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未被充分代表的少数民族学生与东道国的学生和教师合作，在自然环境中进行的长期国际，生物医学和行为相关研究项目。UCSC拥有悠久的研究生和本科生研究培训传统，提供具有挑战性和独特的生物领域研究机会，将丰富而刺激的文化体验与富有成效和创造性的科学研究培训相结合。这些经历将为UCSC-MHIRT学生提供更广阔的国际科学和教育视野，增强自信和独立性，以及技术专业知识的实质性提高。这导致我们代表性不足的少数民族学生选择高级科学培训的人数令人满意地增加，从而成为下一代生物医学科学家和学术教师的领导。这项研究将主要集中在阿根廷巴塔哥尼亚海岸、墨西哥索诺拉加利福尼亚湾以及新西兰沿海地区的几个物种的生物学上。在墨西哥，MHIRT的学生将参与一项长期的、多维的调查，研究径流污染物对加利福尼亚湾（皮质海）食物网的影响。加利福尼亚湾的食物链和渔业的健康对墨西哥公民的健康和经济有着巨大的影响。UCSC-MHIRT项目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学生提供在生物医学相关领域的独特科学培训。在阿根廷和新西兰，研究将集中在包括象海豹在内的几种海洋物种的生理和行为研究上。这个物种是哺乳动物肥胖的一个意想不到的和独特的模型，以及长期禁食和饮水的生理。最近，研究表明，这些结果对影响美国少数民族和环太平洋地区新兴国家的几种严重人类疾病具有重要的临床意义。这些包括：1)病态肥胖和相关疾病，如糖尿病、心血管疾病和肾功能不全；2)由营养不良或饥饿引起的儿童早期发育疾病。

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.