RaMP: Advancing Indigenous perspectives to address climate vulnerability in the Southwest: research training for and by diverse communities

西南部景观正在经历日益加剧的气候压力，这可能会破坏生态系统，使其超出提供具有文化意义的生态系统服务的能力。为了建立应对这一挑战所需的科学队伍，该项目提供了一个毕业后研究培训计划，将增加土著和拉美裔学生在STEM领域的参与。它提供生物科学方面的研究经验和全面的学生指导。一个多元化的导师和合作者网络，包括土著领袖和长老、大学和部落学院的教职员工和研究生，以及来自非营利性、私营和公共部门的合作伙伴，将制定年度研究计划。年度计划将集中于每年三到五个研究项目，由十名毕业后研究员组成的队列进行。这一计划将对社会产生几个重要的更广泛的影响。1.30名毕业后将接受研究和相关技能方面的培训，以促进他们在气候变化生物学方面的事业。2.被辅导者和导师接受的培训将通过培养科学家、保护领袖和土地管理人员更好地整合土著知识和观点的能力，提高跨文化素养。3.合作研究将推进部落和机构的气候缓解规划。4.该计划将引导年轻科学家进入以生物专业知识为基础的职业生涯。5.研究结果将通过外联材料和网站分享，发表在同行审查文献中，并在各次会议上介绍。6.研究结果将适用于减缓气候变化，并旨在保护对西南部服务不足社区的文化至关重要的自然资源。研究项目将侧重于整合生态、进化和文化视角，以预测和缓解灾难性的生态系统转变。具体地说，这项研究将解决以下问题：1.关键基础物种过去的耐受性进化如何预测其物种分布的极限？2.物种相互作用如何限制物种和生态系统的边界？3.生态系统功能的稳定性如何取决于社区对气候变化的反应？在林地、牧场、河岸和农业系统中从生理尺度到景观尺度的工作将使研究员能够发展广泛的技能。技能发展将包括实地和实验室实验、试验性种植、生物多样性评估、种群建模、下一代测序、化学和同位素分析、地理信息系统和遥感。对研究员和导师的综合培训和发展活动将包括：(1)气候适应的生态、进化和文化组成部分；(2)从人口到景观生态的跨学科和量化方法；(3)负责任和安全的研究；以及(4)跨文化交流、合作和领导技能。招募研究员将通过美国西南部的部落学院和拉美裔服务机构，并利用当地和全国网络，服务于在生物学和自然资源职业中历来代表性不足的人群。支持和培训将根据个别研究员的背景和目标进行定制，以确保他们在职业生涯的下一步具有竞争力，无论是进入环境生物学劳动力大军还是继续研究生院。该奖项的联合资金由NSF十大想法之一的导航新北极(NNA)项目提供。NNA支持以下项目：应对快速变化的北极地区的汇聚科学挑战，增强新的研究伙伴关系，使下一代北极研究人员多样化，加强正规和非正规教育的努力，并在适当情况下整合联合生产知识。这一奖项与这些目标一致。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。

Southwestern landscapes are experiencing intensifying climate stress, which threatens to damage ecosystems beyond their capacity to provide culturally significant ecosystem services. To build the scientific workforce needed to address this challenge, this project delivers a post-baccalaureate research training program which will increase the participation of Indigenous and Latinx students in STEM fields. It provides research experiences in the biological sciences and comprehensive student mentorship. A diverse network of mentors and collaborators, including Indigenous leaders and elders; university and tribal college faculty and graduate students; and partners from non-profit, private, and public sectors will develop an annual research plan. The annual plan will focus on three to five research projects each year to be carried out by a cohort of ten post-baccalaureate fellows. This program will have several important broader impacts for society. 1. Thirty post-baccalaureates will be trained in the conduct of research and allied skills to advance their careers in climate change biology. 2. The training received by mentees and mentors will increase cross-cultural literacy by building the capacity of scientists, conservation leaders, and land managers to better integrate Indigenous knowledge and perspectives. 3. The collaborative research will advance Tribal and agency climate mitigation planning. 4. The program will launch young scientists into careers founded on biological expertise. 5. Research findings will be shared via outreach materials, websites, published in the peer review literature and presented at conferences. 6. Research findings will be applicable to climate change mitigation and aimed at protecting natural resources critical to the culture of underserved communities in the Southwest. Research projects will focus on integrating ecological, evolutionary, and cultural perspectives to predict and mitigate catastrophic ecosystem transitions. Specifically, the research will address these questions: 1. How does past evolution of tolerance in key foundation species predict limits to their species distributions? 2. How do species interactions constrain the boundaries of species and ecosystems? 3. How does the stability of ecosystem functions depend on community-level responses to climate change? Working from physiological to landscape scales across woodland, rangeland, riparian, and agricultural systems will allow fellows to develop a wide range of skills. Skill development will include field and laboratory experimentation, experimental plantings, biodiversity assessment, population modeling, next generation sequencing, chemical and isotopic analyses, geographic information systems, and remote sensing. Integrated training and development activities for both fellows and mentors will include (1) ecological, evolutionary, and cultural components of climate adaptation, (2) interdisciplinary and quantitative approaches for testing hypotheses from population to landscape ecology, (3) responsible and safe conduct of research, and (4) cross-cultural communication, collaboration, and leadership skills. Recruitment of fellows will be through Tribal Colleges and Hispanic-serving institutions in the southwestern US and use local and national networks serving populations historically underrepresented in biology and natural resources careers. Support and training will be tailored to the background and goals of individual fellows to ensure they are competitive for the next step in their career whether that is entering the environmental biology workforce or continuing to graduate school.Co-funding for this award is being provided by Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) program one of NSF's 10 Big Ideas. NNA supports projects that address convergence scientific challenges in the rapidly changing Arctic, empower new research partnerships, diversify the next generation of Arctic researchers, enhance efforts in formal and informal education, and integrate the co-production of knowledge where appropriate. This award aligns with those goals.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.