Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2002

这一行动为NSF 2002财年少数民族博士后研究奖学金提供了资金。该奖学金的目标是为少数族裔科学家在学术界和工业界担任科学领导职位做好准备。为了实现这一目标，该奖学金为最近的博士后获得者提供了高质量的博士后培训机会。这项计划是美国国家科学基金会的一项努力，目的是增加来自少数族裔群体的研究科学家的数量，从而为国家科学事业的未来活力做出贡献。预计通过这些奖学金培训的研究员将在未来的劳动力培训中发挥重要作用。该奖学金的研究和培训计划题为“通过味觉输入和饥饿状态控制INSCET中的进食神经回路”。由于味觉感受器对寄主特异性识别线索的反应发生变化，六分叶蝉幼虫在取食茄科植物时变得具有寄主专一性。如果给缺乏这种提示的食物，寄主特有的幼虫通常会饿死。目前正在进行电生理学研究，以研究味觉感受器生理和饥饿在寄主专一性和非专一性幼虫的摄食回路中的整合。

This action funds an NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY2002. The goal of the fellowship is to prepare minority scientists for positions of scientific leadership in academia and industry. To attain this goal, the fellowship provides opportunities for postdoctoral training of the highest quality to recent doctoral recipients. This program is an effort by the NSF to increase the number of research scientists from underrepresented minority groups, thereby contributing to the future vitality of the Nation's scientific enterprise. It is expected that Fellows trained through these fellowships will play important roles in training of the future workforce.The research and training plan for this fellowship is entitled "Control of a feeding neural circuit in an inscet by taste sensory input and hunger status." Manduca sexta larvae become host-specific when they feed on solanaceous plants due to changes in taste receptor responses to a host-specific recognition cue. Host-specific larvae often starve to death if given food lacking this cue. Electrophysiological studies are being conducted to examine the integration of taste receptor physiology and hunger on the feeding circuitry of host-specific and non-specific larvae.