统中，生物体面临着由自然和人为过程造成的不断变化的条件。来自迈阿密大学和当地非政府组织的国际团队将领导该项目，提供不同的视角和独特的专业知识，为学生辅导创造一个蓬勃发展的环境。主要目标是让学生首先通过进行小组实验来利用自然系统，探索人口如何应对自然环境的挑战。然后，学生们将通过开发独立的项目来测试相同的人群对人类干扰的反应，从而扩大对自然系统的理解。在美国的后续课程将提供额外的培训和职业发展，目标是发布学生项目。其结果是一个IRES项目，一个多样化的国际团队将为下一代科学家配备更具全球视野的能力，以应对地球上最紧迫的挑战。这个IRES项目有两个主要的、更广泛的影响。首先，该项目将对本科生进行国际研究和保护方面的培训，目标是那些在STEM中任职人数不足的人(即妇女和少数民族)。因此，IRES项目将解决STEM缺乏多样性的问题，并提供对培养学生在全球市场竞争至关重要的国际经验。其次，IRES项目将有助于在生物多样性热点地区建立保护倡议。保护倡议包括学生与当地利益攸关方合作，收集实地数据并开展外联活动，以增强当地社区建立可持续做法的能力。通过收集基线数据，参与IRES项目的学生将有助于建立一个雄心勃勃的保护区。因此，IRES项目解决了生物学中的一个基本问题，同时为学生提供了启动有影响力的保护计划的经验。该奖项反映了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。

Human activities have dramatically altered natural ecosystems, causing the sixth mass extinction event of our planet's history. To curb this unprecedented loss of biological diversity, it is critical to understand how organisms respond to and persist in such rapidly-changing environments. This International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) project will explore how natural populations survive the challenges of their natural environment, and then leverage this understanding to determine how the same populations respond to novel human-mediated changes. This IRES project, therefore, will provide insights needed to slow the current, unprecedented loss of biodiversity.This IRES project will train cohorts of 10 undergraduate students, targeting those underrepresented in STEM (i.e., women and minorities), for a period of six weeks each year in field research and conservation science in the remote Solomon Islands. The Solomon Islands serve as an ideal setting for this IRES project, as the archipelago is composed of dynamic ecosystems where organisms face constantly-changing conditions caused by both natural and anthropogenic processes. An international team from the University of Miami and local non-government organizations will lead the program, offering diverse perspectives and unique expertise to create a thriving environment for student mentorship. The major goal is for students to first leverage natural systems by executing group experiments that explore how populations meet the challenges of their natural environment. Students will then expand on this understanding of natural systems by developing independent projects to test how the same populations respond to human-mediated disturbances. A follow-up course in the US will provide additional training and career development, with the goal of publishing the student projects. The result is an IRES program where a diverse, international team will equip the next generation of scientists with a more global perspective to tackle our planet's most pressing challenges.This IRES project has two major broader impacts. First, this project will train undergraduate students in international research and conservation, targeting those underrepresented in STEM (i.e., women and minorities). This IRES project will therefore tackle the lack of diversity in STEM, and provide international experience that is critical for preparing students to compete in a global market. Second, this IRES project will help establish conservation initiatives in a biodiversity hotspot. The conservation initiative includes students working with local stakeholders in collecting field data and conducting outreach to empower local communities in establishing sustainable practices. By collecting baseline data, students involved in this IRES project will help in the establishment of an ambitious conservation area. This IRES project, therefore, addresses a fundamental question in Biology, while providing students with experience in initiating impactful conservation 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.