Conference: Workshop: Microbial Diversity Molecules to Modeling Across Biological Scales; Summer in WoodsHole

会议：研讨会：微生物多样性分子跨生物尺度建模；

• 批准号: 2205876
• 负责人: Linda Hyman
• 金额: $ 33.12万
• 依托单位: Marine Biological Laboratory
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-08-01 至 2025-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2205876&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Conference; Workshop; Microbial; Diversity; Molecules

The impact of the microbial world on the planet has never been clearer. The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the Sars-CoV-2 virus, and microbial responses to ecosystem disturbance are examples of the significant impact that microbial diversity is having on science and society. With this in mind, never has the Microbial Diversity (MD) course at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), established fifty years ago, been more relevant and of greater value. The course provides a unique, immersive experience for twenty students, including advanced graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and junior faculty. Initially established to explore the microbial world through cultivation, as the field has expanded, so have the techniques incorporated into the curriculum. Today, a combination of training opportunities across disciplines is key to a successful research career in microbiology, thus, the experimental focus goes beyond just growing cells in the lab to include cutting-edge microscopy, genomics, population genetics, and biochemistry. This grant will support the course's new focus on genetic and cellular mechanisms of diversity as drivers of microbial ecology and evolution. The intellecual goal will be through testing compelling research questions at the scale of single cells, populations, or ecosystems that will address global challenges. The course has a track record in broadening partipation, is strongly committed to expanding opportunities for groups under-represented in the sciences, and engages a diverse and inclusive community of faculty and students. The Microbial Diversity (MD) research-training program at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) offers Early Career Researchers (ECRs) advanced training through an intensive 6-week, experience that has served a unique role in training diverse scientists in environmental microbiology for over 50 years. The overall objective is to train ECRs in modern experimental approaches in MD, to empower them to ask and test compelling microbiological research questions at the scale of single microbial cells, populations, or ecosystems. In recent years, the advancement of culture-independent (e.g., metagenomics) studies has ushered in a new era of data-driven research, highlighting unique new challenges for training in MD. The course integrates physiology, molecular cell biology, and evolutionary ecology at the microbial scale to understand and predict the role of microbial communities in ecosystem function. In the next three year funding period, using the wealth of prior course-collected metagenomic data, the scope of research will be expanded to highlight evolutionary and ecological processes that create and maintain microbial diversity at various biological scales. Focused training includes: (i) genome-enabled laboratory cultivation and pure culture isolation, emphasizing the functional analyses of understudied bacteria, archaea, microbial eukaryotes, and viruses (ii); in situ physiological and imaging approaches to quantify spatial and temporal microbial dynamics in local habitats; and (iii) single-cell and population-based approaches to quantify genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity and evolutionary mechanisms creating and maintaining diversity in microbial populations. The newly updated curriculum includes theoretical and practical training in microbiology, cell biology, and microbial ecology and research in genetic and environmental mechanisms that generate microbial diversity. To extend the experience of collaboration and research training of the MD course, trainees participate in: i) a Regional Outreach and Communication in STEM program, designed to support teams of student alumni at their home institutions, to increase science literacy and connections to the local community; ii) the MD Ambassadors group, recruiting a diversity of students for the course; and iii) hosting an Art-Science Exhibition, to inform and inspire local artists and public in the visual aesthetics of the microbial world.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.

微生物世界对地球的影响从未如此清晰。 由SARS-CoV-2病毒引起的COVID-19大流行以及微生物对生态系统扰动的反应是微生物多样性对科学和社会产生重大影响的例子。考虑到这一点，五十年前建立的海洋生物实验室（MBL）的微生物多样性（MD）课程从未如此相关和有价值。 该课程为20名学生提供了独特的沉浸式体验，包括高级研究生，博士后研究员和初级教师。最初建立通过培养探索微生物世界，随着该领域的扩大，将技术纳入课程。今天，跨学科的培训机会的组合是微生物学研究事业成功的关键，因此，实验重点不仅仅是在实验室中培养细胞，还包括尖端的显微镜，基因组学，群体遗传学和生物化学。 这笔赠款将支持该课程的新重点遗传和多样性的细胞机制作为微生物生态学和进化的驱动力。共同的目标将是通过在单细胞、种群或生态系统的规模上测试引人注目的研究问题，以应对全球挑战。该课程在扩大参与方面有着良好的记录，坚定地致力于为在科学领域代表性不足的群体扩大机会，并参与教师和学生的多元化和包容性社区。 海洋生物实验室（MBL）的微生物多样性（MD）研究培训计划通过为期6周的密集培训为早期职业研究人员（ECR）提供高级培训，该经验在培训环境微生物学的不同科学家方面发挥了独特的作用。总体目标是培养医学博士现代实验方法的ECR，使他们能够在单个微生物细胞，种群或生态系统的规模上提出和测试引人注目的微生物研究问题。近年来，文化独立的发展（例如，宏基因组学）研究开创了数据驱动研究的新时代，突出了医学博士培训的独特新挑战。本课程整合生理学，分子细胞生物学和进化生态学在微生物的规模，以了解和预测微生物群落在生态系统功能的作用。 在接下来的三年资助期内，利用前期课程收集的宏基因组数据，研究范围将扩大到突出在各种生物尺度上创造和维持微生物多样性的进化和生态过程。重点培训包括：（一）基因组实验室培养和纯培养物分离，强调对未充分研究的细菌、古细菌、微生物真核生物和病毒的功能分析;（二）用原位生理学和成像方法量化当地生境中微生物的时空动态;及（iii）单细胞及群体-基于方法来量化遗传和表型异质性以及创造和维持微生物种群多样性的进化机制。新更新的课程包括微生物学，细胞生物学和微生物生态学的理论和实践培训，以及产生微生物多样性的遗传和环境机制的研究。 为了扩展MD课程的合作和研究培训经验，学员参加：i）STEM计划的区域推广和交流，旨在支持学生校友在他们的家乡机构的团队，以增加科学素养和与当地社区的联系; ii）MD大使组，为课程招募学生的多样性;以及iii）举办艺术与科学展览，向本地艺术家和公众介绍和启发微生物世界的视觉美学。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。