Minority Health International Research Training (MHIRT)

描述（由申请人提供）：UCSC- MHIRT研究计划的长期目标是积极参与正在进行的，长期的国际，生物医学和行为相关的研究项目，在自然环境中进行的代表性不足的少数民族学生与来自东道国的学生和教师合作。随着研究生和本科研究培训的悠久传统，UCSC提供了具有挑战性和独特的生物领域的研究机会，结合联合收割机丰富和刺激的文化经验与生产和创造性的科研培训。这些经验将为UCSC-MHIRT学生提供更广泛的国际科学和教育视角，增强自信心和独立性，以及技术专业知识的实质性改进。这导致了我们的代表性不足的少数民族学生选择先进的科学培训，从而成为下一代生物医学科学家和学术教师的领导人数令人满意的增加。这项研究将主要集中在阿根廷巴塔哥尼亚海岸和墨西哥索诺拉的加州湾以及新西兰沿海沿着的几个物种的生物学上。在墨西哥，MHIRT学生将参与径流污染物对加州湾（海皮质）食物网影响的长期，多层面调查。加州湾食物链和渔业的健康对墨西哥公民的健康和经济产生了巨大的影响。UCSC-MHIRT计划不仅将为这些重要的研究做出直接的科学贡献，而且还将为MHIRT学生提供直接生物医学相关领域的独特科学培训。在阿根廷和新西兰，研究将侧重于包括象海豹在内的几种海洋物种的生理和行为研究。该物种作为哺乳动物肥胖的一个意想不到的和独特的模型，以及长期食物和水禁欲的生理学。最近的研究表明，这些结果对几种严重的人类病理学具有重要的临床意义，这些病理学对美国少数民族人口和太平洋沿岸新兴国家的影响不成比例。其中包括：1）病态肥胖和相关病症，如糖尿病、心血管疾病和肾功能不全;和2）由营养不良或饥饿引起的幼儿发育病理学。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long term objective of the UCSC- MHIRT Research Program is to actively engage underrepresented minority students in on-going, long term international, biomedically and behavioral relevant research projects conducted in the natural environment in collaboration with students and faculty from the host country. With a long tradition of both graduate and undergraduate research training, UCSC offers challenging and unique biological field research opportunities that combine rich and stimulating cultural experience with productive and creative scientific research training. These experiences will provide UCSC-MHIRT students with broader international scientific and educational perspectives, increased self confidence and independence, plus substantial improvements in technical expertise. This has resulted in a satisfying increase in the number of our underrepresented minority students choosing advanced scientific training and consequently becoming the leadership of the next generation of biomedical scientists and academic faculty. The research will focus, primarily, on the biology of the several species along the Patagonian coast of Argentina and the Gulf of California in Sonora, Mexico as well as coastal New Zealand. In Mexico, MHIRT students will be involved in a long term, multidimensional investigation of the effects of runoff pollutants on the food web of the Gulf of California (Sea Of Cortex). The health of the food chain and fisheries of the Gulf of California has enormous health and economic consequences for the citizens of Mexico. The UCSC-MHIRT Program will not only make direct scientific contributions to these vital studies but will do so while providing MHIRT students with unique scientific training in a field of immediate biomedical relevance. In Argentina and New Zealand, studies will focus on physiological and behavioral studies several marine species, including the elephant seal. This species serves as an unexpected and unique model of mammalian obesity, and the physiology of long term food and water abstinence. Recently, studies have shown that these results have important clinical implications for several severe human pathologies that disproportionately impact U.S. minority populations and emerging countries of the Pacific Rim. These include: 1) morbid obesity and related conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and renal insufficiency; and 2) early childhood developmental pathologies resulting from malnutrition or starvation.