REU: The Role Amino Acids Play in Attracting Pollinators to Floral Nectars

该奖项将建立一个研究经验， 纽约州立大学弗雷多尼亚分校的本科生网站。 该项目将培养智力和情感 发展10名本科生参与者， 对植物与传粉者相互作用的研究 研究 将集中于氨基酸在吸引昆虫中的作用 传粉者到花蜜。 参与该项目的人员将 收集花蜜并量化其糖和氨基酸 使用高效液相色谱法分析组合物。 在 此外，他们将研究各种行为反应， 传粉昆虫对植物花蜜中氨基酸的反应。 这个项目将分为两个部分，夏季（1988年）和 Winter（1989）. 八个夏季周将提供一周的 介绍理论和方法，三个星期的指导 研究小组项目，和四周的独立， 参与者发起的项目。 在秋季学期， 参与者将分析他们个人的结果， 项目 他们将于1989年1月返回弗雷多尼亚， 他们将准备口头介绍他们的项目， 东部学院科学会议（ECSC） 1989年4月 在这个项目中，学生研究人员将通过1）一个 对生态学、行为学、进化论、 生物化学和化学仪器2）实践经验 具有特定的现场和实验室研究技术，3） 批判性阅读和分析性思维的练习，以及4） 获得各种研究支持技能。 所有 这些成就将提高情感成熟度， 参与者，帮助定义他们作为科学家的职业选择 在某些情况下，还能提高他们的期望。

This award will establish a Research Experience for Undergraduates Site at the State University of New York-Fredonia. The project will foster the intellectual and emotional development of 10 undergraduate participants by involving them in an investigation of plant-pollinator interactions. The research will focus on the role that amino acids play in attracting insect pollinators to floral nectars. Participants in this project will collect nectars and quantify their sugar and amino acid compositions using High Performance Liquid Chromatography. In addition, they will study the behavioral response of various pollinators to amino acids in the nectars of plants. This project will be divided into two parts, summer (1988) and winter(1989). The eight summer weeks will offer one week of introduction to theory and methods, three weeks of directed research on group projects, and four weeks of independent, participant-originated projects. During the fall semester, participants will analyze the results of their individual projects. They will return to Fredonia in January, 1989, when they will prepare oral presentations of their projects to be presented at the Eastern College Science Conference (ECSC) in April 1989. Student researchers in this project will develop through 1) an increased understanding of ecology, behavior, evolution, biochemistry, and chemical instrumentation 2) hands-on experience with specific field and laboratory research techniques, 3) practice in critical reading and analytical thinking, and 4) acquisition of a variety of research support skills. All of these accomplishments will enhance the emotional maturity of participants, help to define their career choice as scientists and, in some cases, raise their aspirations.