Collaboration to Integrate Research and Education in Marine and Environmental Science and Biotechnology

美国东南部的沿海环境预计将在未来20年经历前所未有的人口增长(LUCES，1996)。伴随着这种人口扩张，土地使用将显著增加，并可能对资源和环境质量产生重大影响。为了做好应对这些问题的准备，我们的教育系统需要提供评估、预测和改善海洋资源和沿海环境质量所需的技术、方法和信息。非洲裔美国人在海洋和环境科学领域的代表性仍然严重不足。萨凡纳州立大学(萨凡纳州立大学)很早就认识到黑人参与的必要性和缺乏性，于1970年申请并得到了国家科学基金会的援助，以提供和装备海洋科学本科课程。从那时起，科学与技术学院增加了一个生物技术专业。这些结合的学位课程提供具有基础科学基础知识的文科基础，以及接触海洋、环境科学和生物技术的名义方法和工具。然而，像上海州立大学这样以本科为主的教育学校根本没有资源或理由发展和维护广泛的现代研究设施。因此，他们的学生虽然接受了良好的课堂教学，但没有接触到复杂的研究环境并在其中进行培训。那些这样做的人，通常是在州或地区以外的夏季研究体验期间收到它的。如果没有这样的接触，学生的竞争力将低于那些接受过正式研究培训的学生。这里提议的CIRE项目将利用SSU和斯基德韦海洋研究所(SKIO)之间偶然的地理和行政关系，SKIO是附近最先进的海洋和环境研究设施，是NSF野外站和海洋实验室(FSML)。作为管理乔治亚州所有公共教育和研究单位的格鲁吉亚大学系统的成员，SSU和SKIO有可能建立正式联系。然而，在过去，这些关系只是在临时基础上发展起来的。在这里，他们提出了一种合作，包括通过纳入SKIO教员的教学和研究模块来多样化SSU的现有课程；通过SKIO的研究助理为合格的SSU学生实习生提供正式的详细研究培训；互惠的教师交流机会；以及合作课程开发。SSU的教育项目将受益于使用SKIO的研究设施，SKIO将受益于与授予学位的教育机构发展正式联系。鉴于海洋生物学和环境研究本科学位项目的发展和成功，并考虑到这种合作的潜在价值，上海州立大学计划提交一个新的海洋科学硕士学位项目供批准。它将寻求佐治亚州大学系统的支持，为SKIO的教职员工争取时间，与SSU的学生和教职员工分享他们的专业知识；然而，这一程序可能需要几年时间才能完全实施。CIRE项目将有助于这一进程，为这两个机构的教职员工提供经验，并为格鲁吉亚大学系统提供机会，证明合作是适当和成功的。组织具有竞争力的研究培训框架，扩大SSU现有课程的深度和多样性，以及SSU和SKIO教员在教学、研究和课程开发方面的合作，将大大有助于提高SSU在海洋和环境科学以及生物技术方面的培训机会和质量。

Coastal environments in the southeastern U.S. are expected to undergo unprecedented population growth in the next 20 years (LUCES, 1996). Accompanying this human expansion will be significant increases in land use and the potential for dramatic effects upon resources and environmental quality. To be prepared to handle these issues, our educational systems need to provide the technology, methodology, and information required to assess, predict, and improve marine resources and coastal environmental quality. African Americans remain significantly underrepresented in marine and environmental science. In early recognition of both the need for and absence of black participation, Savannah State University (SSU) applied for and received assistance from NSF in 1970 to provide and equip an undergraduate curricular option in marine science. Since then, the College of Sciences and Technology has added a program in biotechnology. These combined degree programs provide a liberal arts base with fundamental knowledge in the basic sciences, and exposure to nominal methods and tools in marine and environmental science and biotechnology. However, predominantly undergraduate educational schools such as SSU simply do not have the resources or justification to develop and maintain extensive modern research facilities. Thus their students, while receiving fine classroom instruction, do not have the exposure to and training in sophisticated research environments. Those who do, generally receive it during summer research experiences outside the state or region. Without such exposure, students will be less competitive than those who have received formal training in research. The CIRE project proposed here would take advantage of a fortuitous geographic and administrative relationship between SSU and the Skidaway Institut e of Oceanography (SKIO), a nearby state-of-the-art marine and environmental research facility, and which is an NSF Field Station and Marine Lab (FSML). As members of the University System of Georgia, which administers all of the public educational and research units in the state of Georgia, SSU and SKIO have the potential to create formal ties. In the past, however, these relationships have developed only on an ad-hoc basis. Here, they propose a collaboration which would include diversification of existing courses at SSU by inclusion of teaching and research modules by SKIO faculty; formal detailed training in research via research assistantships at SKIO for qualified SSU student interns; reciprocal faculty exchange opportunities; and collaborative curriculum development. Educational programs at SSU would benefit from access to SKIO's research facilities, and SKIO would benefit from developing formal ties to degree-granting educational institutions. In recognition of the growth and success of undergraduate degree programs in marine biology and environmental studies, and in view of the potential value of this collaboration, SSU is planning to submit for approval a new M.S. degree program in Marine Science. It will be seeking support from the University System of Georgia to buy faculty time at SKIO to share their expertise with SSU students and faculty; this procedure, however, may take several years to fully implement. The CIRE project will assist that process, provide experience for faculty at both institutions, and give the opportunity to document for the University System of Georgia that the collaboration is appropriate and successful. The organization of a competitive framework for research training, the provision for expanding the depth and diversity of existing courses at SSU, and the collaboration between SSU and SKIO faculty in teaching, research, and curriculum development, will go a long way towards enchancing the opportunities and quality of training in marine and environmental sciences and biotechnology at SSU.