US-Africa Workshop: Building Collaborations in Freshwater Fish Biodiversity Research in Africa

该奖项为2008年11月在南非格雷厄姆斯敦的南非水生生物多样性研究所举办的研讨会提供资金，该研讨会旨在建立美国和非洲鱼类生物学家之间的合作，并促进对整个非洲大陆淡水鱼生物多样性的研究。该研讨会由杜兰大学的Henry Bart博士和SAIAB的Paul Skelton博士组织，Bart博士是美国国家科学基金会资助的Cypriniform生命之树项目的美国调查员之一。尽管非洲大陆拥有丰富多样的淡水鱼，但很少有研究记录和了解这种多样性。拟议中的研讨会将汇集来自美国和非洲的专家，以确定合作潜力最大的鱼类分类群和地理区域。研讨会将以小组讨论、演讲和工作会议为特色，讨论科学进步中最令人兴奋的领域，以及实地收集、建立研究收藏、获得分类研究的计算机和信息工具、培训非洲国家的鱼类分类学家以及为非洲的此类活动争取资金等方面的挑战。来自非洲生物多样性组织的代表被邀请参加研讨会，讨论由研讨会讨论激发的资助研究的机会。该研讨会将包括至少8名美国参与者和7名从南非以外的非洲国家招募的参与者，以及来自南非的研究人员和学生。美国学生（本科生和研究生）和博士后研究人员，包括女性和代表性不足的少数民族，将优先参加研讨会。为期五天的科学报告、讨论会和实地考察将为讲习班参与者提供许多机会，以发展一个强大的网络，促进非洲淡水鱼生物多样性的国际合作研究。

This award funds a November 2008 workshop at the South African Institute of Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) in Grahamstown, South Africa, that aims to build collaborations between U.S. and African fish biologists and to promote research on freshwater fish biodiversity across the continent of Africa. The workshop is being organized by Dr. Henry Bart of Tulane University, one of the US investigators in the NSF-funded Cypriniform Tree of Life Project, and Dr. Paul Skelton at SAIAB. Although the African continent supports a rich diversity of freshwater fishes, there has been little research conducted to document and understand much of that diversity. The proposed workshop will bring together experts from the U.S. and Africa to identify those fish taxa and geographic regions where the potential for collaboration is greatest. The workshop will feature panel discussions, presentations and working meetings to address both the most exciting areas of scientific advancement, as well as the challenges of field collecting, establishing research collections, gaining access to computer and information tools for taxonomic research, training fish taxonomists from African countries, and securing funding for such activities in African. Representatives from African biodiversity organizations have been invited to the workshop to discuss opportunities for funding research stimulated by discussions at the workshop. The workshop will include at least 8 U.S. participants and 7 participants recruited from African countries other than South Africa, as well as researchers and students from South Africa. U.S. students (undergraduate and graduate) and postdoctoral researchers, including women and underrepresented minorities, will be given the highest priority for participating in the workshop. The five days of scientific presentations, discussion sessions and field excursions will provide workshop participants with many opportunities to develop a strong network for advancing international collaborative research on Africa freshwater fish biodiversity.