Biodiversity in the Global Ocean - Incorporating Molecular Biology in Field-based Approaches to Undergraduate Studies of Marine Conservation.

该项目通过一种新的以问题/项目为基础的、实地密集的课程，将科学研究与其在公共政策建设中的应用相结合，提高了本科生科学教学的有效性。在为期一学期的试点项目中，本科生将解决公海保护这一基本未被探索但正在出现的问题。该课程采用了一种创新的三阶段方法。在最初的发现阶段，学生们作为一个研究团队开展工作，以建立一个概念框架，以确定生物多样性研究和海洋保护所用方法方面的差距。随后，学生们利用现代分子和经典形态技术，在马尾藻海长达一个月的研究巡航中准确地测量了生物多样性。在最后的应用阶段，学生综合他们的结果，生成全面的基于科学的政策建议，并向科学家和公众利益相关者展示和辩护这些建议。该项目将研究和教育无缝地结合在一起，因为学生对国际科学界使用的长期数据库做出了重大贡献，并应对了当前全球范围的环境挑战。参加这个项目的学生不仅获得了海洋科学研究的前沿技术，而且还获得了在公共政策世界中有效运作所需的智慧、概念和技能。通过将重点转向当地保护主题，该课程正在被调整，以供其他机构使用，包括那些无法进入海洋环境的机构。

This project improves the effectiveness of undergraduate teaching and learning in science through a new problem/project-based, field-intensive curriculum that integrates scientific research with its application in the construction of public policy. In the pilot semester-long program, undergraduate students address the largely unexplored but emerging issue of high seas conservation. The curriculum is modeling an innovative three-stage approach. During the initial discovery phase the students operate as a research team to develop a conceptual framework that identifies gaps in biodiversity research and in the methods used in ocean conservation. Students subsequently employ modern molecular and classic morphological techniques to accurately measure biodiversity during a month-long research cruise in the Sargasso Sea. In the final application phase, students synthesize their results, generating comprehensive science-based policy recommendations, and present and defend these recommendations to scientists and public stakeholders. This project seamlessly integrates research and education as students make significant contributions to long-term databases used by the international scientific community and tackle current global-scale environmental challenges. Students participating in this program not only acquire leading-edge technical sophistication in marine science research, but the wisdom, concepts, and skills necessary to effectively operate within the world of public policy. By changing the focus to local conservation topics, the curriculum is being adapted for use at other institutions, including those without access to the ocean environment.